From editorials and interviews to memoirs and screenplays published in ISSAY!, VICE, the Calgary Herald, Complex, and more, his work focuses on peripheries—examining the intersections of culture, art, and identity among Filipinos and other BIPOC diasporas.
On the side, he hosts The SQUAT Show—sharing Filipino and Southeast Asian hardcore, punk, and alternative music every month on CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal, as well as SQUAT PRESENTS: NO WEIGHTS on N10.AS.
His background in journalism informs his approach to multimedia storytelling. As a visual and literary storyteller, he explores themes of diaspora, subculture, and resistance through various forms, including photo essays, audio stories, and visual media.
Whether amplifying underserved narratives or revealing the multiplicity of Filipino identity, his work blends critical analysis with deeply personal perspectives.
Recently, an early iteration of his photo series Sorsogon: Homecoming was featured in Likhaan, a Filipinx arts and culture festival, as part of a group exhibition in Calgary. The series reframes probinsyano identity—often dismissed by big-city Manileños—and highlights “Oragon”, a Central Bikol term that embodies the dignity of the Bicolano people.
ANG MERKADO — Short screenplay (2024)
Funded by Canada Council for the Arts
Memoir / Fiction
"On Romanticizing Home" — ISSAY! (Issue #3, 2024)
Feature interview
“Born to Be White" — ISSAY! (Issue #2, 2024)
Narrative essay
"The Market" — ISSAY! (Issue #1, 2023)
Memoir / Non-fiction
"Are We Asian Enough?" — ISSAY! (Issue #1, 2023)
Feature interview
"Montreal Artist Chien Champion on Designing Nike Bagel Dunk Box" — Complex Canada (2023)
Feature interview
"Meet Three Southeast Asian Creatives Shaking Up Style In Montreal" — Complex Canada (2023)
Feature interview
"In Conversation: Filipinos on the Search for Stability" — Sticky Rice Magazine (Vol. #3, 2023)
Feature interview
"In Conversation: Johnny Kim on Fatherhood, Fashion, and Identity" — Sticky Rice Magazine (2022)
Feature interview
"SPAM" — Sticky Rice Magazine (Revised edition, 2021)
Narrative essay. Revised and republished online.
"SPAM" — FreeFall Magazine (Issue XXVI.II, 2017)
Narrative essay
"dirtsong: A Conversation with Fred Leone of Black Arm Band" — Arts Commons Magazine (Winter 2017)
Feature profile
“Opinion: Asians in media show how the bamboo ceiling hasn’t been lifted, not entirely at least” — Daily Hive Vancouver (2017)
"The Dichotomy of Identity: Jim Wong-Chu" — Georgia Straight (2016)
Feature profile. Documentary short.
"From a hang-up to a cultural phenomenon: Jim Wong-Chu on Asian-Canadian literature" — Georgia Straight (2016)
Feature profile
"An ongoing struggle with South Africa’s indigenous community" — Georgia Straight (2016)
Feature profile
"Henry Rollins brings his stage presence to the big screen with He Never Died" — Georgia Straight (2016)
Film editorial
"Life as a First Nations Person in Calgary’s Hardcore Scene" — VICE (2015)
Feature profile
"Feeling like ‘others,’ Asian-Canadians struggle to find identity" — The Calgary Herald (2015)
News Feature
"Chinese street-performer plays for the music, not for the money" — The Calgary Herald (2015)
News Feature
Sorsogon: Homecoming — Likhaan 2024
Bankers Hall, Calgary | November 14–16, 2024
Group exhibition. Photography series.
Perennials (2022) — Short Film, Editor
Official Selections:
– Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (2022)
– Minikino Film Week: Bali International Short Film Festival (2023)
– 8th Sinema Akhir Tahun (2023)
– Korean Film Festival Canada (2023)
– Le Festival de cinéma de la ville de Québec (2023)
– Grande rencontre des arts médiatiques en Gaspésie (2023)
– White River Independent Film Festival (2023)
– Mighty Niagara Film Festival (2023)
– Seattle Asian American Film Festival (2024)
I Am Calgarian — OutLoud YYC
The GRAND, Calgary | March 16, 2016
Solo exhibition. Photography series commissioned by OutLoud YYC and Tourism Calgary.
Readings
“The Market”
ISSAY! Vol. #1 Launch
Loophole Coffee Bar, Calgary
August 31, 2023
Panels
“MAKE ART YOUR WEAPON”
Panelist | Likhaan 2024
Bankers Hall, Calgary
November 16, 2024
“BEING DIY”
Panelist | KAGAT Zine Fair
Shift Space, Montreal
July 27, 2024
awards
“Explore and Create: Concept to Realization” Grant, Canada Council for the Arts (2024)
Ang Merkado
Screenwriter & Collaborator
“Explore and Create: Research and Creation” Grant, Canada Council for the Arts (2024)
Ang Merkado
Screenwriter & Collaborator
Nominated - Emerging Writer Award 2017–2018
Alberta Magazine Publishers Association
“SPAM”