Maryrose Cobarrubias Mendoza
Kayumanggi, 2019
Plastic, wood, paper, colored pencil, Giclée print
Courtesy of the artist

This work is on loan for the exhibition, Living Here, at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, June 20 - December 20, 2025.

Mendoza is inspired by the mid-century Fluxus and Pop art movements, especially the work of the American sculptor Claes Oldenburg (1929-2022), who is best known for creating giant versions of common objects such as hamburgers and spoons. “When I manipulate scale, I think it might be able to stimulate perception or possibly create an environment where a viewer might take a bit more time with a piece, observe it more closely, or take an opportunity to ponder what’s in front of them,” she told the Picture This Post website in 2022. Here, she enlarges a crayon to the height of her own body, labels the color “american,” and titles the sculpture with the Tagalog word for the brown tone of Filipino skin. “Kayumanggi not only specifies language and location, but becomes a source of pride in skin color and cultural values.”