Goodbye to All That

THERESE NICOLE REYES

“Paper can be fragile or steadfast depending on context. As an artist whose work relies on the tension between elements, the use of this versatile medium can be traced as far back as the early days of my youth, early foray into art, and in more recent work. Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, was a craft that I casually engaged in to solve the puzzle of getting a square sheet of paper to become something else entirely, a zD plane transforming into a 3D object. In addition I was collecting the paper specially made for the craft, washi chiyogami, which ironically ended up unused as to preserve their printed patterns. 

These objects casually tossed aside and paper stored until they were rekindled with a quilt pattern and an opportunity to exhibit. 150 Pinwheels used the base of an actual paper pinwheel pattern to render the composition in acrylic. It arranged a chaotic combination of color in an orderly grid. Studies evolved into manipulating the paper even further. Tearing and re-engineering new compositions, folded 3D forms unfolded to use the folds as subject matter were explored. Their resulting values become works themselves. A similar effort was conducted with patterned paper as well, in an early case taking inspiration from Balesin in my mind revisited by Alfredo Liongoren. Where in each section of the work was seemingly cut out from another composition. Letting go of the sense of preciousness over a singular piece to create a greater one was exercised. Early patterns were created by myself, hence there was a more personal stake when composing each piece. 

Using these new methods, the Kami series re-imagines an old craft and collection. In terms of shape and composition, circles have been reoccurring in my work ever since my earliest ink pieces. There is a balance of softness (from the lack of edges) and rigidity (equidistant interior space) in the shape that I am attracted to in a way that is difficult to put into accurate terminology. Rather than folding the washi chiyogami, they are cut into a specific shape to give them form, beyond their original intention. The abruptly cut patterns are given order in their new shape and within a muted grid. Although I acknowledge the similarities between them and Damien Hirst's Spot Paintings, and Japanese temori (hand balls), the work draws more from the earlier forays into experimenting with paper.”

Therese Nicole Reyes (b. 1990) is fascinated with tensions between forces and how they manifest. Her works revolve around chaos and order, the individual and the whole, creation and destruction, organic and inorganic, past and present. These works are executed with an austere and aesthetic use of geometric and organic forms and limited color palettes; the serial and more personal narrative works draw from experiences, objects, and imagery inspired by the binaries of morals and the imagery present in the Filipino Catholic tradition, nature documentaries, and Japanese pop culture.