PHILIPPINE art power couple Rodel Tapaya and Marina Cruz join hands in their first exhibition together in more than 10 years, taking on the sweeping changes in people’s daily lives brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The distinguished and humble pair welcomed the new year with high hopes. As with most people, however, their plans, including upcoming shows, got derailed by the worst global health crisis in more than a century. The two remained composed, collected their thoughts, and are now presenting their reflections in the two-artist exhibition, titled Everyday, mounted by Artinformal Gallery.
Tapaya and Cruz crossed fates at the College of Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2000. They both went on to carve illustrious careers in their own right, with Tapaya becoming a notable figure for his expansive paintings both in size and symbols, while Cruz is celebrated for photo-realistic oil renditions of baby’s clothing.
Their patented styles come to sharp relief in Everyday.
Beyond the stunning visuals of Cruz’s still-life paintings—brought to life in masterful texture and depth, wherein every crease and piece of fabric can almost be felt by the eyes—the works evoke a heavy sense of nostalgia. After all, clothes can be identified as much by its color as with the memory attached to it, such as the day it was worn, how its wearer was like, or even the political climate during the period it was in vogue.
In her latest show, Cruz takes seven pieces of clothing from her family’s vast archive. One is a 1960 blouse, which is tied to an anecdote of being worn during a flood, with family members on a boat on their way to receive vaccine shots from soldiers. Another is a Christmas dress from 1966, and a grade six graduation dress recycled into a college uniform.
While Cruz centers on vessels of the everyday, Tapaya captures scenes of daily life.
The artist renders all his paintings for the show on burlap, a material he recently reunited with, which is marked by roughness as if to signify how things, particularly in today’s pandemic-stricken world, rarely go smooth. Tapaya depicts quotidian proceedings, such as doing laundry or riding a bike, but featuring distorted characters apropos to the times.
Both artists present works on smaller scale as well. Tapaya has seven creations that portray disfigured headshots titled after the days of the week. For her part, Cruz produced mixed media works consisting of paint and textile on unstretched canvas.
Perhaps in creating pieces using materials and sizes outside their conventional choices, but keeping true to their artistic identities, the dynamic duo is reminding everyone to stay strong no matter how the days, at a tough time like this, shapes out.
Everyday runs until this Saturday, September 26.