Ryan Frigillana

Ryan Frigillana (he/him), b. Iligan City, Philippines, is a New York-based visual artist working with photography and image archives. His work reflects on the construction of familial identity, history, and home as a first-generation American. 

“Mythology—ideological and spiritual—has been the driving force of curiosity behind my practice. Drawing from my experiences as a first-generation immigrant in America, I use photography, both original and found, to create dialogue on migration, assimilation, labor, and religion and their points of intersection. Working primarily, but not exclusively, in book form, I contemplate how these forces have impacted my life and the life of my family as we continue navigating spaces of inherent hostility.” 

Ryan is the author of two monographs: Visions of Eden (self-published, 2020) and The Weight of Slumber (Penumbra Foundation, 2021), with a forthcoming project, “Manong” currently in the works. His publications are held in the library collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Morgan Library and Museum, Getty Research Institute, and the Smithsonian among others. Select awards include a MUUS Collection / Penumbra Foundation Risograph Print & Publication Residency, the NYFA / JGS Fellowship for Photography, and being selected for the 2022 NY Times Portfolio Review.