Visual Artist
Anna-Marie Gallares
I C a r r y I t W i t h M e
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art
I Carry It With Me is my first UK institutional solo exhibition, bringing together works that explore identity, migration, memory, and the experience of living between cultures. Born in the Philippines and raised in the UK, my practice uses painting to reflect on Filipino-British identity through personal memories, family histories, and places that have shaped my life. The exhibition combines A Year In My Life, an 18-foot painted tapestry first created for my 2023 BA Fine Art degree show and exhibited publicly for the first time, with four large-scale paintings developed during my Breakthrough Artist Fellowship with the Artist Futures Fund at the University of Sunderland.
Together, the works trace a journey across time and place, from childhood memories of arriving in the UK to recent visits to the Philippines and the everyday landscapes of Newcastle. Rich in pattern and inspired by storytelling traditions, the exhibition reflects on nostalgia, belonging, and the ways memory shifts over time. I Carry It With Me marks an important milestone in my practice.
Solo Exhibition, 5th June to 31st July 2026
A Year In My Life (2023)
A Year In My Life retraces my memories from age seven, documenting my first year after immigrating from the Philippines to the UK. Created as an 18ft painted tapestry, it combines storytelling, pattern, and memory to explore migration through a child’s perspective. The work reflects my parents’ hope, ambition, and sacrifice, and the lasting impact of that move on my identity. Childhood scenes are interwoven with Filipino-inspired textile and tattoo motifs influenced by traditional designs and the work of Filipina tattoo artist Whang-od, alongside imagined patterns I created to reflect the meaning of each scene. By blending traditional influences with my own visual language, the tapestry celebrates the complexity and pride of my Filipino-British identity.
Size: 1.37 m (4.5ft) x 5.49 m (18ft)
Material: Acrylic paint, oil pastel on canvas
Everything You Need (2026)
Everything You Need captures a sari-sari store in Cebu, a familiar part of everyday life in the Philippines. Unlike anything I experienced growing up in England, these neighbourhood shops became a big part of my childhood. I remember visiting them with a few pesos, carefully choosing what I could afford. The products are left unbranded, reflecting how I remember the colourful packets that caught your eye and invited you closer. Returning to Cebu and seeing them again felt like reconnecting with a part of my childhood.
110 × 140 cm
Acrylic paint on loose canvas
Passing Through (2026)
Passing Through depicts a crowded jeepney travelling through the streets of Cebu. Inspired by a recent visit to the Philippines, the painting explores the shared experience of commuting and moving through daily life. Although the atmosphere differed from England, I found a sense of familiarity in this everyday movement. A figure looking directly at the viewer captures the brief connection of making eye contact with a stranger in a crowd.
110 × 140 cm
Acrylic paint on loose canvas
A Familiar Stop (2026)
A Familiar Stop explores the quiet permanence of everyday places. It depicts the view from a bus stop in Cowgate, Newcastle, a familiar part of my daily life since I moved there at age ten. For fifteen years, this view has marked countless journeys. While much has changed, the telephone box and post box remain constant, showing how ordinary places become personal landmarks through time and repetition.
110 × 140 cm
Acrylic paint on loose canvas
After All This Time (2026)
After All This Time depicts the view from my auntie’s house in Union, Bontoc, my father’s childhood home where I also spent part of my early childhood. During a recent visit, I was struck by how unchanged the garden and banana trees remained. Returning to this familiar view felt grounding, reminding me that some parts of the past remain tangible despite the passage of time.
110 × 140 cm
Acrylic paint on loose canvas
