​​Galeria Paloma.Com is delighted to present Three, its third exhibition subtitled "A Harvest of Grace," honouring the grace and nobility of hard work.

 

The first of the eight paintings in this exhibition is an oil on canvas work by artist Nemiranda titled Kaingin, a depiction of  a practice in farming also known as "slash and burn" farming that necessitates the clearing of a portion of forest for planting.  An age-old practice, kaingin is tedious work, as is most of farming's tasks, but Nemiranda's use of space and composition, befitting  how The Philippine Daily Inquirer referred to him as "a giant in the field" when it comes to depicting the human form, tells a story of bustling tireless activity, while at the same time the lush colors and fluid swirls proffer the promise of the harvest after the toil, reflecting the grace and honor of the difficult labor.  Victor Penaranda's Kaingin, the ekphrastic poem, reiterates the hardship of the work and yet, with deft use of language and spirit, Penaranda also carries the graceful, hopeful tone of what the future will bring ("We buried the broken half of my wife’s comb/So the leaves will flourish like her wonderful hair./Where maize and mountain rice are growing/We embedded a sewing needle so the seedlings/Will grow straight, strong as monsoon.")

 

The rest of the paintings in this exhibition are by the artist  Gino Tioseco, called The Ballerine Series.  Fluid and graceful, the paintings themselves belie the delicate process of the artwork, making the artwork seem effortless.  A closer inspection shows the artist's layered work,  however, which only enforces a ballerina's mastery of every movement and muscle that cumulatively displays a disarming maneuver of grace and beauty.  This seeming contradiction of much effort to "show" something elegant and seemingly effortless is explored in the flash fiction piece by Susan S. Lara, Paradox.  The piece describes the subject's precise technique ("Lift your chin, it will lengthen your neck; look up and out, never down at your feet; keep  your shoulders down...") and sacrifice ("You will have strong, well-toned legs, but they will never be flawless, they will always be studded with bruises, abrasions, scars..."), acknowledging that onstage grace requires no less. 

 

We at Galeria Paloma hope that you enjoy this exhibition as we honour those whose self-sacrificial devotion to their labor and craft are part of what makes their work seem graceful  and effortless, and ultimately, what makes them beautiful.  Three 's inspection of work and grace is dedicated to the artists and writers that have since been a part of this project since its beginnings. As Galeria Paloma launches with a series of events this season, the team looks forward to to even more fascinating artist-writer collaborations in the future.​

 

 

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