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Art Cube Philippines is home for Contemporary Philippine Art. We specialize in paintings, sculptures and art objects by young and established visual artists from the Philippines. 1/3 Past Exhibits Upcoming Exhibits May Groupshow by Pancho Alvarez Joey Cobcobo Billy Bagtas Nina Wi

Given Time Jaime Pacena II 16 May 2020 Given Time Jaime Pacena II 16 May — 06 June Artist-in-Residence (AIR), a process wherein a creative individual or group of people nurtures and develops their creative research, their artistic process and methods in a different space outside the ideals of their own home or studio. It can be in a different region or even in a different country and immerse in the community, locality and the culture it offers that challenges, break or develop one’s ideals and process. It gives opportunities to network with other artists, institutions and individuals and the society. But the most important part of what AIR offers is time. It gives artists time to reflect, to collaborate, to create and go beyond the routine and the expectations to one’s practice. Pacena will present recent works that reflect the mental, emotional and physical space of isolation and quarantine during this pandemic. It features a series of recent paintings that highlights the stages of grief of an individual during this global crisis. This will be presented in a virtual gallery space that somehow investigates the notions of the new normal, that even the art industry cannot escape. The project will extend in a social media platform take over, as Pacena presents his daily life in his home and studio as an exploration on the practice of Artist-in-Residence during this trying times. Given Time is presented by Art Cube via Artsteps App and Instagram.

DEFACEMENTS | November 05 - 26, 2022 DEFACEMENTS Mark Bardinas | Jobert Cruz | Mark Nativo November 05 - 26, 2022 1/4 View Catalogue Video Press Release Against Exposure Painting, in its long tradition, centered upon the representation about something in the world—a credible depiction of reality. When that role was usurped by the camera, the artists shifted their focus on rendering aspects of reality that the eye would be hard-pressed to see: the action of light on surfaces (Impressionism), the progress of motion in space (Surrealism), and even the internal thoughts and feelings of the artists themselves (Expressionism). In a way, painting became a tool to bring to surface the hidden, the barely noticed, the submerged. More than a century after these innovations, artists now have to contend with the omnipresence of the screen, how it purports its own (digital) reality with the proliferation of images and their simultaneity. In this three-man show, Defacements, Mark Bardinas, Jobert Cruz, and Mark Nativo question the nature—and the value—of these images, particularly how we seem to be controlled by them, particularly from the endless scroll of social media. Painting, in this context, becomes an act of tempering, interrogating, as well as subverting these images, squarely confronting what perpetually insists in occupying our attention and day-to-day lives. The works of Bardinas, for instance, directly quote pixelations, color bars, and image breaks of screens, as if to emphasize the artificiality of the environments purported in the photos and videos we consume without thought: nothing is ever what it appears to be. Cruz, on the other hand, seems to be working with existing images devoid of context, similar to stock photos, affixing them as autonomous subject matter on canvas. Nativo, presenting a kind of collage, decides upon a surfeit of images, particularly those from art history, in the singular space of the canvas, allowing for the simultaneous juxtaposition of the painting genres, from still life to portraiture to abstraction. What is present in all of the works is the refusal to share anything by way of the biography of the artists, counterflowing against the earnest oversharing in social media of the minutiae of everyday life. Even the figures that occupy their work also don’t risk exposure and identification. In the paintings of Nativo, the faces are either averted or defaced. In Bardinas, they are hooded or hidden by an emoticon or a digital folder. While the viewer can still make out the faces of the figures in the works of Cruz, they are foreign and inaccessible—characters in what feels like dream sequence. Whatever narratives these paintings have may only be glimpsed at, deduced, speculated. Defacements provides the viewer an opportunity to see the respective strengths of the artists. The works, after all, are representative of the themes that Bardinas, Cruz, and Nativo have been pursuing for quite some time. Collectively, they constitute a contemporary engagement with how our thinking—and by extension, creating art—has been structured by our visual culture, using its tool of fragmentation as an instrument of critique and allowing the medium of painting to bring a sense of coherence, story, and human insight to the never-ending stream of images. -Carlomar Arcangel Daoana

