Marina Cruz 瑪莉娜．克魯斯

Marina Cruz 瑪莉娜．克魯斯

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序 Foreword

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時光轉衣—瑪莉娜．克魯斯個展 Wear and Tear : Solo Exhibition by Marina Cruz

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圖版 Plates

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時間帶給我們的—瑪莉娜．克魯斯談創作歷程 Those Come with Time : Marina Cruz on Her Art

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2012-2014 精選作品 Selected Works from 2012-2014

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簡歷 Artist’s Biography

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序言 安卓藝術很開心地推出菲律賓藝術家瑪莉娜．克魯斯（Marina Cruz）於台灣的第二次個展 「時光轉衣」（Wear and Tear），並出版克魯斯從 2012-2014 年間的創作選輯。身為菲律賓當代 藝術家中極受矚目的一員，克魯斯的創作不僅在家鄉獲得高度矚目，在東南亞和台灣也同 樣受到美術館和收藏家的肯定。2014 年高美館 20 周年館慶展「女人家：以亞洲女性藝術之 名」，克魯斯的一組攝影和雕塑作品，以凝結的時光氛圍在展場一角，靜靜擄獲了無數的目 光，與觀者的心靈進行一次有關家族記憶與歷史的交會。 克魯斯的創作從環繞家族的記憶和故事展開，並於近期的「衣膚」（Fabric Skin）和「時光轉 衣」兩個展覽中呈現出關鍵的轉變；從原初一種環繞個人生命、家族記憶與歷史的主軸，到 滲入衣物裡層、織布紋理隨時間而來的不同翻轉與深層探索。 在 2012 年於安卓藝術舉辦的個展「回憶之泉」（In the House of Memory），藝術家沿著家族留 下的老屋、舊物與相片所開展的創作，以非常個人的視角處理了當代美學的議題，她透過女 性特有的細膩手法，綿密地回溯家族記憶與歷史，並經由重新詮釋與繁複的手工處理，將個 人的創作編織擴張成一座探討感情與記憶厚度的文化體系，映照出家鄉菲律賓作為亞洲的一 部分，自上世紀以來交融了西方殖民、現代化與經濟起伏的社會史。 相對於「回憶之泉」，「時光轉衣」一展更為聚焦於衣物本身的生命和歷史，這些局部特寫的 衣物構圖，經過放大強化的織布紋理、皺折空間與細節表現，讓靜物主題的布料材質演繹成 一幅幅交揉著時間、記憶、歷史與傷痕的心靈風景。而透過藝術家於繪畫中展現的服飾內裡， 以及衣物布料於長時間中和人體接觸、磨拭下的各種破損或汙漬，不同的人生故事在此也獲 得更為細膩的想像與閱讀。

安卓藝術總監

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李政勇

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Foreword Mind Set Art Center is very delighted to present Filipino artist Marina Cruz’s second solo exhibition in Taiwan, “Wear and Tear” and to publish this catalogue of selected works from 2012 to 2014 by the artist.

As an emerging Filipino contemporary artist, Cruz is not only renowned locally, but also appreciated by museums and art collectors across Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Recently, in the 20th anniversary exhibition of Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts “Woman-Home: In the Name of Asian Female Artists”, her photography set and sculptural work on display in a corner as if ambient time has ceased, quietly attracted innumerable viewers’ attention and brought about spiritual reflections on their family memory and history.

Rooted deeply in family recollections and stories, Marina Cruz’s art shows a major transition in her two recent exhibitions, “Fabric Skin” and “Wear and Tear”. The pivot of her practice has shifted from individual life stories and family memory towards various expressions on the insides of garment and fabric texture in the course of time and further probe into the objects.

In her 2012 exhibition “In the House of Memory”, Cruz presented works inspired by the old house, objects and photos of her family, dealing with the subject of contemporary aesthetic through an extreme personal view. The artist looked back upon family memory and history thoroughly in a unique feminine and delicate approach. Furthermore, with her reintegration and intricate manual practice, she was able to look deeply into issues related to emotion and memory, while reflecting the colonization, modernization, and economical ups and downs of the Philippines as a member of Asia since last century.

