# Stephanie Syjuco Named 2026 Robert Gardner Fellow in Photography The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University, is pleased to announce the selection of **Stephanie Syjuco** as the 2026 Robert Gardner Fellow in Photography following an international search. The fellowship provides a $50,000 stipend to support a proposed project culminating the publication of a book. June 24, 2026 ![Stephanie Syjuco portrait smiling.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4921/files/2026-06/Head%20shot%20syjuco.%20Image%20credit.%20Kija%20Lucas.jpg) *Stephanie Syjuco photo by Kija Lucas* Born in the Philippines (1974) and based in Oakland, California, Stephanie Syjuco is an artist and Professor in Art Practice at the University of California, Berkeley. During her non-residential fellowship, she will develop *Inherent Vice (Deeper Cuts)*, a multimedia project examining the preservation of Philippine cultural heritage and the political histories embedded in archives. Known for innovative installations that merge photography and installation, Syjuco will photograph conservation efforts in Philippine cultural institutions and juxtapose those images with materials from the archive of *The Manila Chronicle*, a prominent newspaper shuttered in 1972 when President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law. Its vast collection of photojournalistic prints is now widely known as the "photo morgue." The project investigates how Filipino cultural production—from ethnographic items to photographs—has been interpreted, collected, and often misrepresented under colonial and neo-colonial regimes. During Spanish and American rule, large quantities of Philippine cultural heritage were removed to museums in Europe and the United States. The Peabody Museum itself holds over 3000 Philippine cultural items and some 5,000 photographs, albums, and related materials. In 2024, Syjuco was one of thirteen artists and scholars engaging with these collections in the online exhibition [*Balikbayan | Homecoming*](https://peabody.harvard.edu/balikbayan_homecoming) by Dr. Ingrid Ahlgren, Curator of Oceanic Collections. In Syjuco’s essay, she complicates the problematic production and reproduction of photographic narratives about Filipino identities in American colonial history, identifying their humanity beyond the confines of the "anthropological gaze." Syjuco also explores contemporary struggles over historical memory. Although martial law ended in 1986, she notes that attacks on the free press continue and that interpretations of twentieth-century Philippine history are increasingly being revised in ways that minimize the abuses of authoritarian governments. The title *Inherent Vice* draws on both politics and conservation. Syjuco describes it as referring to political systems in the Philippines modeled on U.S. democratic ideals compromised by colonial contradictions. In conservation, the term refers to an intrinsic condition that causes materials to deteriorate over time. Together, these meanings frame the project as an exploration of political and historical decay, as well as the labor required to preserve cultural heritage and collective memory. Reflecting growing efforts to preserve cultural heritage within the Philippines, Syjuco’s Gardner Fellowship project includes what she describes as “a photographic deep dive” into an array of conservation labs in Metro Manila. These institutions are engaged in the critical work of preserving historical materials and cultural memory. “The heritage objects at stake span centuries, and their stewardship by conservation labs in the Philippines is a critical practice in post-colonial cultural self-determination,” said Syjuco. She notes that these efforts face significant challenges, including limited funding and equipment, as well as the effects of climate change in a tropical environment prone to monsoons and flooding. “Stephanie Syjuco’s efforts to critically engage archives and reinterpret history closely align with the Peabody Museum’s commitment to confronting the legacies of colonialism,” said Jane Pickering, William & Muriel Seabury Howells Director of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. “Her focus on conservation as a means of restoring cultural history is especially compelling.” As Syjuco explains, the subtitle *Deeper Cuts* refers to “cutting deeper into a historical past to uncover what might still be relevant for today.” She describes the project as “part documentary, part poetic visual exploration of material textures and political history,” one that speaks to audiences in the Philippines and beyond at a moment when governments around the world are increasingly attempting to distort history and evade accountability. Ultimately, the project asks: “How do we actively repair the damage that has been done, while strengthening our shared resources for the future?” Syjuco received an MFA from Stanford University and a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Award, and a Tiffany Foundation Award. Her work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among others. She was a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow at the National Museum of American History in 2019–20 and is featured in the PBS series *Art21: Art in the Twenty-First Century*. A version of *Inherent Vice* focused on the *Manila Chronicle* archives was presented at Silverlens Gallery in 2024 and the Ayala Museum in 2025. By expanding the project to include contemporary conservation efforts, Syjuco hopes to create “a bridge between past and present,” arguing that memory-keeping and the stewardship of cultural artifacts are essential tools in resisting political and historical amnesia. “Syjuco’s work is as visually striking as it is intellectually rigorous and politically engaged,” said Ilisa Barbash, Curator of Visual Anthropology at the Peabody Museum. “She juxtaposes images, handcrafted textiles, and found objects to generate new meanings through unexpected combinations. Transforming photographs and text into three-dimensional forms, she creates works that range from intimate framed collages to immersive installations. Through acts of revelation and concealment—whether highlighting overlooked archival details or obscuring key elements of ethnographic images—she encourages viewers to question how history is constructed, mediated, and presented.” “When filmmaker Robert Gardner endowed this fellowship to support photographers documenting, ‘the human condition anywhere in the world,’ he presciently set parameters broad enough to support an extraordinary range of innovative photographic projects,” said Pickering. “We are grateful to Robert Gardner and Adele Pressman, the anonymous selection committee, our nominators, and the exceptional artists who have contributed to the success and prestige of this program.” ## Related See [Philippine ethnographic and archaeological materials](https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/groups/philippines_ethnographic_and_archaeological/results) in the Peabody’s collections. See [Philippine photographic and archival materials](https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/groups/philippines_photographic_and_archival/results) in the Peabody’s collections. [About the Robert Gardner Fellowship in Photography](https://peabody.harvard.edu/robert-gardner-fellowship-photography) [Robert Gardner Fellowship Recipients](https://peabody.harvard.edu/current-and-past-fellows) [About the Peabody Museum](https://peabody.harvard.edu/about) Media contact: [Faith Sutter](mailto:faith_sutter@harvard.edu) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)