Provenance: Private collection, Singapore

ABOUT THE WORK

Elaine Navas fosters a practice that foregrounds both sensuality and materiality. Originally graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ateneo de Manila University, Navas redirected her path toward the fine arts, later earning a degree from the University of the Philippines’ College of Fine Arts. This formal pivot laid the foundation for her exploration of color, texture, and form, leading to a body of work that engages both the intellect and the senses. Navas debuted her artistic voice with her solo exhibition, Still Life, Still Spaces, at West Gallery, which offered viewers an early glimpse of her deft handling of texture and form. Her career swiftly gained recognition: she was awarded Honorable Mentions at both the 1995 Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards in Manila and the 2004 Philip Morris Singapore Art Awards—acknowledgments that cemented her emerging stature in the regional art scene. Her work transcends mere visual impact; the tactile quality of her layered surfaces invites viewers to encounter the painting beyond sight alone, fostering an immersive engagement with each piece. In this work, Elaine Navas exemplifies her characteristic use of thick, impastoed strokes to depict the ordinary with a sense of weight and presence. The painting, with its earthy palette and layered textures, captures the rugged, tactile quality of its subjects—what appears to be a collection of vegetables and produce suspended in plastic bags. By rendering these humble items with such careful layering and dense brushwork, Navas elevates them to a nearly monumental status. Her strokes echo the textures of the bags and the leaves, evoking a sense of physicality that invites the viewer to feel the painting as much as to see it. In this work, Navas draws our attention to the overlooked and the commonplace, transforming them into objects of reflection and quiet reverence, suggesting that beauty and depth can be found in the most unassuming of subjects. (Jed Daya