Comparing with “In the House of Memory”, “Wear and Tear” focuses closer on the life and history of clothing itself. The close-up depictions of different dress parts emphasize the wavy grains, textures, pleats and details, transforming the still lives into landscapes of mind endowed with passage of time, memory, and scars. Inner sides of the dresses and their damages or stains caused by consistent wear are rendered ingeniously in the artist’s paintings, revealing more derivative imagination and comprehension of different life stories.

Andre Lee D i re c to r, Mi n d S e t A rt Ce n te r

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時光轉衣 ─ 瑪莉娜．克魯斯

Wear and Tear : Solo exhibition by Marina Cruz 1.10-2.7.2015 11

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時光轉衣 瑪莉娜．克魯斯個展

視 覺 藝 術 家 瑪 莉 娜． 克 魯 斯（Marina Cruz）

元素。同樣地，衣物覆蓋著需要遮蔽和隔絕

在她最近幾年的藝術實作中，開始創作並展

的部分，在視覺上使身體成為片段。它將注

示出包含了大量繪畫的作品，這些掛在牆上

意力拉到組成的部分上：上下半身、四肢、

的繪畫皆以畫布油畫處理，經過挑選的雕塑

前胸與後背，以及側邊，它見證了身體的類

和裝置作品也運用在她所創造的延伸敘述中。

型。它詳述了建造與框架的概念，從嬌小到

但是，她所擁有並持續創作的這種多元媒材，

瘦長、到圓潤或魯本斯式的肉感。由於它直

卻在另一項材料可見而不可觸的反覆現身中

接垂掛在肌膚之上，因此形式與合身、輪廓

找到了軌跡—織品。

與角度，都暗示著衣物能夠且應該被穿著的

物的社會生命 人類學家阿帕度萊（Arjun Appadurai）引用 了牟斯（Mauss）的主張：「當代潮流將物界 視為靜止沈默的，只能藉由人及人語開始行 動 並 活 躍， 這 確 實 是 可 知 的。」1 這 樣 的 假 設認為價值並非固有的，而是必須被認可， 接著銘記在客體上的評斷。齊美爾（Georg Simmel）似乎回應著這樣的說法：「價值是種 附加品，附加於完整堅定的客體存在之上， 就像光與影，它們不是客體所固有的，而是 來自不同的源頭。」2 若延續這樣的態度，即意味了價值的銘刻在 某種意義上已進入了日常用品的範疇，客體 在此透過接觸而變得活躍有生氣。當客體進 入這個範疇時，它們的「社會生命」便開始。 不過這裡必須討論一項規則。除了被賦予的 價值外，另一種力量也被轉變了，即客體對 主體的影響在此受到觸動而開展。

方式。 在和織品的關係中，克魯斯強調在她創作過 程中一種有效的雙層轉變：從平乏的到記錄 性，再從記錄性到藝術性。它們從美學及功 利主義的目的出發，如今像是聖物和傳家寶 般保存下來，成為轉化過的藝術品。她記述 著穿衣者生命中的重要事件，將衣物轉化為 她創作探索中的宣言，也成為她長程藝術實 作中的其中一段歷程。 織品文件 比 例、 形 式 與 合 身、 樣 式、 裝 飾 及 重 複 圖 形；各部分的對稱，甚至等距的組件（鈕扣、 鉤扣和拉鏈），全都要仔細地對待。在她的 作品中，我們會因這些精確寫實與專注細節， 成為順從的觀者，我們的視線會留意到所有 發揮織品固有觸感的視覺線索。然而，一項 有趣的警告似乎在嘲笑我們。當它們從她手 中的筆觸下誕生後，這些精美轉變的表面就

