In his first solo exhibition, Gelo Cinco foregrounds personal memory as the locus of his practice. The works in the present series derive their subjects from photographic fragments of the artist’s life—recounted, dissected, at times altered in an exercise of worlding through painterly collage.
Cinco takes his cues from the Philippine fiesta, a frequent sight during his childhood visits to his hometown in Samar. The worlds on his canvases consequently denote the same frenetic visual zeal; and akin to the country’s time-honored public festivals, the pictorial anchor is food. Each dish signifies a different realm and juncture in Cinco’s life: perhaps a random craving, his favorite street food, or a memorable feast he shared with loved ones. It is in their coalescence—by throwing them into a fiesta—that the artist merges various dimensions on the canvas.
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