Drift, set of six
signed and dated 2018 (verso)
oil on wood
12" x 14" (30 cm x 36 cm) each

PROVENANCE: Silverlens, Makati City
LITERATURE: Mercado, Arianna and Gary-Ross Pastrana. Countercurrents.Makati City: Silverlens Galleries, 2018. Published followingthe exhibition Countercurrents at Silverlens Galleries.Full-color photograph on pp. 28 - 29.
EXHIBITED: Silverlens Galleries, Countercurrents (joint exhibitionwith Gregory Halili), Makati City, April 28 - May 26, 2018
Imagination in FlightAs one of the Philippines’ most lauded and acclaimed contemporary artists working today, Nona Garcia is particularly concerned with the role of art within the context of representation. Though Garcia’s works are known for their stark realism in the way she imbues her elements and subject-matter with intimate and nuanced details, the artist notes that these prima facie facets of her work are merely gateways towards an attempt at unveiling or understanding the essence of things. This particular set of pieces titled Drift was part of a joint exhibit together with artist Gregory Halili. According to the project’s curator Gary- Ross Pastrana “This image of converging water currents comes to mind in this somewhat unexpected encounter between artists Nona Garcia and Gregory Halili in Countercurrents, an exhibition that is buoyed not just by the tangential similarities in their respective practices but more so by the deeper and more arresting contrasts. Though both highly gifted painters, Garcia and Halili inhabit opposing ends of the spectrum, most evidently in terms of scale.” Countercurrents was not only an exploration between contrasts in material or subject, but in the very approach of the two artists involved.Drift is a set of six oil on wood paintings, all of which feature images of driftwood. The pieces are painted in such a way that gives the illusion that the driftwood are placed squarely on top familiar wooden surfaces; in which the effect gives way to its true dimensions when the viewer takes a closer look. This particular approach explores the coming together of two similar but contrasting materials. The first is Garcia’s choice of canvas which is wood veneer. Though sourced from nature, the material has been repurposed and worked-on by man that it has seemingly lost its original qualities, thus resembling a uniform and almost clinical look that resembles familiar industrial ephemera. Meanwhile the driftwood represents the canvas’ polar opposite. A material primarily defined by its exposure to the elements, it seemingly showcases a state of being free from mankind’s intervention; a glimpse at a world beyond our own senses. By putting these two elements together, Garcia has undoubtedly created an intriguing piece that humbles our own understanding and our place in the world. (J.D.)