Orange Project Presents Modern Negrense Family

What constitutes a family in today’s times? Over the last generation or so, the nuclear unit of the family - father, mother, and their children–has both altered and remained the same, in concept and in composition. While clearly defined by law, society and the church,the notion of family has arguably changed beginning in the late 20th century, as people in many parts of the world live in unprecedented freedom - in mobility, work, education, lifestyle, ideas and, not least, technological and information access. 

Guenivere Decena Look in The Mirror and Say I Love You acrylic on canvas 36X48 inches

This July, Orange Project proudly presents Modern Negrense Family, which is curated by Georgina Luisa "Gina" O. Jocson, whose curatorial projects and cultural entrepreneurship endeavors focused on the development and promotion of the arts and culture ecosystem of Negros Occidental and the Visayas region. 

For third-world countries such as the Philippines, whose majority population belongs to the lower to middle income categories, the makeup of the core family unit has become vulnerable to these factors, including the state-sponsored valorisation of the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) or bagong bayani as savior of the economy. As the University of the Philippines Population Institute has declared: “The Filipino family is in transition.” 

Ann Gaurana

Guenivere Decena

Angela Silva
 
Moreen Austria

The exhibit MODERN NEGRENSE FAMILY aims to explore the nuances of the Filipino family’s “transitions” by focusing on the specificities of the southern province of Negros Occidental, the sixth most populous in the country. 

Angela Silva Annulment 31.5x24.5 inches collage cyanotypes digital prints

Angela Silva Divorce 31x24 inches collage cyanotypes digital prints

Angela Silva Support 31x24 inches collage cyanotypes digital prints

To do this, the exhibit has tapped seventeen local artists to respond to the question: what is the modern Negrense family? With ages ranging from 20s to 80s, this diverse group of artists represents three generations of Negrense family life, holding up lenses of various strengths and transparencies from which to look critically at the state of families in their communities, without sparing their own.

Olive Gloria Time is Greater Than Space 74x57 inches mixed media fabric work

Moreen Austria The Non-Articulation of Being and In A Family (Lion series, Elephant series) Base 8x8 and 10x10 inches broken glass plastic resin granite wood

Neil Benavente Into The Ring of Fire 58.5x47.5 inches oil on canvas

The resulting collection of paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, mixed media works, and installations present affecting portraits of contemporary local family life, which point to sociological, psychological, and politico-economic issues that need unpacking and further understanding. Abandonment, separation, economic hardship, and pervasiveness of technology are some of the themes that overlap throughout the exhibition. 

Ann Gaurana The Lovers 60x48 inches acrylic and oil on canvas

Frelan Gonzaga [Father] Figures 44x68 inches oil, spray paint on canvas

Mikiboy Pama Mag Dayon Kamo 96x48 inches mixed media assemblage

MODERN NEGRENSE FAMILY is not designed to be comprehensive and definitive in its representation, nor is it meant to be an occasion for artists, as well as viewers, to pass judgment on one another. This exhibition hopes to give voice to a diversity and plurality of perspectives and to engender a conversation that can be beneficial for all. 

Neil Benavente

Michael John “Mikiboy” Pama

Brandon Braza

Darel Javier

Frelan “Pakz” Gonzaga
 
Participating Artists include Rafael Paderna, Rodney Martinez, Perry Argel, Angela Silva, Roedil “Joe” Geraldo, Revo Yanson, Neil Benavente, Darel Javier, Frelan “Pakz” Gonzaga, Moreen Austria , Olive Gloria, Michael John “Mikiboy” Pama , Guenivere Decena, Erika Mayo, Brandon Braza, Vincent Sarnate, and Ann Gaurana.

 

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