Curatorial Notes by Joanna Arong
Ocean Sea is an ode to the deep dark seas and to the power of nature. The show,
named after the enigmatic novel of the same name by Alessandro Barrico, evokes
the beauty as well as fury and fragility of the ocean. Bringing together three artists
deeply connected to the ocean, the exhibition depicts a surreal universe playfully
questioning the intricate relationship between humankind and the seas.
Olivia d’Aboville’s My Womb Is Your Ocean new series of handwoven and hand dyed
silk works pays tribute to the Mother of all life on earth. The works are an abstract
depiction of the ocean’s layers of beauty and mystery.
Russ Ligtas’s new collection Sirens, Songs is a playful and surreal response to the
plastic catastrophe he encounters by the seas directly near his home. He has created
a new world of imagined creatures with recycled materials spewed out in Manila
Bay.
Joanna Vasquez Arong goes back to her roots to experimental film with her new
piece, Sampit sa Dagat (Call of the Sea), evoking the subconscious and dreams paying
tribute to the seas she often retreats to both for play and deep reflection.