ANINO | June 18, 2022 - July 9, 2022 ANINO MAX BALATBAT June 18, 2022 - July 9, 2022 1/6 View Catalogue Video Press Release Demon of Dark Days In his latest exhibition, Anino, Max Balatbat presents his starkest, most intense works to date: a suite of monochromatic paintings and assemblages that expresses and embodies the mood, emotion, and interiority of the last two years plunged into the terror and uncertainty of the pandemic. They constitute what the artist considers as a visual diary chronicling the times when everyone was quarantining in their own homes, terrified of a virus of which little was known, dragging artificial shadows on sunless floors. These all-black works establish a turning to point from Balatbat’s previous creations characterized by color, layering, and definition. While the superimposition of layers of acrylic skin is still very much perceptible, a flattening effect takes hold because of the totality of the opaque pigment, as if an eclipse were passing over the works. What the viewer confronts is an unyielding surface punctuated with pockets of negative space, crisscrossing of filaments both taut and slack, the encroachment of what appears to be organic matter. In his series, “Umbra,” defined as the darkest part of the shadow, the surface also offers the same impenetrable quality, only there seems to be passages of a light hue breaking through. By the sixth painting, the darkness relents, and unmistakable strokes of blue waver and take hold, as if promising the coming of dawn. There is no mistaking that what maintains dominion in these works remains the imperative of the night, and yet what a relief to witness those faint emanations coruscate—a sign of hope against the desolate space. His assemblages share the same aesthetic as his paintings, except that recognizable objects emerge from the sculptural composition as focal points. A faucet, a stethoscope, a carpenter’s plummet—these represent some of the trades and professions severely affected by the pandemic. Their status as emblems of lost livelihood becomes all the more prominent when one finds out that these objects served an actual function in their former lives. By appropriating them in this series, Balatbat underscores the precarity of work, with the objects haphazardly tied together with strings as an insistence on normality. Anino is a brute recognition of how the pandemic has altered us in ways we cannot even begin to imagine. As of today, we still don’t have a way to measure, not least of which to reckon, the devastation that it has wrought. Despite resuming old routines and trying our best to make do with what’s left from our pre-pandemic lives, we’re still very much in the tight grip of this dark phase of history, what with the looming threat of possible variants unleashing their own set of devastations. Balatbat, through his signature paint-on-paint method valiantly soldiering into the darkest of confines, captures the liminal shapes of the inchoate chaos that still surrounds us. - Carlomar Arcangel Daoana Maximino Balatbat II Maximino Balatbat II (b.1978) is a Filipino artist from Caloocan who studied Fine Arts with a Major in Advertising at the University of the East. His works have been widely recognized by art collectors both locally and internationally. He has exhibited his works in Vienna, London, Florence, Essen, The Hague, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Seoul, Manila, and Beijing. Max is a recipient of many international awards, including the El Lorenzo Magnifico Silver Award in the 7th Florence Biennale in December 2009. Max talks about his upcoming exhibit titled “Anino” as a reflection of the 2-year pandemic in the Philippines. He mentioned that for the past years, the shadow or the Anino we see is like an artificial element because most of us were restricted to see the shadow that comes from natural light. Everyone was affected by the pandemic no matter where they stand in life. There was no exception whether one is a Lawyer, Doctor, Carpenter, Painter, or Tricycle Driver, all kinds of labor stopped because of it. Balatbat used those workers as an inspiration for his assemblage where 90% of the materials for the pieces have already been used by them. Those elements make his work come to life because of the story behind it. He describes his work as a “Diary” which represents his life and his experiences during the pandemic. He wishes to look back at his diary and see the emotions he has felt and the challenges he has overcome during that period in his life.

