Absence is often equated with emptiness. But emptiness also provides an opportunity to fill a void.
In this series of recent works by Nina Garibay, she invites us to share her space and thought process. By cutting and pasting she provides a reference that can then manifest her narrative. These works then represent how she copes with, and reflects her response to the current state of affairs .
“We Are The Sky”
Oil on paper, 31x21 inches.
"We Are The Sky" (study)
‘We are the Sky’, ‘Surfer Rosa’, ‘Tropical Depression’, ‘Holding Hands’ and ‘Play Date’ suggest the inaccessibility of a person or a place; and how this void is placated by nostalgia and imagination.
“Surfer Rosa”
Oil on paper, 32x44 inches.
"Surfer Rosa" (study)
“Tropical Depression” (study)
“Tropical Depression”
Oil on paper, 31x21 inches.
"Holding Hands" (study)
“Holding Hands”
Oil on paper, 29x41.5 inches
“Play Date” (study)
“Play Date”
Oil on paper, 41x29 inches.
On “Pulling our weight" , note that the silhouette and the clothing are going in opposite directions. It is an exploration of the word "Balikbayan". Balik bayan? Balik ba 'yan? Babalik ba 'yan? Makaka-balik ba yan? It offers a lot of variations and interpretations which echoes the anxieties of stranded workers.”
“Pulling Our Weight” (study)
“Pulling Our Weight”
Oil on paper, 24.5x19 inches.
My favorite among the set is "Trust Games". I found it absolutely funny when I came up with the study. The pandemic reminds us of the plague during the Middle Ages. This composition made me think of "Bring out your Dead" from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”
While it may be extremely insensitive to laugh at tragic events, finding humor in the bleakest situation might just be what we need to pull through.
“Trust Games” (study)
“Trust Games”
Oil on paper, 41x29 inches
About the Artist
Nina Garibay (b. 1991) is an alumna of two art schools: the Philippine High School for the Arts and the UP College of Fine Arts.
She has participated in several group shows within the country and just recently, in the midst of the lockdown, had her first solo exhibit.
Her process of cutting out magazine images and painting is a both a form of admiration and assertion against advertising.