Kimberley Acebo Arteche (she/they) is an educator, cultural worker, and interdisciplinary community artist. She works in photography, textiles, performance, and social practice. Arteche’s practice is influenced by indigenous Philippine values & psychology like hiya (shame), kapwa (interconnectedness), and decolonization (Strobel), with the framework that creating art to uncover untold family and ancestral narratives as a method to survive and heal through neo-colonialism, capitalism, and intergenerational trauma. Actively questioning and subverting Philippine aesthetics influenced by colorism and patriarchy, her work offers reflections on working class experiences of body, labor, and memory. Arteche received her MFA from SFSU where she received the School of Art’s Distinguished Graduate award. She is a recipient of the Murphy Cadogan Contemporary Art Award, was Kearny Street Workshop’s Featured Visual Artist in the 2015 APAture Festival. She has shown at East Tennessee State University, SOMArts Cultural Center and at the Wailoa Arts & Cultural Center in Hilo, Hawaii. Arteche’s practice is deeply situated within their roles as an arts educator, arts professional, and community worker within the SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District. Arteche is committed to collaboratively creating decolonial practices within arts institutions, while creating visibility and providing resources for emerging Asian Pacific American and BIPOC Artists.
