Tears, Blood, Swerat

For Immediate Release

Pittsburgh, PA

Silver Eye Center for Photography

4808 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Media Contact: Karen Lue

karen@silvereye.org

Silver Eye Center for Photography is proud to announce Tears, Blood, Sweat, a solo exhibition by Ryan Frigillana, on view August 27–November 7, 2026.

Tears, Blood, Sweat explores how histories of migration, memory, faith, and labor continue to shape identity and belonging amid changing political realities. Drawing on his experience as a first-generation Filipino American, Frigillana reconsiders the American Dream through photography, collage, reworked biblical illustrations, appropriated news imagery, and intimate observations of family and place.

About Tears, Blood, Sweat
How do memory, images, and systems of belief shape lived experience and a sense of belonging?

These questions unfold throughout Tears, Blood, Sweat, in which Ryan Frigillana reconsiders the American Dream through intertwined histories of land, labor, and citizenship. Drawing on his experience as a first-generation Filipino American, he traces connections between his family’s past and present.

Frigillana works across multiple visual strategies in the exhibition. These include contemporary photographs that incorporate still-life compositions and collages, reworked biblical illustrations, appropriated news imagery, and intimate observations of family and place.

Together, these approaches challenge fixed narratives of migration, showing how histories, memories, and evolving ideas of faith and country shape belonging amid changing political realities.

Related Programs

Tears, Blood, Sweat Press Preview

Wednesday, August 26, 11am-12:30pm

Press only–RSVP to karen@silvereye.org
Join Executive Director Leo Hsu and Deputy Director Helen Trompeteler for an exclusive exhibition preview, introduction, Q&A, and interview opportunities. 

Refreshments provided.

Tears, Blood, Sweat Opening Reception

Thursday August 27, 6-8pm

Join us for the opening reception of Tears, Blood, Sweat and celebrate with artist Ryan Frigillana. The exhibition opens at 6:00pm, followed by welcome remarks and an introduction to the work at 6:30pm. Stay to meet the artist and connect with fellow community members until 8:00pm.

Learn more and register at silvereye.org.

Participating Artist

Ryan Frigillana (b. Iligan City, Philippines) is a lens-based artist working between Long Island, New York, and Southaven, Mississippi. Drawing from an upbringing shaped by migration and Adventism, he combines photographs with reworked materials—including print media, family and public archives, and biblical illustrations from his childhood—to address the tensions and continuities of diaspora and faith. Through books and installations, he approaches photography as a form of evidence, allegory, and prayer: as record, symbol, and confession.

Frigillana has exhibited at Light Work, Houston Center for Photography, Blue Sky Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts, and Candela Photographic Arts. He is a recipient of the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Photography (‘25), the JGS Fellowship for Photography (‘25, ‘21), the Aperture & Google Creator Labs Photo Fund (‘23), and the En Foco Photography Fellowship (‘23), and has completed residencies through the Penumbra Workspace Program (‘24) and the Penumbra Foundation Risograph Print & Publication Residency (‘21). His work has been published by Aperture, Atlanta Center for Photography, Humble Arts Foundation, Booooooom, PhMuseum, Der Greif, Musée magazine, and The New Yorker among others. He holds a BFA in Photography and Related Media (2020) from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

About Silver Eye Center for Photography

Silver Eye Center for Photography is the Pittsburgh region’s only nonprofit institution dedicated exclusively to contemporary photography. Our mission is to promote the power of contemporary photography as a fine art medium by creating original exhibitions, unique educational programming, and a space for artists to learn, create, and connect through our digital lab and education center, The Lab @ Silver Eye. Our programs are dedicated to supporting the work of emerging, mid-career, and under-recognized artists and sharing that work with our diverse audience in engaging and meaningful ways.

Press Images

All press images are available to download here. Please refer below for all image caption information. All images should be credited: Courtesy of the artist.