Provenance: Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

Imagery and themes shift in renowned Filipino artist Mark Justiniani’s career, manifesting as he takes upon what is relevant to him over a certain period or time. He has delved on socio-political themes and ventured into various media as well as art forms, from paintings to installations, but a reference point in appreciating his widely lauded oeuvre is his pursued “surrealist or magic realist strains.” This was described by art historian Patrick Flores as evident amidst a “distortion of the body whimsically or tragically in the register of social realism.” Justiniani developed this distinct style after returning from the U.S. in 2006. What remains throughout his art and stylistic evolutions as an artist is the narrative quality of his works. Often identified with the Filipino social realists in the 80s and 90s, Justiniani considers himself a visual storyteller. Perspective, form, and intricacies of chosen themes are rendered through a contemporary figurative approach, often described as dreamlike, surreal, and whimsical depictions in the specific period of his artist career. This 2007 piece, Tila, presents contrasting images derived from everyday life and scenes of common people—such as the depicted man on a boat, holding an umbrella and reading a letter— masterfully made illustrative and magical by Justiniani as he portrays irony. The turbulent waters do not reflect the sky’s dark colors and suggestive gloom, raindrops surround the man even if it’s not raining, and one can see the figure’s closed eyes, as if in refusal to see what is presented or revealed to him.