A Bastard Son — Brian Sergio

A Bastard Son is an uncompromising photographic exploration of masculinity, violence, and survival on the margins of contemporary Filipino society. Shot entirely in black and white, Brian Sergio’s images burn with unfiltered energy—portraits of boys and young men suspended in a volatile mix of aggression, vulnerability, and play. These are not sanitized depictions of urban poverty, but confrontational moments of youth in motion, steeped in sweat, defiance, and defiant beauty.

Published by Zen Foto Gallery in Tokyo and designed with minimalist power by Koichi Ino, the book’s red linen cover frames the haunting gaze of a young boy—both subject and symbol of a generation left to invent itself in the absence of structure. Sergio’s work sits at the intersection of documentary and psychological theatre, echoing the raw edge of Nan Goldin and the subcultural intimacy of early Ryan McGinley, but filtered through the charged streets of Manila.

A Bastard Son is a visceral visual statement: political without slogans, poetic without sentimentality. A testament to Sergio’s bold, immersive practice and a crucial addition to the emerging canon of contemporary Southeast Asian photography.

Technical Sheet

• Object: Photobook
• Title: A Bastard Son
• Artist / Author: Brian Sergio
• Date: November 1, 2018
• Text: Robin Titchener (English text)
• Design: Koichi Ino
• Project Management: Bonnie Pong-Wai Ma
• Publisher / Editor: Zen Foto Gallery (Tokyo, Japan)
• Printing & Binding: CGK Formaprint, Philippines
• Language: English / Japanese
• Medium / Materials: Hardcover, red linen with tipped-in photograph
• Edition: first 
• Pages:  80–100
• Dimensions: . 25 x 18 cm
• ISBN: 978-4-905453-73-4
• Condition: Excellent
• Provenance: Darwin Collection