#3 A Ghostly Glimpse: Stephanie Syjuco’s Murals Inspire the St. Malo Comic

messedcomics
28 minutes ago
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Jay B. Kalagayan in front of Stephanie Syjuco’s St. Malo mural.

My latest research trip in January 2025 was a truly transporting experience. I was thrilled to witness Stephanie Syjuco’s amazing St. Malo murals across the city of New Orleans. Stepping up to these installations, I was instantly mesmerized. The artwork felt like a direct conduit, instantly transporting me to the legendary village of St. Malo itself.

Reimagining the First Filipino Settlement

Syjuco’s work, a major commission for the Prospect.6 triennial exhibition (P.6 New Orleans: The Future is Present, the Harbinger is Home), is a profound reimagining of St. Malo, the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United States.

Jay B. Kalagayan and Bayou Barkada's Jessica Bayuga in front of Stephanie Syjuco’s St. Malo mural.

Her massive artwork consists of five large-scale black-and-white wheat pasted digital prints on paper adhered to outdoor facades across the city. St. Malo was once a small fishing village established by the "Manilamen" (Filipino sailors and escapees from Spanish ships) along the shoreline of Lake Borgne in St. Bernard Parish. Syjuco meticulously sourced engravings of the village from an 1883 Harper’s Weekly essay by Lafcadio Hearn.

Art as a Reflection of Erosion

The technique is as powerful as the imagery. Syjuco inverted the original black-and-white images so that the structures, figures, and shadows stand out in a dramatic, almost ghostly white. The enlarged images are adhered using simple wheat paste—a glue made from starch and water.

Artist Stephanie Syjuco’s St. Malo mural.

This method carries deep thematic significance. As the artwork remains exposed to the elements, the outdoor murals will disintegrate over time, just as St. Malo’s former site on the Louisiana coastline continues to erode due to climate change. The temporary nature of the art itself serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of memory, place, and history.

The importance of this work was highlighted by an all-day event, "Memory and Mythmaking: Filipinx American Histories of St. Malo," which took place during the closing weekend of Prospect.6, cementing this history in the public consciousness.

Bringing the Art to the Comic

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that we plan to feature Stephanie Syjuco’s powerful work in the St. Malo comic book series!

We are planning a center page spotlight showcasing her artwork for the regular issue. This collaboration is an honor, bridging the historical narrative of our comic with the profound, contemporary artistic vision of Syjuco.