Aliah Murillo

Aliah Murillo

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning how to dance in the rain”.

Digital Photography, Canvas , Found Objects

More than half the world’s population today is living in poverty, with most people living with basically $2.00 each day to survive. Inspired by poverty and struggle the concept behind my work “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning how to dance in the rain” is based and has a focus around my family heritage and their struggle throughout their lives back home in the Philippines. My artwork portrays my family’s life struggles and poverty my work provides the viewer with an insight into my family’s history. Having originally lived in the Philippines, then immigrating to Australia in hope for a better life, my family’s lives are much better now living in Australia.  Throughout my whole life, my parents constantly have reminded me about how privileged we are to live here in Australia. Whenever we used to complain about not having the greatest clothes or eating whatever we wanted, my parents would say it was still so much more than they could have ever imagined as children back in the Philippines. At times I admit to being selfish as I believed that what we have is not good enough as I take things for granted, fuelled by an expectation of living in a much more developed country. Upon viewing my artwork the viewer is provided with 6 photographs, all in a row. In these 6 images, one can see a young distressed girl living in poverty, and looking closer one can also see old family images in each of these photographs. A pile of old, muddy and dirty clothes are  placed onto the ground symbolising the struggle in an environment, thousands of people have to live through each day in the Philippines. My work is a representation of not only my family’s struggle, but the struggle of many today. Here in these multi layered and transparent images, the focus of struggle and poverty of my family is clearly portrayed.