ABOUT THE WORK

Known for his searing self-portraits and portraits of people — usually family and friends —that are dear to him, Lynyrd Paras is one of the more prominent names to have emerged from the Technological University of the Philippines. His technique of portraiture goes beyond convincingly depicting human expression by including and layering text, abstract elements, and other symbols on the sitter’s face to capture his manifold past. In his portraits, Paras is not merely painting a person but his life. Such scrutiny is expectedly more fraught and complicated when directed at oneself — as embodied by the toy sculpture, WYN. A self-portrait, the figure sits on a humble bench, examining an upturned house. In his gaze, one detects a longing for something similar: the physical structure, yes, but also everything a house means and entails, such as a family, stability, and rootedness. The house that he holds in his hands, however, is empty. The house has been a persistent metaphor in Paras’ body of works, which underscores how the artist values it in his life, just like many Filipinos who wish of having their own homes. One may surmise that the house is created by the figure, and that through the labor of his hands he has made his dream come true, just like the artist himself.