Romantic Browns reimagines the boudoir photography genre through the lens of Filipiniana culture, using the distinctive Van Dyke photographic process to evoke a sense of nostalgia and resistance. This series challenges the deeply ingrained ideals of morality, modesty, and restraint imposed on Filipino women during the Spanish colonial period, particularly through the pervasive influence of Catholicism.

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During this era, the image of the "Maria Clara" archetype—docile, pure, and subservient—was celebrated as the ideal of womanhood, suppressing any expression of confidence, sensuality, or autonomy over one's body. Photography, a luxury at the time, was a medium often reserved for formal portraits, with no room for personal or intimate explorations. Romantic Browns asks: What if women of that period had the freedom and agency to reclaim their bodies, to indulge in their desires, and to defy these rigid expectations?

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In this work, the unrestrained sensuality of the boudoir genre contrasts sharply with the restrictive social norms of the era. The rich brown tones of the Van Dyke prints echo the aesthetics of early photography while lending a warmth and intimacy to the images, bridging the past with the present. By incorporating modern digital photography with traditional alternative processes, Romantic Browns becomes a dialogue between history and modernity, tradition and subversion. 

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This series is more than a visual exploration—it is a reclamation of autonomy and a reflection on the generational weight of colonial and religious ideals. It invites viewers to consider how these imposed narratives have shaped, and continue to shape, notions of femininity, morality, and empowerment in the Philippines.