PAMANA A fundraising exhibit for the Linangan Mentorship Program February 04 - February 25, 2023 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 Linangan Art Residency, is an alternative art school focused on developing and defining Philippine art and culture through art residencies and educational programs dedicated to Philippine Art studies. The program cultivates the vital link between art and culture by emphasizing on art production that is focused on community life. Its curriculum and space are designed to hone artist-leaders in creating contemporary art that is definitive of Philippine culture. To amplify Linangan’s mission of empowering artists and communities through art education, we organized the “Pamana” exhibit highlighting the foundational role of mentorship in fostering the development of Philippine contemporary art. The exhibits bring together Linangan residents, alumni, and stalwarts of the Philippine art scene, most of whom have mentored in Linangan to raise funds for the development of the Linangan mentorship program. The exhibit roster includes Jigger Cruz, Charlie Co, Orley Ypon, Manny Garibay, Mark Justiniani, Leslie De Chavez and Renato Habulan among others. Pamana Artists: Bjorn Calleja Charlie Co Daniel dela Cruz Dex Fernandez Jigger Cruz Leslie de Chavez Manny Garibay Mark Justiniani Orley Ypon Otto Neri Renato Habulan Abril Valdemoro Ben Albino Delmo Hannah Nantes Jason Delgado Jessa Balag Joen Sudlon JC Sicam Jonathan Madeja Lance Gomez Manuel Gomez Maricar Tolentino Noel Elicana Paul John Cabanalan Zuh Dai 1/1

Bukas Aann Reynales, Bam Garibay, Carlmel Belda, Chanel Pepino, Christian Culangan, Delmo, Edmond Rivera, Hanna Sayam, Jan Llegue, JC Sicam, Kennette Luague, KR Rodgers, Lance Gomez, Marrenz Antonio, Nina Garibay, Ram Castillo, Red Santillan, Salvi January 11 - February 1, 2025 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 Bukas: Why Tomorrow Matters As I considered how to open the year 2025, I found myself circling back to a quiet yet insistent question: How do we, in the face of creeping nihilism, continue to believe in tomorrow? This question led to the conceptual seed for Bukas, a group exhibition that asks 18 artists to reflect on a single word—Bukas—which in Filipino means both “open” and “tomorrow.” It is a word steeped in possibility and anticipation, holding the tension between optimism and vulnerability. The prompt I shared with the artists was deceptively simple: Why does tomorrow matter? The responses, as varied as the lives and creative practices of the artists, form a mosaic of perspectives—personal, communal, spiritual and universal. Together, their works are visual testaments to the enduring human impulse to create meaning, even in the face of uncertainty. Through these pieces, the artists confront despair not with grand gestures, but with the steady act of making. Tomorrow, after all, is an imagined space—a liminal pause between what has been and what might yet be. In an era shadowed by complexity and doubt, Bukas becomes a meditation on how we, individually and collectively, envision and shape the future. JC Sicam’s Tahanan, Aann Reynales’ Keep the Coffee Hot, Carlmel Belda’s Simula, and Salvi’s Present remind us of the small, sacred sanctuaries that sustain us—home, rituals, and the quiet glow of everyday life. Lance Gomez’s Studio Study II and Nina Garibay’s Portal widen this lens, reflecting nature’s own capacity for renewal and possibility. Some artists approach Bukas with a yearning to break free. Christian Culangan’s Ahon, Hanna Sayam’s Runaway Chicken, Bam Garibay’s Kool Aid, and Ram Castillo’s Avatar Party evoke the tension between constraint and release. Their works resonate with the urgency of liberation, whether from societal expectations or personal limitations, even depicting escapism as another route in the pursuit of emancipation. Meanwhile, Chanel Pepino, Edmond Rivera, Jan Llegue, and Marrenz Antonio offer contemplations of trepidation. In their subdued, somber works, they explore the fragility of hope, urging us to sit with discomfort and face the quiet doubts that often accompany dreams of tomorrow. Other pieces turn inward, searching for an anchor amidst uncertainty. Delmo’s I Am Is the Force of Tomorrow, Kennette Luagues’ Kulay ng Kaluluwa, and Red Santillan’s Untitled beckon viewers to tap into the internal compass of the self—a wellspring of resilience and renewal. KR Rodgers’ Root-bound, with its stark monochromatic palette, speaks to the slow yet deliberate work of grounding oneself, even when progress feels imperceptible. It is a meditation on persistence, reminding us that even the smallest acts of continuity hold the power to shape the future. These works are not mere images; they are offerings—acts of courage in their quiet refusal to surrender to despair. They remind us that hope, while fragile and fleeting, is not an abstract ideal but a living force that propels us toward small, deliberate actions. Through their practices, the artists carve out spaces where meaning