A corner of nature seen through a temperament, February 2018
Artinformal Gallery, Manila

This is art defined by Émile Zola, the French author and playwright. A definition that has sat with me through the years.

My corner of nature is rarely uninhabited by a myriad responsibility no longer exclusively to myself, but to a life I gave birth to four years ago. This corner of nature takes its departure from motherhood – a singular concept that thrusts itself so violently into the heart of one’s temperament. A profound jolt into a dangerously well-developed sense of self, so painstakingly built through the years, before the giving of life to another shakes up its very foundation.

The art that I am able to spew from this little corner of nature is indeed a dishevelled and fragmented window into an art practice that has been thrown into an abyss. The luxury of sitting in a studio for days while allowing ideas to gestate and find their way out of the body, is no longer mine. The privileged disposition of artist in contemplation is lost in my corner. It’s been taken up by nursery runs, weekend playdates, flu vaccines, a desk from 9am – 5pm, bills to pay, and a stable home to maintain as the single head of household in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Life’s algorithm has dramatically shifted. I come to you now as mother, worker, and artist. Not all three are mutually exclusive, but certainly in competition with each other every single day.

This show speaks to this new reality. My corner of nature is full, but has allowed me very little resource to convey its richness through the creative mechanism of artmaking. So this is my first attempt to reveal this corner through my temperament.