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AYKA GO

Play House

Playhouses frequently serve as a stage for imaginative performances, allowing children to create scenarios, act out roles, and dialogue with themselves or others, instilling values such as ownership, accountability, and respect for personal spaces.

In her latest solo exhibition, Ayka Go contemplates the evolution of her artistic journey, with a particular focus on the dollhouse as a metaphor for memory. The artist undergoes a self-reflective process of recreating childhood reveries by folding paper into household furnishings, photographing them, and translating the small-scale paper tableaus into expansive canvas paintings. Throughout this meticulous process, the paper house, with all its creases and folds simultaneously conceal and reveal intimate memories.

Go's exploration through time leads to a returning towards her artistic origins: derived from an earlier inspired work which incorporated reading, scanning, and folding diary pages, and incorporating written text onto meticulously crafted paper dollhouse and furniture, the exhibition suggests a continuation of her enduring theme and process of reclaiming a personal past, while the inclusion of a table with paper foldings and cutouts re-introduces the audience to the ever-developing present. Indeed, the immediate world is a playhouse that offers adults the opportunity to make reconciliations about the roles we continue to play, and how we engage with others whose private spheres coincide with our own.

"Play House" is a moving examination of individual history, recollection, and growth. The artist's maturity is revealed in the existential unfolding from paper dollhouses to a palace of memories, inviting viewers to reflect on their own reminiscences and engage in life's theater.

(John Alexis Balaguer)

KEIYE MIRANDA

Opalescent

In Opalescent, one of the exhibitions opening 2024 for Finale Art File, Keiye Miranda presents a suite of works featuring her signature underwater compositions, which the artist has pursued as a thematic experimentation for years now. In its transparency and ability to interact with light and the objects that inhabit it, water for Miranda is a medium with which to suspend reality, a revelatory domain, a transformative element.

Interested in how water essentializes things, the artist uses it as a lens to examine found objects—often discarded, obsolete, no longer functional—and reveal their material beauty as well as their inherent usability. The rusting body of a sewing machine, a typewriter, a one-armed drawing figure achieve an otherworldly grace as they shine through the shimmering webs and the opalescent surface of the water. Now underwater, the objects are freed from their literal, objective value, becoming powerful signifiers of what the artist calls as “a visual discourse that is constantly in a state of reshaping, attempting to capture the flux of identities, experiences, thoughts and memories.”

Responding to the ongoing rehabilitation of the part of Laguna de Bay in her hometown, Miranda creates a hyper realistic depiction of an aerial view of the lake as it undergoes a massive transformation. Rather than a picturesque view of a scenery, Miranda reveals a deep gash in the landscape, a throng of settlements, and a remarkable sense that something about the lake has been invariably and irreversibly damaged. Two boats bookmark the painting, connoting the lake’s journey “from one state to another where the transience of a fleeting world can be suspended.” A wooden paddle traverses across the work, serving as a a stark reminder of the lake’s long history as primarily a fishing ground for the many communities that surround it.

Opalescent offers at once the granular and the grand dimensions of water which, as Miranda reveals, is not a static element, but one that is capable of altering objects and the lives of people that rely on it. In art as it is in life, water clarifies and unifies the fragmented nature of things.

(Carlomar Arcangel Daoana)

IYA REGALARIO

Into the Land of Those Who Sleep

Wide awake and wading through: Into the Land of Those Who Sleep

In Iya Regalario's new visual epic, the artist continues to make sense of self and society through her signature storytelling medium: pyrography and ink on wood. Marking the 10th year since her first solo show, Into The Land Of Those Who Sleep serves as both a denouement and springboard of sorts that looks back on how the artist's style has evolved and continues to. Eight separate works plus a wooden house of cards explore interconnected facets of social control, tyranny, blind obedience, and Regalario’s personal antidote and response to the aforementioned.

