When Filipe Filihia was tasked last year with developing a concept for his final VCE portfolio at Aitken College, he knew he wanted to make a statement.
The 18-year-old was initially inspired by the cycle of nature, and decided to explore the similarities of life and death with mothers and daughters in a series of photographs.
“It sounds grim, but there’s necessary death that has to happen in the world for this cycle to continue,” he said.
Filipe enlisted the help of his mother and sister to feature in the exhibition, where the daughter represents a vibrant version of her mother, whose tones are more muted to show her progression into a final stage of life.
He wanted to express “the idea of beauty and the breakdown” of that beauty through a mother-daughter relationship.
The project came with its challenges though, as Filipe struggled with schooling from home during the pandemic.
“There were resources that I would have had otherwise that I couldn’t have gotten to,” he said.
But in the end, he found the constant lockdowns began to “enrich” the project as he was forced to use what he had access to, like twigs from his yard.
The project was picked up by Hume council, who have been exhibiting the project online, titled ‘Symbiosis’.
“It’s kind of a big thing for me,” he said. “I’m really proud of that work.”
Hume is currently exploring the prospect of allowing visitors to see the exhibition in person with the upcoming ease of restrictions.
Filipe was also recognised for his talents last year when he was awarded a Hume Arts Youth Award for 2020.
“It just feels really good to have something recognised,” he said.
Filipe is now finishing his first year of university at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) with a bachelor of fine arts and production.
He has found costume and set design the most interesting, and loves the challenge of a large stage to create on.
“The idea of just having that amount of space to create something that you put so much symbolism into and is functional but has that form to it as well is really interesting,” he said.
Filipe’s exhibition, ‘Symbiosis’ will be available to view online until January 15, 2022 at https://theexhibit.io/exhibition/symbiosis-filipe-filihia
Sarah Oliver
