Where Are You From?
Christian Yves Jones (2025)
Video constructed from photographs with sound, 5:00min loop

Exhibited:
No Burden, Comox Valley Art Gallery, Group Exhibition, 2025, Curated by Denise Lawson
Portals, Queer Arts Festival, Group Exhibition, 2025, curated by Mark Takeshi McGregor & Diane Hau Yu Wong

Where Are You From? is a deeply personal exploration of memory and identity. Through this work, Jones reflects on the complexities of being Filipino, Kiwi, and Canadian, posing the question: Who am I within these overlapping identities? As the narrative unfolds, these distinctions begin to blur, revealing a multifaceted and evolving sense of self.

Using photographs, the Jones examines how culture is represented, drawing imagery from three significant chapters of his life: the Philippines, New Zealand, and Canada. Each of these places, once called home, pulls them in different directions, embodying both the tension and fluidity of belonging to multiple cultures.

The work begins by grouping photographs according to their geographic origins, highlighting the distinct identities tied to each place. Over time, these images become interwoven, illustrating that identity is neither singular nor static, but a complex and dynamic construct.

Where Are You From? invites viewers to reflect on their own cultural and personal experiences. It offers a glimpse into the challenges and nuances of navigating the immigrant diaspora, prompting deeper consideration of how memory, heritage, and lived experience shape the stories we tell about who we are.