The exhibition’s title refers to the memorial acclamation in the Catholic Liturgy of the Eucharist, invoking the death and resurrection of Christ as symbols of renewal and change. Santiago’s practice weaves together personal faith, cultural traditions, and the diasporic experience of her Filipino-Australian family, creating a space for reflection on displacement, survival, and the evolving nature of identity.
The exhibition features new installations, commissioned paintings, and an interactive gallery that engages with the Western art-historical canon, particularly focusing on religious ideologies around life, death, and transformation. Santiago appropriates classical Western artworks from the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ collection, creating new narratives that interrogate historical biases and offer alternative perspectives. Through her work, Santiago examines the tensions within her plural identities as a first-generation Filipino-Australian and reflects on the complex intersections of culture, history, and migration.
A central theme of the exhibition is the artist’s use of her family as both subjects and collaborators. Their involvement highlights the importance of shared cultural memory, pride, and respect in navigating the challenges of displacement. Santiago’s new series of paintings depicts her family members as Filipino deities in place of traditional religious figures, positioning them as symbols of resilience and mythological power. In addition to the paintings, the artist engaged her uncle, Gennaro Reyes to create an iconographic-style tabernacle, questioning the excess of religious art and architecture of the Church.
Santiago’s use of reclaimed materials, particularly cardboard, underscores her commitment to sustainability and the readily available, while also acknowledging the cultural significance of everyday objects. Cardboard references the Filipino tradition of sending ‘balikbayan’ care packages, symbolising both personal and collective histories. The artist’s process also subverts traditional fine art materials, challenging the notion of permanence and value in art.
A standout installation in the exhibition is a reduced-scale cardboard church, created in collaboration with Santiago’s architect father, Noy. This work references the Spanish Baroque-style churches built in the Philippines during colonial times, blending indigenous and European design influences. The construction process, which incorporates the family’s architectural and artistic skills, is a tribute to both Filipino heritage and the resilience of local communities.
The ‘Alter Altar’ workshop space and exhibition invites visitors to create portraits of themselves or loved ones as mythological beings, further emphasizing the artist’s focus on self-representation and family. Santiago’s collaborative approach extends to her children, Maella, Santi and Sarita who curated the exhibition and contributed to its vision, reaffirming the artist’s commitment to family as both a personal and creative force.
Marikit Santiago is the recipient of the 2024 La Prairie Art Award and is a multiple finalist in the Archibald Prize and winner of the Sulman Prize. Her practice continues to evolve, blending personal experience with broader cultural and historical narratives.