Provenance: Provenance: Finale Art File, Makati

ABOUT THE WORK

The works of Geraldine Javier are often seen as both aesthetic and intellectual masterpieces. Her synthesis of both material and metaphorical content into her work is often attributed to the formal training she received from Roberto Chabet, the Father of Philippine Conceptual Art, when she was a student at the University of the Philippines’ College of Fine Arts. Thus, her works are often described as art that prioritizes intellectual and genuine engagement over immediate emotional response. Javier’s works are the kind in which layers, meanings, and metaphors are constantly created long after the paint has dried. In this diptych entitled Hide and Seek, Geraldine Javier gives her take on the innocence of childhood against the backdrop of modern and contemporary realities. The most obvious visual cue is her use of a deep red cloak as the children’s attire, referencing the 17th-century fairytale by Charles Perrault entitled Little Red Riding Hood. Javier reappropriates the themes of innocence and childlike wonder found in the classic children’s story via creating an allegory that aptly fits the modern world. The woods are replaced by a seemingly vast field and a set of towering cement effigies reminiscent of police and military barricades. Thus, Javier’s contemporary reimagining focuses on the systemic problems that plague the youth of today. Though, despite the dreary context of the work, Javier’s diptych is one that contains hope for a better future.