In the three-part series titled “The Last Man,” Regalario departs from her previous framing style to prove a point about the fleshy, opulent few and the lengths they would go to maintain their comfort—at the cost of their own freedom and dignity, as shown in the excess spilling over the frames. While the artist’s usual elements and themes recur in this series, there’s a noticeable shift in tone and choice of elements such as the biblical references in “Son of Man” and cartoonish pop culture nods in “Power Pie”. With her last few shows straightforwardly confronting socio-political issues like the Duterte regime’s extrajudicial killings, the masses’ plight during the peak of the pandemic, and the return of the Marcoses to power, Regalario realizes the need to come up for air and embrace both light and darkness without losing sight of either truth, in order to love life as a whole like in Nietzsche’s philosophy of necessity and ideal of wholeness. In the eponymous three-panel mural, both oppressive symbolisms and comical vignettes show just that. Tyrannical overlords and predator-and-prey symbolisms lifted from both historical and fictional references depict the ongoing tragedy that is Philippine and global politics, including the ongoing genocide in Gaza—but not without acknowledging the coexistence of comedy and tragedy as part of the absurd nature of life.

Regalario’s interactive centerpiece—a house of cards—continues where her previous work Oro: Suit of Gold left off. Inspired by the quote of Dr. Jose Rizal about liberty as that which can’t be “secured at the sword's point”, but rather, ”by making ourselves worthy of it”, Regalario leaves the structure vulnerable to being toppled over and rearranged by viewers, prompting them to think about our personal and collective power to change the status quo. “And when the people reach that height, God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, tyranny will crumble like a house of cards, and liberty will shine out like the first dawn."

As with the expression “when the crow turns white” Regalario ponders on the improbability—but not impossibility—of achieving freedom and keeping our sights on hope and cherishing joy and life in the same space where we hold anger towards the systems that continue to oppress. As in Nietszche’s Zarathustra, of “keeping holy one’s highest hope”, Regalario continues to do so with art as her vessel. Everyone’s welcome aboard.

(Nikki Ignacio)

MARK ANDY GARCIA

2AM Thoughts

It is said the human mind is not conditioned to be awake after midnight. In the artistic process, nocturnal wakefulness is a norm, if not preferred. When there is stillness and quiet, introspection and creativity thrive. In this space, Mark Andy Garcia’s 2AM Thoughts are revealed in the coded gesture of painting. His recent works are continuation of a string of contemplations previously shown in his exhibitions In Due Time, Chasing Sunsets, Countless Tries, and This too shall pass. Visually, they appear nebulous and romanticized but nevertheless are illustrations of a manifold of actual or imagined narratives.

The artist as storyteller reprocesses the images of the flowers, silhouette of a person or a distant home amidst lush forests, an entranced man. They reappear in various states of Garcia, seemingly as a way of coming back or returning to some sort of emotion, proposition, or disposition. In his developing maturity as a person and an artist, self-reflexivity is discernible. The works When Midnight Arrives and The Morning After materializes a divergence. One shows a precision in its horizon line and the accuracy of the reflection are, in its painterly manner, constitute the clarity and balance; the other appears agile and playful, a bit skewed and in motion, the act (and joy) of painting (and living in the moment) more palpable.

There is a pathway in At a Loss for Words, the field of view disappears at the center. In Garcia’s recent series, he intentionally ends the images inside the edges of the frame. Possibly cueing us that as he shares his 2AM thoughts, we can navigate through them via the visuality of his chronicles. His works are encompassing enough to make us feel the resonances. They equip us to situate ourselves in the orbit of and in art, to find calm in our own minds before or after midnight.

(Con Cabrera)

RAENA ABELLA

Etherized Objects

Raena Abella’s work never ceases to astound. Exposing hand-coated sheets of glass in an ancient wooden camera, moments before the volatile emulsion can dry, she is one of a handful of photographic female artists in the world to have mastered the wet-plate collodion process. It is about as far from a modern digital photo as you can get. The glass plate images are monoprints, nearly impossible to reproduce since the negative becomes the positive. They have a raw, atavistic quality that transforms the mundane into magical images that are spiritual and etheric. In fact an essential ingredient in her process is ether, a substance that was venerated by the early alchemists who believed there was an etheric plane above normal consciousness. By transforming fifty objects that we too often take for granted into a series of luminous images, Raena draws us into her realm of photographic alchemy.

