Tapestries, Canvases, Physical, Digital: Silverlens Opens Hybrid Exhibitions for August

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Manila’s SILVERLENS is currently presenting two solo exhibitions by contemporary artists Patricia Perez Eustaquio and Dashiell Manley. The shows will run until 5 September 2020. 

Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, SILVERLENS has been adapting their exhibition format to cater to the altered circumstances prompted by the pandemic. A nationwide lockdown resulted in an unprecedented online show for the gallery entitled “Anticipating the Day,” presented as a “digital doppelgänger” to their physical space, in the words of SILVERLENS’ director, Isa Lorenzo. In June, the gallery reopened under a strict appointment-only policy. Full digital catalogues were also created for recent shows to provide entry to those still fearing external exposure. SILVERLENS is continuing this modified format for the simultaneous exhibitions this August, featuring the internationally celebrated Eustaquio and Manley.

“Hoarding Fossils in Blankets” marks Eustaquio’s sixth solo show with SILVERLENS. This exhibition features six new tapestries, the first set of a long series the artist plans to undertake, as well as soft sculptures, and a selection of paintings from her Boom series. Developed over the last four years, Eustaquio’s textiles have become a vehicle to mirror social, historical, and temporal ruminations. In each of the tapestries, Eustaquio transposes paintings created by Philippine masters into textiles through modern means: photography and a digital loom. Through these “translations,” as Eustaquio refers to them, a discourse between time frames is generated, from the historical past to an unrealized future. The meanings and dynamics of the original works become altered, and another dimension is added in the reconstruction process. Eustaquio writes, “Each subsequent translation lends to a deterioration of the original context, a kind of entropy as one form becomes another. But the muddling of information provides a perspective that is unique, if not interesting.” With her translated textiles, the artist invites viewers to reflect on concepts of time, identity, ownership, and authenticity, as well as worldly realities, such as the global migration of goods and ideas. Eustaquio motivates viewers to reconsider and reinterpret the classical works referenced, as she begins a dialogue with history and the future from the present.

Alongside Eustaquio’s pieces are the paintings of American artist Dashiell Manley, in his first ever solo exhibition in the Philippines. Represented by Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco, Manley has presented his distinct body of work all over the world, including North and South America, Australia, and Europe. His eponymous show with SILVERLENS marks his artistic debut in Asia.

Originally planned for March and April, Manley’s premier exhibition was postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19. Now, SILVERLENS is presenting a vibrant selection of the young artist’s oeuvre in a format fit for the pandemic: a hybrid show, happening simultaneously between Manila and Los Angeles, where Manley is based. Manley presents bodies of works from two series: Elegy, which he began in 2015, and an extension of a series he started in 2014 called the Newspaper Paintings. The works from Elegy will be exhibited in Manila, while the periodical-inspired paintings will be displayed in Manley’s Los Angeles studio.

For his Asian debut, Manley considered it highly important to connect with his new audience. Consequently, he extended his Newspaper series for this special exhibition by transcribing text from the Philippine online news site, Rappler. By presenting site-specific works, Manley demonstrates his capacity to engage with spectators beyond a superficial level, inspiring his new viewership to have an emotional experience with the subject matter rather than a factual one. In addition to the Rappler-sourced works, the artist is exhibiting five paintings from his series, Elegy. Although these two series are visually distinct, the artist says they share a “direct one-to-one relationship” and “are intrinsically linked.” As a result of feeling oppressed and overwhelmed by all the news he was absorbing for the Newspaper Paintings, Manley began the Elegy pieces as a means to exorcise all the chaos he had consumed. Featuring short, dense, rhythmically repetitive strokes, the Elegy compositions are a colorful and expansive meditation on the process of painting itself.

The comprehensive online catalogue for Patricia Perez Eustaquio’s “Hoarding Fossils in Blankets” can be downloaded here; Dashiell Manley’s here. Should you find yourself in Manila, you may schedule your visit to the gallery here. 

Whether digitally or physically, we look forward to welcoming you.

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