布料貼近肌膚、包裝身體，為身體防禦許多

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變得稀薄與封閉，轉離了他人的觸摸。

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織品是最難保存與維護的材料之一。它有濕

證書、獎牌、遺物和其他紀念品外，當年穿

己購買和囤積物件時，實際上也是像這樣地

的方式。她的展覽「花卉排列」（Finale Art

度、光線和儲藏等等各種條件的負荷，因此

過的衣物仍維持原封不動，從內在提醒著那

追求同樣的動作與過程。

File 藝廊，2013）並非只是使用隨意的布料

它的存留變得無法確定。有一部分，克魯斯

些它們曾隸屬其中的重大事件。

熨出形狀而已，而是讓她接受了過去在藝術 在 2013 年 香 港 巴 塞 爾 藝 術 展（ 非 典 藝 術 ）

以她在顏料、印版與雕塑上的表現，在視覺

學校時曾面對的一項舊難題。這回，從家人

上將它們再現出來、欣賞它們，最終使它們

和其他日用品相比，這些客體價值的優點和

中，她的作品和視覺藝術家好友潘．桑托斯

成為不朽，彷彿拯救它們脫離無可避免的崩

正當性超越了美學與功利主義之外。此處的

（Pam Yan Santos）的作品一同展出。她重拾

解與逐漸晦暗。然而，這種可塑性卻成了它

客體或許不完全屬於她，但她和物主們的聯

靜物畫那種受限制的呈現與特定性，以近乎

自身的限制。它的確在視覺範疇內保障了服

繫成為貫穿的線索，使她能無間隙地編織出

分類學的嚴謹度作畫，除去了畫中衣物在真

裝的存留，但其中重要的物質特性與其所產

她自身的敘述。透過不止息的鄉愁與感性，

實生活中與之相伴的敘述或故事。色調特殊

生的下意識符碼，也多少遺失在轉換的過程中。

這些一度被視為平乏的衣物被轉換成無價的

的藍色構成了洗練乾淨的背景，當作衣裳置

孝道收藏。在之後她所創作出的廣泛作品成

放與鋪展的表面。標題適切地命名為《精緻

此外，繪畫中的衣裳在豐富的裝飾背景下轉

果中，這又加添了一層有趣的解讀。

複製》（2012），畫中呈現的衣裳似乎完全僵

形為花苞般的形式，而裝滿花束的花瓶圖像

硬磨損，這曾屬於她的外婆，之後在她的雙

也呈現在展覽中。

其他的痕跡也依附在這些衣物上，加添了具 體的部分。質感與厚度、布料的延展、裂縫

收藏中挑選出的衣裳被重新鑄造，轉變成固 定在藝廊地板上的雕塑作品。她使用玻璃纖 維鑄造掀起的裙子，腰部應該接觸的部分便 夾繫起來。有了鋼柱的支撐，這些布料花卉 似乎正在綻放。

與破洞，甚至污漬和褪色都指出它們曾常被

相似於這種收藏的表演性質，克魯斯在成堆

使用（或不用）。其他的變化，例如刺繡花押

的物件中進行篩選，挑出那些將成為她創作

或甚至物主的姓名拼字、補釘或其他修補的

作品的參考部分。之後哪些物件會呈現在我

跡象，都可能成為出現在表面或嵌入處的獨

們眼前，端看她允許我們看見哪些，這是她

特記號，斷斷續續地隱藏於視線外。氣味也

整串篩選過程的意義。在同樣的脈絡下，如

是顯著的，一絲味道可以變得極具描述性，

今那些存留下來並且使她能夠取得的物件，

能指出如何判斷這件衣物所受到的照料，或

也是經過她親人們決定哪些留下、哪些丟棄

在重新想像這些衣裳時，她參考了一項古老

項材料的狂熱是從何而起的，她說是因為

是這麝香味如何暗示出它們貯存的地方。所

的先決挑選。

的手工藝傳統，用織品創作出花卉與其排列

有次到外婆家去，在外婆的東西中翻弄時，

這件衣裳有雙胞胎 This Dress Has a Twin

紅花 Red Flowers

2012．104.1 x 124.5 cm 畫布油畫、薄版相片和布面刺繡 Oil on canvas, laminated photograph and embroidery on fabric

2012．104.1 x 124.5 cm 畫布油畫、薄版相片和布面刺繡 Oil on canvas, laminated photograph and embroidery on fabric

