Photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani will be at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild on December 14 to open and discuss her exhibit Modern Slavery.
Xyza Cruz Bacani was born in The Philippines, and like many Filipinos, she left her home country in search of economic opportunity. As a domestic worker in Hong Kong, Xyza (pronounced “sigh zah”) began taking photographs in her spare time. Her hobby quickly became a passion, both for the therapeutic effect it had on her, and because it awakened an innate drive for self expression.The exhibit will open on October 17, and Cruz Bacani will hold a reception and artist talk on December 14 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The Manchester Craftsmen's Guild is located at at 1815 Metropolitan St. (map) on the North Side.
Through social media, Xyza’s work began to catch the eye of the international photography community. Not only were her photos visually striking, and her story compelling, her subject matter was evocative. Her photos depicted the gritty beauty of city life, but from a viewpoint that encouraged sensitivity, not sensationalism.
Though her employer was notably kindhearted—she lent Xyza the money for her first camera—many foreign domestic workers suffer countless abuses. Xyza’s work documents and exposes these conditions, and as she has grown as a photographer, so has her work. In addition to Hong Kong, she has recently photo-documented human trafficking in New York City and Abu Dhabi.
Her current exhibit, Modern Slavery, focuses on the struggles of foreign domestic workers, and the abuses they often suffer.