lingers, illuminating the truth that creation itself is a profound gesture of resistance. Some pieces call us into connection, offering antidotes to isolation through shared spaces of memory, care, and community. Others reach inward, seeking renewal in spirituality or personal resolve. Still others invite us to imagine and play, exploring the transformative potential of what could be. Together, they remind us that tomorrow is not a grand concept, but a series of choices unfolding in the present—a canvas upon which we sketch our hopes, bit by bit. Bukas is not a manifesto but a tender declaration—a persistent whisper that tomorrow matters because it allows us to begin again. These 18 artists extend an invitation: to believe, not in grand promises, but in the quiet, deliberate acts that shape the future. They offer not answers, but possibilities, leaving us with this quiet yet insistent truth: the future is not something we await but something we make—with hands that dare to open and hearts that choose to hope. -Alee Garibay 1/1

Kapirasong Paraiso JC Sicam April 6 - 27, 2024 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 Kapirasong Paraiso Searching for signs and signposts in his pursuit of a promised paradise, JC Sicam delves into the realms of Faith and fate seeking illumination from the sacred to the profane in his latest solo exhibition entitled Kapirasong Paraiso. Through contrasting pieces like "Bukas (Open) and Sanktwaryo (Sanctuary), Sicam navigates his differing encounters with the divine. Subtle hues temper the wild-eyed (self ) portrait of a Krusado (member of a homegrown sect) exploring various religious practices in Bukas. In contrast, delicately rendered in charcoal on Bible pages mounted on canvas, Sanktwaryo, depicts the peaceful solace of a half-naked angel with broken wings praying in a run-down toilet - Sicam’s preferred place of worship. The artist exposes his tender spot in the family portrait Angkas (Ride) where Sicam depicts himself as a carabao bearing the weight of his loved ones. Flanking him are his wife and daughter, symbolically represented by a pair of winged legs as guardian angels. At the center is a window-like opening exposing his rib cage, from which emerge tiny fists holding onto the bright red ribs, which the artist reveals is his blind son Emman, the heart of the family pumping life through the artist’s veins, and also where it hurts the most. Libang (Leisure) tells the story of father and son through two pieces of a broken swing. The top piece, drawn in charcoal over Bible pages mounted on canvas, suggests an arched window or a mirror with a bald figure peering at his erased reflection. Below it, untethered, is a mold-covered swing symbolizing the lost leisure and lightheartedness of youth. For Sicam and his son, the time of innocence was cut short, its golden aura dimmed by the child’s impaired vision. Mourning his and his son’s inability to enjoy carefree play, the artist turn to the scriptures to give him perspective. In rural communities, land binds and land divides families. The title piece, Kapirasong Paraiso, is a bird-like sculpture made of terracotta and found objects embodying the artist-farmer's struggle for ownership amidst contested land. For wings, he attached rusty spades with ends blunted by the impenetrable piece of metal base to narrate the futility of cultivating something you can’t own. Inside a hollow torso shaped like a cage, his heart hangs with thorns sprouting from it. “Sama ng loob (bitterness) can eat up a man from inside”, the artist confesses. Attached below the heart is a shackle, dangling like the pendulum of a cuckoo clock. The figure looks up at an incoming flock of migrating birds made of sickles as if asking, “Bakit nandito pa rin ako? (Why am I still here?)” Through his signature bittersweet lens, Sicam’s exhibit ponders the pursuit of paradise - a relentless struggle or a resigned acceptance? Is it something we have to look for or is it something we have overlooked? And is “kapiraso” (a mere fragment) enough? Alee Garibay 1/1

Frontline Demi Padua 16 May 2020 Frontline Demi Padua 16 May — 06 June It is not the beauty of a building you should look at, it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time. —David Allan Coe We are all builders because we each construct a life that we relentlessly push to progress. Life is a never-ending search for satisfaction and survival aided by one’s motivation, perseverance, drive and faith to succeed. Every individual has his or her own battles, whether physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual. Some advance smoothly while others take the hard way, limited by their own resources, narratives and social standing. The well-off may have the advantage and the poor may be in handicap, but it is not conclusive to the full imbalance of things as what one thinks he or she is lacking may be another man’s resolve. This is true in the case of Demi Padua. Poverty-stricken, Demi in his teenage years voluntarily went with his father and