Bianca Austria - Painter, Illustrator, Designer

Bianca Austria is a painter, illustrator, and designer born in Los Angeles, raised in the Philippines and currently based in Los Angeles. Influenced by her childhood, memories of growing up through her formative years in the Philippines, and nostalgia for the past, Bianca creates minimalist art pieces reminiscent of vintage travel ads. Two of Bianca’s most popular art pieces are the Pilipinas Kong Mahal and the Araw ng Kalayaan posters. “The pieces resonate … because it expresses the power, beauty, and richness of the Motherland. I created these pieces as symbols of Filipino empowerment and it makes me so happy knowing that I've empowered others through it too!” Bianca’s immigrant experience is also seen in her work as she shares history and culture of the Philippines. Images of food, flora and fauna, clothing, and women are present in her work, embracing and highlighting the beauty of the Philippines. Currently Bianca is working on a series of Filipino mythology and deities.

biancaaustria.com
@biancaaustria.art

Were you always interested in art and when did you decide to pursue it as a career?
I've always been interested in the arts ever since I was a child! I think it all began when my mother would buy me all these huge buckets of Crayola crayons. I was most excited when I received new coloring books and activity books that involved drawing. I was exposed to that sort of thing at such a young age and I think it's what fostered my passion for art early on. Even in kindergarten, I colored things a little better than the rest of my classmates. One of my favorite memories was this one time when my classmate approached me in awe and said "Wow! Your coloring is so good! How do you make it look so nice?" Me, being a child who was proud of her own work said, "Well, I'm an artist, duh!" As I grew up, I realized that maybe it wasn't just a hobby or afternoon past time. Maybe it was more than that; maybe I was set for something bigger. When I was in high school, I decided to become the Head of the Art Club and the Yearbook Club later on, which sort of predestined my love for fusing both art and design. Meanwhile, I was doing freelance work for faculty members, staff, and some classmates. Now that I think about it, it's amazing to see what my early memories of a child have given me. I never thought the huge bucket of Crayola crayons and the 20 pesos coloring book from the local bookstore were essentially my first steps into becoming an artist.

Were your parents supportive of your choice to pursue an education and career in the arts?
I feel absolutely blessed to have such supportive parents. Growing up Filipino, I was no stranger to the pressure of taking a STEM course. My parents have run a business that involved freight forwarding for years. Everything I had was the fruit of their labor. The family business essentially fed me, clothed me, educated me, you name it. When I told my parents I wanted to study art for college, I was nervous! I was well aware of my parents and their understanding of the art industry. Least to say, their knowledge of art and what constitutes art was a bit shallow. For the longest time, my mother was under the impression that all I did was"puro drawing-drawing lang, diba?" She thought that being an artist only meant being exhibited in a gallery. In other words, she assumed that in order to be a successful artist, one needs to make it big in the industry. Nevermind the small artists who design clothes, houses, toys, books, packaging, etc. Regardless, I'm so thankful for all of their support. To support your child's journey into a career that was unknown to you was probably a bit daunting! Nevertheless, they supported me through art school and are slowly learning more about my art. It fills me with so much joy whenever they tell me how proud they are of me. 

How would you describe your art style?
My art style is mainly inspired by things from the past. I love old-world tech and art. I'm a huge sucker for vintage travel posters. I absolutely love the minimalistic style of retro airline ads. I am a huge fan of the works of Dorothy and Otis Shepard and Joseph Binder. The way they subtracted form into its simplest shape is amazing. I love forming an image with the idea that less is more. I experiment by fusing both my love for illustration and graphic design. Typography is just as much of an adventure for me and I love adding another whole element of it to my work. Sometimes I like to dabble into more complex pieces that involve a lot of detail and rendering but for the most part, minimalism has been my best friend.

What influences your work?
My childhood, mostly. My childhood was so rich in both urban and rural life from the Philippines. I lived there for 18 years. My formative years were all spent back home eating Filipino food, playing street games, taking trips to my father's province, spending weekends in his ancestral home. All of my social, emotional, and physical development as a child took place in the Philippines. I like to think that my thoughts and feelings are all a byproduct of that experience. My memories inspire and fascinate me, endlessly. They make me feel very nostalgic but ultimately they bring me love and joy when I reminisce about them. In a way, I use my art as a way for me to cling to that sense of nostalgia; a deep longing for a past when things were, in a way, so much simpler.

What are some of your most popular art pieces, ones that resonate with others?
My most popular pieces are the Pilipinas Kong Mahal and the Araw ng Kalayaan posters. In this day and age, I think the Filipino diaspora is becoming more aware of their own cultural identity and are beginning to take back what has been stolen from us after experiencing a long history of colonialism. I've received so many messages from people saying that they love my pieces because they are able to see themselves in it. The pieces resonate with them because it expresses the power, beauty, and richness of the Motherland. I created these pieces as symbols of Filipino empowerment and it makes me so happy knowing that I've empowered others through it too!

As an immigrant, how important is it to share the history and culture of the Philippines in your art?
Ever since I've permanently moved to Los Angeles, there was an emptiness that settled within me when I realized that everything that brought me warmth from back home was gone. Everything from the weather to the food and the people, I felt myself longing for all the small things that made home, home. It was difficult knowing that my experience was not easily shared by everyone else. I love my Filipino-American friends but their experience of growing up here was a different experience from mine. I made it a personal purpose of mine to share memories of the life I still deeply cling to. I compare myself to a traveling wanderer with an endless treasure trove of stories from my adventures back home and it makes me extremely happy when I am able to visually narrate them through my art. I believe it is very important now more than ever to share the history and culture of the Motherland. With so many things going on right now, I find that learning more about my heritage, whether it's about food, folk tales, flora, fauna, or language, it brings me more peace and comfort than anything else.

How important is it to you to have powerful and political messages in your art?
I believe art is historically political. It has been used by artists of many generations as a medium of protest. For the most part, I use my art to highlight Filipino power. By highlighting the beauty of our culture, especially the beauty of our kayumanggi bodies, I am taking my own stand and protesting against the countless years of colonial mentality that permeates our own beauty industry. I also love visualizing rural scenes inspired by my trips to my father's provincial town as a way of sharing the beauty of our natural resources. I love supporting local farmers mainly because everything I eat and nourish my body with is a product of their land and labor. I hope to bring awareness of these inspiring individuals and the natural richness of our land through my own work.

Do you have any upcoming projects or art pieces that you are excited about?
I do! I have plenty of ideas that I hope to bring to life soon but the one idea at the forefront of my mind is a series of illustrations featuring Philippine deities. I'm a huge fan of Philippine mythology and I'm so excited to illustrate them in my own style. I'm excited to share another piece of Philippine history and culture through this project that will hopefully inspire people to read more about the rich folklore and ancestry of the Motherland.

Photos courtesy of Bianca Austria