Geloy Concepcion is a photographer, videographer, and street artist based in San Francisco Bay Area, California. Born and raised in one of the roughest parts of Manila, namely Pandacan, his interests in art and journalism started as a teen.

Before the Covid-19 Lockdown, Geloy has launched a series called ‘Things You Wanted to Say but Never Did.’ By collecting statements from strangers on the internet, he creates results similar to portraits, except that there are no faces at all. He writes the statements on the images like vandals and shares them on his Instagram account.

When I started this project, I learned to look past my being an artist. To remove my designation as a photographer, an artist, an illustrator and find the core of my work. In my case, it’s human connections.

Right now, I feel like a radio DJ who receives calls from people I don’t know. It’s like they’re requesting songs or phoning in to tell whatever they have in mind, and somewhere out there someone’s listening. It’s like that. This project taught me to put the purpose or mission of my work.

At the beginning of this project, my involvement is somewhat more direct as the photographs came from me. I’m still involved now because the final product still comes from me. What’s changed somewhere in the middle is the realization that this is not about me, so I stopped using my own photographs. I’m more of a channel now. I’m like a middleman.

Geloy for CNN Philippines

Geloy found inspiration from the likes of Jim Goldberg or Robert Frank, who also wrote or asked their subjects to write directly on their images. ‘Things You Wanted to Say but Never Did’ is an intimate space where your silent whispers are heard: first by the artist himself and then by all the people who stumble across his Instagram. His works have been exhibited in The USA, Europe, Japan, Singapore, India, Australia, Kosovo, Indonesia, and the Philippines. 

All copyrights belong to Geloy Conception.

Follow Geloy Concepcion on:
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Still can't tell exactly my origins because of my suspiciously ‘Chinese eyes’.