胞胎（伊萊莎和萊拉）八歲大的時候亦屬於 她們。就如雙胞胎從來不是完全一模一樣的，

縮圖特寫

這些衣裳變舊的方式和速度也有顯著的不同。 污漬、裂縫，甚至褪色或變黃的補釘也都各 自有著不同的陳述。

作為一種介質，這些衣服在她一路走來的藝 術方向中相當重要，去年起，她開始重新檢 驗其中的形式主義特質。她開始回顧對這

有這一切，證實了這些特定的物件無疑具有 強大的力量，承載著記憶的催促。

這些物件處在一種精神分裂的狀態，它們從 貯存的記憶中被取出。有了新的生命租約，

收藏（及回憶）

克魯斯讓它們活動起來，並有目的地在公開 領域中流傳。在當代的外觀下，它們變成她

藝術家小心翼翼地繪出精確的記憶，彷彿正

藝術的靈感、主題與材料。

親眼觀看並敘述著一樁事件。它們所根據與 複製的對象是真實的衣裳與其他衣物，透過

形式與格式

這些衣物的存在與取得，這種攝影般的品質 於是成為可能。實際上，這些記憶並不是她

在 BenCab 美 術 館 的「 由 內 而 外 」（Inside/

所回想的。而為何這種經過傳遞後的重量也

Out，2012）展覽中，克魯斯透過拼貼將她

能保持同樣的明晰，就令人好奇了。

挑選的項目予以脈絡化，拼貼以油畫處理、 製成薄板的相片和鉛字刺繡所組成。她描述

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克魯斯作品中所描繪與具現的衣裳，屬於她

作品中的衣物為何，並說明刺繡的設計是出

的外婆和外婆的孩子。拜物主的記述和現存

自她手，但繁複針腳工作的實際操作則是委

照片的記錄之賜，這些衣裳雖然經歷了三個

託專人並由數位輸出。當我們了解她將圖像

世代，如今仍能輕易追溯它們的來源。除了

從某項格式轉介到另一項時，我們便想起自

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一切。其他衣物則是反過來，顯露出接觸穿

唐突粗魯的猛拉下，壓力撕毀了編織的材料。

衣者肌膚的一面。這也意味著她必須親手處

粉紅色的斑紋幾乎不再看得出原來是鮮嫩花

理這件衣裳，好將它翻面。

朵；而是被棕色污痕和泛黃色調玷污，灰頭 土臉。

放上她挑選的衣裳，畫幅中各部分看來都是

精緻複製 - 約 1959 年的舊衣服：伊萊莎八歲時（左圖），約 1959 年的舊衣服：萊拉八歲時（右圖） Delicate Dubplicates Aging Dresses c. 1959: When Elisa was eight (left),Aging Dresses c. 1959: When Laura was eight (right) 2012．193 x 193 cm x 2 畫布油畫 Oil on canvas

