Provenance: Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

Justiniani’s signature style depicts people and figures in exaggerated dispositions, which can represent political criticism or humor, depending on the piece. Justiniani is a surreal artist in the most fundamental sense, choosing colors, shapes, and proportions based on intuitive indigenous based aesthetic thinking. There are certain elements in his art that have remained permanent and seen throughout his career. One of those was his choice of subjects — indigenous Filipinos and the surreal way they were portrayed. His compositions do not attempt to imitate the everyday but rather suggest precarious movements and unlikely visual moments. Justiniani’s works are mostly autobiographical, gathered from his investigations into the everyday life of his shifting domains. Acknowledging sources as vapid as the foil of farm workers and a childhood fascination with media magic, the artist is especially conversant with his feelings about why he creates art. In a magical realist vein, his works seize images of the everyday, in the act of conveying significant social gestures.