KAT MARQUEZ

I’ve always appreciated my family’s Filipino culture. This is a block print representing Kamayan, the traditional Filipino practice of eating food with your hands. This practice is significant as Filipinos believe food is best enjoyed spread across banana leaves on tables and eaten alongside a community. Family and friends would then gather around, eating the food straight from the table with their hands, using their fingers to grab the food, and then using their thumbs to guide the food from their four fingers into their mouths. I remember how the older members of my family — usually my Lolas, or grandmothers — asked if we had eaten already, and even if we did, they would be sure to provide food for us to eat and take home. "Kumain ka na ba? / Have you eaten yet?" is a common phrase in many Filipino homes, including mine. Thus, the phrase "Ingat ka / Take Care" is emphasized by how much care is associated with food and community in Filipino traditions.

Kat Marquez (they/them) is a self-taught artist that explores the idea of expressing identity, home, and collectivistic care. Their works often feature hand gestures and body language, inspired by interpersonal interactions that they have either experienced or observed. Kat’s pieces have been featured in several local events, including the JADED x Assemble gallery titled, “In the Ways We Tell: A selection of diverse works from local AAPI artists telling stories of memory, of fantasy, of dreams, and of becoming” as well as several fundraisers supporting Palestine liberation.