對稱的。左邊看到的可能就會呈現在右邊。

這場展覽主要都是掛在牆上的作品。總共有

在《細紅線》（第 24-27 頁）中，紐扣洞口明

六幅油畫，她解釋繪畫是她的舒適圈，能夠

顯地展示出來。此處，每一個紐扣的配置都

看到整幅畫的邊界，平面、可以預料，她因

和下一個將要排列安插的紐扣維持等距。它

此能夠判定何時該停筆。然而，她堅持任何

被置放在中央，確保著衣物可以闔上、遮蔽

藝術家都需要一場出走，必須從某種固定媒

肌膚，同時又足夠抽離，可以隱匿自身。

材所提供的安全感中背離。

在《污漬與陰影》（第 32-33 頁），不難留意

在這特殊的交匯處，克魯斯增強了繪畫的

到縫合的布料都是同樣的寬度。人們注意到

故事性，並納入一系列併貼版畫（第 46-47

質地特殊的一圈鈷藍與藍灰色襯裡布。但最

頁），清楚認可了開啟一切的源頭。這些版畫

清楚的還是那塊棕色污漬，它佔據了畫面的

只適度地上色，她說她希望焦點是在版畫本

八分之一和那件帶來靈感的真實衣物。

身，以印版上的墨水呈現質感和圖案，而不 是在於更強烈的色彩所提供的震顫與奪目。

她 首 度 發 掘 了 一 張 破 蚊 帳（kulambo）。 她

驗到她所提及的過程。這種動力挑戰著人們

或許，最慘不忍睹的狀況是出現在《粉色上

在菲律賓大學迪里曼分校（University of the

如何從表面上與一幅畫產生關聯。

的藍色補丁》（第 38-39 頁）。布料上有條巨

使所有作品成為完整的是她的雕塑品，圓雕

大的裂縫，可能是在接口處被拉扯開了。在

的衣裳鑄形（第 44-45 頁）。它們能夠自己站

Philippines Diliman）美術學院大三時，曾有 項併貼版畫的作業，她開始尋找不尋常的靈

良心而論，她知道那些衣裳的年代比她還早。

感來源。她用這張網的格紋圖案完成了版畫。

她思考著這項材料被賦予價值的過程，它在

然而，和這張蚊帳收在一起的衣裳成了她下

與她相遇之前經歷過什麼。她從這樣的畏怯

一個靈感，最後變成她長久不衰的偏愛。

出發，開始將注意力放到布料的摺痕上，以 及每道針腳的連接和張力點。她束起顯然是

《衣膚》（非典藝術，2014）呈現出數件衣物 的特寫圖。她以一只色彩豐富的舊調色板作

衣物中央的部分，讓人了解到正在觀看的東 西是什麼，即使其他的部分已被切割。

畫：深紅、暗黃、淡灰和藍色；她集中在特 定的區塊，用相同的細節觀察和近乎宗教的

污漬和褪色、裂縫和破洞、鬆脫的線頭和其

狂熱表現它們。

他鬆開的針腳都呈現眼前；它們迴響著衣物 的歸屬、使用甚至受到的照料等事實，儘管

17

時光轉衣

不是無可挑剔的。

在她第二次於安卓藝術舉辦的個展「時光轉

質感、樣式、線條與色彩；所有這些都回復

衣」裡，克魯斯這回帶來了她具象的抽象畫。

到能顯示衣裳特色的形式構成。若要理解這

此處，她安排展覽時不僅考慮真實作品的呈

些元素，人們就得投入大量時間認識材料。

現，更包含她創作時走過的冥想過程。她希

有些衣物從以正面呈現，展示出接縫、摺痕

望觀者藉由觀看她的作品，能以某種方式體

和連接的片段，供人窺視；靜物畫裡捕捉了

「花卉排列」展場一景於 Finale Art File 藝廊，2013。 Installation view of“Flower Arrangements”at Finale Art File, 2013.

黃黑白 Yellow, Black and White 2014．134.6 x 76.2 cm 畫布油畫 Oil on canvas

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股詭異的暗示，標記出身體應該出席的位置。

Wear and Tear

在瑪莉娜過去所有的作品中，這是相當顯著

Solo Exhibition by Marina Cruz

立，甚至不需底座或任何支撐形式，這裡有

的一點，它們的前提是即使身體、故事和歷 史在圖像上是缺席的，卻從未離它們遠去。 看著她的作品，我彷彿跨越了一處個人的空 間，走近某人的夢境或記憶。但是，克魯斯

In the last few years of her art practice, visual

Close to the skin, the fabric wraps the body and

允許如此。就如光影觸及了每件衣裳各處的

artist Marina Cruz has been creating and

shields it from a range of elements. Draping what

裂縫，我們卻一再被提醒，除了它們的物質

exhibiting works that consist substantially of

needs coverage and insulation, garments likewise

性之外，從它們傳遞的節奏與方式中，它們

wall-bound paintings rendered in oil on canvas.

visually fragment the body. Drawing attention to

的力量被釋放出來，無論是作為繪畫、版畫、

Select sculptural pieces and installations have

component parts: upper and lower torso, limbs;

also been used as extensions of the narratives she

front and back, as well as the sides, it bears witness

creates. And yet, the variety of media she has

to body types. It particularizes notions of built and

and continuous to work with, finds locus along

frame, from the petite to gangly, to the round and

the tangibly absent, but visually occurring (and

rubenesque. As it falls and hangs just above the

recurring) presence of another material — textile.

skin, form and fit, contour and angles allude to the

攝影、雕塑或裝置作品。它曾經是純樸嶄新 的，它曾作為第二層的肌膚，透過與身體的 接觸與其所度過的一生，它變得活躍有生氣。 在時光轉衣的脆弱性與現實前提下，在她持 續用以創作的這項材料中，有個顯著的真 理：它們經常比擁有它們的物主更加長存。

manner by which it can and should be worn.