relatives to work as a helper in construction sites. Without time to play and enjoy his childhood, he kept his creative faculties alive by observing how things were built from scratch. Witnessing how the rawness of each element of wood, metal and concrete when put together turned into sophisticated and functional objects made him think that everything has its essence and purpose. The everyday juggle of making ends meet is one realization that remained throughout his life growing up. A gestalt of sorts, these experiences became the catalyst for his works. Triangles, pyramids and stones are constant motifs in his pieces mirroring stability, resilience and progress which resonates our society’s battle against this global pandemic called COVID19. In his solo exhibit titled FRONTLINE, Demi Padua narrates his reflections on the ongoing quarantine period. For Demi, every one of us is a front liner who he aims to represent in what he dubbed as intrapersonal portraits. With his signature people wearing masks of collaged images, Demi's portraits are symbolic interpretations of our everyday struggle and adjustments. This is the artist reminding us that we dictate our future, and how we build, protect and strengthen it is all up to us. —Abe Orobia

Hanging On.. | July 16, 2022 - August 06, 202 Hanging On.. Demetrio Dela Cruz July 16, 2022 - August 06, 202 1/6 View Catalogue Video Press Release Precarious Paintings In Hanging On, his fresh iteration of appropriating the works of National Artists, Demetrio Dela Cruz pushes the envelope further. Rather than representing the iconic paintings magisterially spread out across a frame, the artist allows us to perceive them in their unstretched glory, draped onto an edge, folded and pleated at places. In some works, streaks of paint run across them, as if someone, possibly in a fit of envy, has desecrated them, as is usually the case with some of the most iconic paintings that, at some point in their history, suffered from the hands of vandals. The appropriated paintings are, however, still recognizable, except that, as the title states, they are hanging on to dear life, their original pristine quality gone, the fragile nature of the canvases exposed. The credibility of these works hinges upon the masterful execution of Dela Cruz, one of the best realist painters working today. His notable trompe l’oeil style does not only replicate the unique colors and figurations of the works of the National Artists (which, in itself, is already a feat) but how they would look like distressed. Dela Cruz’s manner of appropriation is three-fold. First, he needed to print a digital version of the work, which in itself was already a copy. Once printed, the artist would intervene into the material (crumpling it at places as he saw fit) before finally setting the resulting image into the shaped canvas by oil pigment. Such a meticulous process underscores how the objective of Dela Cruz is not parody, but praise. Part of his objective is to reveal the fragility of both life and art and, hence, the need for vigilance in protecting what we deem as valuable. The folded or rolled up canvases that constitute the tabletop sculptures continue the narrative of the hanging works into the three-dimensional world. They further reduce the aura we associate with masterpieces. Not too different from a discarded newspaper or a tarpaulin of a politician from a recently concluded election, they bear only their residual old glory. Whatever world they contain is forever inaccessible to the viewer, locked and sealed by paltry strings. Hanging On is a powerful reminder that almost all of art is material, a fact that gets lost when we start delving into the subject matter, meaning, and history of a work. Paintings are, first and foremost, physical objects that occupy space. They are not safe from the ruining effects of time. By showing the audience the precarity of paintings, Dela Cruz hopes to amplify not only their importance in our national imagination and collective cultural life but also their embodied materiality that has made them possible in the first place. - Carlomar Arcangel Daoana Demetrio Dela Cruz Demetrio Dela Cruz, also known as “Demet” is a Filipino contemporary artist who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts - Major in Advertising at Far Eastern University, Manila. He worked as a visualizer, graphic designer, and photographer in an advertising firm before pursuing a full-time career as a contemporary artist. His years of experience in the Commercial Industry are very much evident in his constantly evolving style, in terms of themes and subject as well as technique and figuration. For Demet's upcoming exhibit, titled: Hanging On. He mentioned it is both literal and metaphorical in a sense. Literal for its images are visual forms of hanging paintings and sculptures of Filipino national artists, from Amorsolo’s famous works to Guillermo Tolentino’s sculptures. Metaphorically, each piece of painting represents the vulnerability and fragility of life.

