ABOUT THE WORK

Emmanuel Garibay is often seen as one of the foremost Filipino artists working today. As a prominent member of Salingpusa, Garibay would often work within the vein of Social Realism—a style and technique that Garibay himself revolutionized within the Philippine context. Though Garibay’s earlier works often featured exaggerated yet familiar scenes from everyday life, he would eventually paint allegorical scenes that would often blur the lines between the real and surreal. Garibay’s multileveled symbolism which traverses various cultural contexts makes for an art that continually proffers new insight. Though Garibay’s work often traverses the surreal and dreamlike, he is also drawn to the nuances of everyday life. This interest in the mundane is showcased in this oil on canvas piece titled Mother and Child. Garibay turns his attention to one of Filipino art’s most popular subject-matters and manages to infuse it with his own unique style. Through Garibay’s exaggerated approach and unique visual language, he effectively produces an intimate and nuanced work that seemingly unearths not only the purity of a mother’s care, but the inherently revolutionary act of love itself.