Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
1980)
The Girl Who Turned Into A Fish
signed 'Tapaya' and dated '2011' (lower left)
oil on canvas
192 x 152 cm. (75 5/8 x 59 7/8 in.)
Painted in 2011
What do you see in the artwork?
At the beginning of our imaginary journey through this exotic
thicket, the banal question is necessary: what do we actually see or
recognize? Besides the trees reaching into the air, we see also
expanding bushes. Unidentifiable undergrowth. Hills. Lakes. Flowers. Not
only delicate or dainty plants, but also huge leaves or, in the midst of
these, a still life with fruits and vegetables like a proffered gift: all motifs
that could refer to the opulence of paradisiacal nature and
simultaneously to the increasingly incalculable breadth of the cosmic
world. And in addition to this, we see the emergence of animals:
among them are fish with the head of a lady
Beyond traditional folktales, the paintings from the series aim to reflect
the reality of today’s Filipino society, although always in a metaphorical
and allegorical manner, highlighting, in particular, its post-colonial
heritage, political dysfunctioning, blatant social inequalities, and
ecological degradations.
This work channels his long-time preoccupation with the shape and
composition of the human form, but also with human conduct or the
acts they commit by extension. As such, bare bodies sprawl and
dominate the canvas, showcasing picturesque reproductions of the
human body in all its anatomical clarity, reminiscent of the
Renaissance-era glorification of the body. However, upon closer
observation, these bodies have become subtly, unsettlingly altered,
such that something so intimate and familiar is now made foreign. A
woman lies stretched across the table in the foreground, her form
classically proportioned, and her pale skin is particularly luminous and
unmarred in contrast with the grime of her surroundings. Strikingly, the
woman lies next to a collection of alcohol bottles and neatly arranged
fruits, while her face and all its features have been obscured by a
barcode, stripping her of all her individualistic ‘identity markers’ and
leaving her anonymous on the table. Above her, a suspended man
hangs within empty space, prominently missing arms and his feet
detached from his calf. His face too is blurred into ambiguity, with
fragments of computer codes or script. The artist demonstrates his
interest in the role and effects of the fast-changing digital world, which
increasingly integrates into real lives and society.
What stories can you tell about the works of Agnes Arellano?