Hanap/Buhay Elmer Borlongan February 10, 2024 - March 2, 2024 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 Hanap/Buhay In his latest exhibition, Hanap/Buhay, Elmer Borlongan masterfully captures the essence of honest labor, paying homage to those who toil closest to nature, the very source of our sustenance. The seven works act as individual or group depictions of workers in various trades, celebrating the dignity inherent in the daily lives of those who, though unsung, tirelessly put food on our plates, despite the threats of globalization and shifting socio-political terrains. Borlongan’s profound connection to Zambales manifests in works that are set against the backdrop of its shores, seas, and sky as well as its landscape with a view of the Pundaquit mountains. In two separate paintings, fishermen proudly present their bountiful catch—the dorado and the majestic blue marlin. The vivid portrayal, with the long tail and snout of the marlin balanced on a stick, captures the symbiotic relationship between man and nature. The solidarity of farmers is eloquently depicted in their shared pose, carrying bags of rice grain. Borlongan chose to paint them as larger-than-life, monumental, emphasizing their essential role in our food chain, reminding us of the interconnectedness of our lives with those who work the land. A different set of farmers, this time in a pineapple plantation, is depicted in a large-scale painting, with the conveyor belt diagonally cutting across the field, as the heads of pineapples rattle and tumble about. From backdrops of nature, a shift to an urban setting introduces a vendor selling street food, reaching out for a coin as payment, or perhaps proffering it as sukli, or change. The viewer assumes the role of the buyer, subtly underscoring the shared human experience of hunger and the satisfaction that comes with satiation. Borlongan’s brushstrokes capture the color, heft, and texture of the different types of street food, from fishballs to siomai in a stick. Because of Borlongan’s choice to situate his subjects within the broader context of the West Philippine Sea, the paintings, while exuding a sense of serenity, shine a spotlight on the precarious nature of the labor, especially that of our fishermen as they navigate not just the unpredictable waters but also geopolitical challenges. The encroachment by foreign powers driving our fishermen from waters that are well within our Exclusive Economic Zone while pillaging the sea’s resources adds a layer of complexity to the narrative of paintings. The artist urges us to reflect on the importance of supporting local industries in our pursuit of food sustainability, as the very livelihoods depicted in his works face threats from beyond the horizon. Hanap/Buhay testifies to Borlongan'ss ability to capture the essential humanity that is endowed on each and everyone of us, particularly those in the margins of society, the so-called laylayan where part of our population still labors hard to escape. Through Borlongan’s remarkable style and sensibility, the exhibition invites viewers to appreciate the dignity of work while urging us to contemplate the delicate balance between man, nature, and forces—inside and outside our shores—that shape our shared future. Carlomar Arcangel Daoana 1/1

Leyenda Jessa Balag September 14 - October 5, 2024 Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image Add a Title Describe your image 1/12 Making Things, Making Sense In Leyenda, Jessa Balag invites us to revisit the legends that have shaped her imagination since childhood, blending the mythical and the mystical with the everyday. Each oil on canvas painting is a rich tapestry of familiar stories transformed into something new, filled with easily recognizable characters and objects from our own lives. Balag’s astute compositions breathe fresh life into age-old tales, prompting us to see ourselves in the allegorical narratives that once seemed distant and untouchable. Mythological scenes in paintings often depict gods, heroes, and creatures from ancient legends, reflecting human traits like courage, love, and betrayal, explaining how particular animals, trees, and flowers came into being, and why the sky is blue or the ocean deep. The Renaissance saw how artists blended ancient myths with deeper moral and societal issues. Over time, these scenes evolved to include political themes, with 18th-century artists portraying rulers as gods, while later centuries saw a shift to ethnic legends. Similarly, Filipino artists inspired by local myths and legends integrate cultural heritage into their works. Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Rodel Tapaya blended folklore with visual narratives, much like how classical mythological art used symbols, contrasts, and allegories to evoke deeper meanings. Brenda Fajardo and Imelda Cajipe-Endaya also emphasized the richness of local stories, weaving myth into modern contexts, and often injecting their pieces with modern concerns such as family, struggle, and empowerment, merging arcane and ancient narratives with contemporary issues. It seems these great artists have paved the way for this exhibiting artist's new explorations. Balag’s brushstrokes flow like oral tradition itself, loose yet purposeful, capturing moments where reality and fantasy meet, her figures keeping the glowing skin tones they have been imbued from the start of her art career. Whether it's a legend of creation or a story of transformation, Leyenda encourages us to imagine, reinterpret, and add our voices to the endless cycle of storytelling. In this new chapter in Balag's creative journey, the artist draws from known and self-interpreted legends, using them not only to make sense of the compartmentalized chaos of one's everyday life, but to reach her audiences as she expands her comfort zone and her arsenal of fresh imagery. Through Leyenda, Balag explores how things came to be and how we might rewrite or reinterpret these stories in the context of our modern lives. Her paintings nudge us to ask: Why are things the way they are? Could we be the new storytellers, weaving our own myths from the fabric of everyday experiences? '- Kaye O'Yek 1/1