Foronda, Juliane

Dreams and Variations, 2023.

Framed by Foronda’s ongoing research into care practices embedded in textile traditions, this PhD research investigates the pocket as a site of political tension and poetic possibility. This research will explore how the invention and evolution of pockets have upheld patriarchy, and how they continue to reflect societal norms and values. This focused research into pockets functions as a lens through which to extend her wider research and ongoing investment into radical care, feminist hospitality, traditions of gathering, and domestic practices. The research considers pockets as more than utilitarian spaces by examining their structure, function, history, and gendered use to reveal how they carry and conceal meanings tied to intimacy and power. She is particularly drawn to the concept of the pocket as a hosting space, exploring how they facilitate intimate connections between people and the objects they carry with them. This research extends beyond individual experiences to examine how institutions also "pocket" - what they keep, protect, conceal, and share by considering how strategies of inclusion and exclusion at institutional levels mirror the personal act of curation and collection. As an artist who works extensively with archival collections, she sees pockets as personal archives, reflecting one’s autonomy and value system by what and how they (choose to) keep things close to their person.

Juliane Foronda (she/her) is a Filipina-Canadian artist, writer, and researcher whose work is invested in radical care, feminist hospitality, and traditions of gathering. A significant aspect of her practice delves into archival and collections research, both within and outside of the Institution. Her investment in this work unfolds with her affinity for learning about what people choose to keep close and why, as well as how communities are built, maintained, and preserved. Juliane earned her MA in Fine Arts from Listaháskóli Íslands/Iceland University of the Arts, and her BA in Studio Art from the University of Guelph. She is currently based in Stockholm.

Main supervisor: Maja Gunn
Admitted to: Konstfack
Project period: 2026-2030