Don Bryan Bunag and Pin Calacal engage in a dialogue that attempts to make sense of the present and the unpredictable times ahead. Reflecting on time as an element in the transformation of realities, movements, memories, and spaces, the exhibition is filled with moments of tenderness as the artists depict scenes that could somehow define these undertakings. A passage from Alan Lightman’s novel, Einstein’s Dreams, best describes the sentimentality of Bunag and Calacal’s reflections:

In a world without future, each moment is the end of the world. After twenty minutes, the storm cloud passes, the rain stops, and the sky brightens. The young man returns to his table, marvels that the world ends in sunlight.

Observing the boundless territory of time, Bunag ferries us through crossings and intersections of memories. A series of works in sepia integrates photography and cyanotype: mediums that have been historically used to record and archive events, species, and objects. In another piece, Bunag built an assemblage from matchsticks that spelled the word NOW, which the artist had then lit on fire, symbolic of the continued extinguishment of our linear perception of time.

On the other hand, Calacal’s works look into the slow passage of time and the prolonged sense of isolation as we navigate through limited and liminal spaces. Our present circumstances cause the gradual alteration and reshaping of the individual, environment, and being. In her works, Calacal illustrates scenes drawn from observing her beloved canine companion, then arranges narratives that appear to have been caught between magic realism and fantasy. While the portrayed dogs roam around freely in these depictions, they too are forced to become contained. 

“The World Ends In Sunlight” accompanies us in traversing the illusion of beginnings and endings. We now live in a place where things can start and restart as we remain witnesses of time.

Curated by Gwen Bautista