Accompanied by a certificate issued by Pintô Art Museum confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

Joy Mallari’s figurative expressionist style is often linked with the artistic sensibilities among Salimpusa and Sanggawa artist groups, but it is her narrative approach, in which she explores the connections between literature and art, that makes her works distinct. This particular piece goes beyond the artist’s usual practice given that the work accommodates history. In Tagatala, we see the figure of a person amidst a hazy field made out of different bits and pieces of a map. Most notably on the top right corner, we see a motif that bears resemblance to the Murillo Velarde map of 1734. The map is often considered one of the most important artifacts in Philippine cartography. The “Mother of all Philippine Maps” has gained popularity over the years given that it was a seminal piece of information in the country’s fight over its territorial dispute over the West Philippine Sea. Mallari’s work is one that explores the often abstract nature of borders and even of history in our attempt to record a world whose natural disposition is to be ephemeral. (J.D.)