The Social Life of Things With her relationship with textile, Cruz

Thea Garing

Anthropologist Arjun Appadurai references Mauss’

underscores a two-fold transformation that is

assertion that the “contemporary tendency is to

operant in her process: from the banal to the

regard the world of things as inert and mute, set

biographical, and the biographical to the artistic.

in motion and animated, indeed knowable, only

Proceeding from aesthetic and utilitarian ends,

by persons and their words.” 1 The assumption is

they are kept as relics and heirloom pieces, turned

that value is not inherent; rather, a judgment that

art objects. Chronicling events of significance

is and must be recognized and then inscribed to

to those who wear them, she turns them into

the object. Georg Simmel seems to echo this and

manifestations of her creative exploration and a

he says “value is an addition to the completely

phase or segment in her larger art practice.

determined objective being, like light and shade, which are not inherent in it but come from a

Fabric Documents

different source.” 2 Proportion, form and fit, patterns, ornamentation

1. Appadurai, Arjun (eds.) “Introduction”. The Social Life of Things.

USA: Cambridge University Press, p. 4.

2. Simmel, George. “Value and Money” (Chapter 1). Philosophy of Money. USA: Routledge, p. 57.

19

To proceed from this posturing implies that the

and repetitive figures; symmetry of parts, even

inscription of value is in a sense having it enter

equidistant implements (buttons, hooks and

the sphere of commodities, whereby objects are

zippers) are given careful attention. With her

enlivened and animated with contact. As objects

works, we become submissive observers to the

enter this realm, their “social life” begins. A

realistic precision and attention to detail, directing

stipulation must nonetheless be argued here. Aside

the eye to visual cues that amplify the textile’s

from the value endowed, a kind of power is also

inherent and palpable tactility. However, an

transferred wherein an object’s affect towards the

interesting caveat seems to taunt us. After they are

subject is set off and triggered.

borne from the strokes of her hands, the surfaces

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onto which these find translation becomes rarefied

The dresses depicted and embodied in Cruz’ works

and closed off, deflecting the touch of another.

belonged to her maternal grandmother and her

Form and Formats

and altered into sculptural pieces that have taken

children. Having lived through three generations,

In the exhibition "Inside/Out" (BenCab Museum,

root on the gallery floor. Fiberglass was used to cast upturned skirts, nipped and cinched at the

their provenance is easy to trace with the help

2012), Cruz contextualizes select items from the

conserve and preserve. Burdened by humidity,

of the owner’s accounts and the photographic

collection through a collage, comprised of an

point of where the waist should hit. With steel

light, and storage conditions among others, its

documentation that have survived along with

oil paint rendering, laminated photograph and

bars as support, fabric flowers appeared to be in

them. In addition to certificates, medals,

typeface embroidery (p.13). Describing what the

bloom.

Textile is one of the most difficult materials to

subsistence becomes indeterminate. In part, with her renditions in paint, print and sculpture, Cruz visually re-presents, appropriates and consequently, immortalizes them as if saving them from inevitable demise and continued

mementos and other souvenirs, garments that dressed them remain intact; visceral reminders of the milestones that they were integral to.

featured garment is, she relates that the design of the needlework was hers, but the actual rending of

In addition, paintings of dresses reconfigured into

the belabored stitchwork was commissioned and

bud-like forms on rich and floral backgrounds,

digitally carried out. As we follow her conversion

as well as images of vases with clipped flowers arranged in them, were also featured.

obscurity. However, the plasticity becomes its

Compared to other commodities, the merit and

of the image from one format to another, we recall

own limitation. It does ensure the garb’s survival

validity of these objects’ value extend beyond

how objects and things we acquire and accumulate

within the realm of the visual, whereas significant

the aesthetic and the utilitarian. The objects

material attributes and their consequent

in question may not be exactly hers, but the

subliminal codes are somehow lost in translation.

connections she has with their owners become

Aiding what is tangible, other traces latch on to these garments. Texture and thickness, stretch of the fabric, tears and holes, even stains and washed out hues become indicative of frequent use (and disuse). Other quirks such as embroidered monograms and even spelled out names of owners, patches and other signs of repair may also become distinctive markings that find their way either onto the surface or at the inset, discretely hidden from view. Scent is also salient whereby a whiff becomes highly descriptive, an indication of how the care for the garments is sought or how the musk hints to where they are laid to rest. Altogether, they attest to how these objects in particular are undoubtedly potent, loaded with memory prompts.

(Re)collection

the thread that allows her to seamlessly weave her own narratives. With unceasing nostalgia and sentimentality, these garments once considered prosaic transformed into an invaluable filial collection. This adds an interesting reading on the wide range of works that has since then been sired into fruition.