- Neal Oshima

LILIANNA MANAHAN

The Wunderverse: Genesis

The Wunderverse is Lilianna's world that speaks of beauty hope and wonder found in the nuances of everyday life. They are illustrated through characters and experiences expressed in dynamic forms. The show is centered around the concept of the world being pictured in its primordial form, taking reference from dance movements, and inspired by her niece and nephew’s instinct to dance upon hearing a catchy beat in their younger years.

The medium is the message in this show for Lilianna. The use of tyvek and sculpted metal - both malleable but permanent, show the creation of the human experience: we are built through several moments molded over time.

The use of the selected materials reflect Lilianna's process of using maquettes and paper to create sketches, and how experimentation on paper can be translated into metal and other materials in large and small formats.

NEIL PASILAN

Bariotic Feeling

There is a certain kind of courage and confidence as Neil Pasilan claims the word bariotic (barriotic) in this highly globalized world, wherein human development and progress is equated to urbanization. ‘Barrio,’ a segment of a village, and a ‘regionalistic’ attitude are said to be the root words of bariotic. These terms are sincerely ingrained in the artist, not only as subject matter, but are embraced with the feelings of reverence and nostalgia inherent from having been born and raised in the islands.

In this exhibition, Pasilan continues to enliven the values and calm in thinking about barrio-living from his past show Lugar Kung Saan Ako Sinilang. Here with new large-scale works, the ‘special feeling’ one can attribute to transcendence in painting is strikingly emphasized. True to the artist’s consistent play on color and form, the compositional decisions and layering intensify the ideals and actions illustrated. In the works Full Guardian and Dasal Bago Matulog, the central images are surrounded by the serenity of the hues of blue. Contrasting elements of the rigidity of piled blocks and the daintiness of the flora show diversity of living conditions. Rest is preluded by expressions of gratitude and prayer for safety. The artist, when painting, surrenders to the process. The vivid colors in the works Mother and Child and Mano Po energizes the gestures of sustenance and extending respect. The persistence of the image of triangular roofs and stable homes appears to represent communal living and community spirit present in the barrios; that you are never alone.

In recent years, there has been a radical call to prioritize human development that is focused on social and ecological well-being called the degrowth movement. As shown in Bariotic Feeling, we are fortunate to have access to the simpler life–of degrowing. We have the ‘propensity for barrio-living’ not only for longevity of life, but for the promise of spiritually enriched and purposeful living.

(Con Cabrera)

JOHANNA HELMUTH

Gathering Weights

Remaining in our comfort zones carries a certain weight. By staying within familiar boundaries, we can observe life's revelations from a safe distance. However, true growth only occurs when we venture beyond the confines of our existence. In difficult moments, it is often the cosmic forces that compel us to move, urging us to surpass outmoded identities.

However, the transition to a purposeful journey is not always a straightforward, effortless one. For visual artist Johanna Helmuth, breaking free from her own limitations of space and time holds a personal significance. Hearing a humming disenchantment with the rapid pace of the contemporary world, Helmuth sought solace in a four-month sojourn to the United States. In her latest solo exhibition, "Gathering Weights," the artist presents oil paintings depicting landscapes, and a major video compilation, documenting the artist's geographic, and symbolic crossing, navigating and establishing groundedness with the unfamiliar, and creating new memories from spontaneous experiences in a foreign land.

Helmuth's landscape paintings capture the meditative spirit of hot springs, dunes, waterfalls, rivers, and various natural settings. Notably, these paintings exclude human figures; instead, they convey the essence of space as evoked by the artist’s expressive hand, encouraging a mindful immersion in the present moment. In her video work, Helmuth compiles a hundred individual videos showcasing her explorations, walks, and occasional moments of being lost in unfamiliar paths. Without a predestined direction, the artist, through intuitive exploration, eventually discovers a reflection of her past, and a glimpse of her future within this meandering pilgrimage – as artist, and as person.

While the artworks appear to reflect the artist's individual position and presence within the vastness of space, Helmuth's artistic journey reveals an intersection to our shared journey. The weight arising from choices, emotions, moments of being lost, the mystery of the future, the change of seasons, and the richness of experience from moment to moment, collectively guide us to a crucial reminder in the end: Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life.

(John Alexis Balaguer)