COMMUNAL IDENTITY ] Jake Versoza photographs the not-so-everyday

Ivatan by Jake Versoza.

"Communal Identity" documents the different faces of the indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia--faces the world seldom gets to see, much less get to know about. Bearing witness to the living cultures of the region, Jake Verzosa’s work records the details of the people’s everyday lives, from their clothes and chores, to their homes and landscapes. His ethnographic theme is strong, but is not limited to documenting the ‘other’. Also looking inward, Verzosa’s documentary makes it clear that the differences between people are circumstantial, and therefore not prime in understanding human nature. Everyday life is the same everywhere. There is routine; there is a need to make a living; and there is a want for expression.

Igorot by Jake Versoza.

Communal Identity, which Versoza has exhibited last year in Paris, is one of three collections of works included in STRIP, a new annual photography show by Silverlens Gallery. STRIP features three young photographers who are all about documenting the here and the now. In a time when photojournalism has been replaced by video and live coverage of world events and everyday news, Tammy David, Verzosa and Veejay Villafranca (David's and Villafranca's works will appear in the following posts) hold on to the power a photograph has in telling a story. Their stories are still about bridging the gap between subject and audience, but this time with more emotion and revelation.

Hmong by Jake Versoza.

STRIP 2010 will be shown alongside Malikmata by Mark Orozco Justiniani at SLab and Saucerful of Secrets by Mariano Ching with Haraya Ching at 20SQUARE, SLab. STRIP 2010 Artists, Tammy David, Jake Verzosa and Veejay Villafranca will have their Artist Talk on February 27, 2010, Saturday, 3-5 pm.

Images courtesy of Silverlens.