Parallel to the performativity of collecting, Cruz sifts through the pile, and makes her selection as to what will be referenced in the works that she fashions. The significance of the process of inclusion and exclusion she goes through rests on the reality that what

likewise pursue the same movement and passage in the real.

For the Art Basel HK 2013 (Art Informal), her works were exhibited alongside those of visual artist and dear friend Pam Yan Santos. Harking back to the restrained presence and specificity of still life, she paints in an almost taxonomic exactitude, devoid of descriptions or stories that accompany the real garments they are pictures of.

Terse, a clean background of a very specific shade of blue becomes the surface where the dresses are laid down, stretched and flat. Aptly called Delicate Duplicates (2012) (p.14), the dresses featured are seemingly petrified, worn and owned by her mother and her twin (Elisa and Laura) when they were eight years old. Just as twins are never really

Meticulously, the artist paints with exacting

Scaled to Fit Last year, she began her re-examination of the formalistic qualities of the medium that has been pivotal to the artistic direction she has been treading. Looking back to where this fascination with the material started, she recounts that it was a trip to her grandmother’s house and poking through her things that she first discovered a torn up kulambo (mosquito net). Tasked with a collograph print plate during her junior year in the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman, she marched on to look for unusual sources of inspiration. Using the grid pattern of the net, she proceeded to carry out the plate. However, the dresses that were stored along with it became her next, and as what it turns out, long standing predilection.

becomes present and rendered visible to us is largely

and irrevocably identical, the dresses are noticeably

dependent on what she allows us to see. In the same

differentiated by the manner and rate in which

vein, what survives and has been available to her

" Fabric Skin" (Art Informal, 2014) featured

they aged. Stains, tear and even patches washed

was a result of a pre-selection that her relatives went

painted close ups of several garments (p.15).

out or yellowed describe the pieces accordingly.

Working within a rich and aged palette of deep

through in determining what will be salvaged or thrown away.

memory as if seeing and narrating an event real

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dresses from her family’s collection are recasted

Reimagining the dresses, she references an old craft tradition of creating flowers and flower

reds, sombre yellows, muted whites and blues; she zeroes into specific sections, rendering them with the same eye for detail and an almost religious

time. This photographic quality is rendered

From a catatonic state, the objects were taken

arrangements using textile. Instead of using just

possible by the existence and access to the actual

out from the repository. With a new lease on life,

any fabric and wielding it into shape through the

dresses and other garments from which they are

Cruz activates them and purposively recirculates

heat of iron, her exhibition "Flower Arrangements"

based and copied. In reality, the memories are not

them in the public domain. Under the guise of the

(Finale Art File, 2013) (p.15) allowed her to come

actually hers to recall. It then becomes curious as to

contemporary, they become her artistic inspiration,

into terms with an old dilemma she encountered

In "Wear and Tear", her second solo show in

why the weight of conveyance remains just as sharp.

subject matter and medium.

while she was still in art school. This time, select

Mind Set Art Center, Cruz returns with her brand

fervor.

We a r a n d Te a r

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of figurative abstraction. Here she situates the

to the button that will align and insert it. Stationed

where a body should be present. This is eminent

exhibition not merely on the grounds of the actual

at the center, it ensures that closure conceals the

in all of Marina’s past works where there is a

works, rather, to the meditative process that she

skin and is discrete enough to hide itself from view.

presupposition that regardless of their pictorial absence, bodies, stories and histories are never

went through in creating them. This process she speaks of is something that she hopes audiences

In Stains and Shadows (pp.32-33), the panels are

would somehow experience by looking at her

markedly of the same width. Attention is given

works. This dynamic challenges how one would

to the cobalt and bluish gray lining of textured

Looking at her works, it’s as if I am trespassing a

superficially engage with a painting.

hatches. But what is direly manifest is the brown

personal space, walking into someone else dream

stain that occupies an eighth of the panel and the

or memory. And yet, Cruz allows it. As light and

actual garment that inspired it.

shadows hit the crevices, nooks and crannies of

Conscientiously, she knows that the dresses

detached from them.

each dress, we are reminded that more than their

predate her. She ponders on the value-laden history of the material, what it went through

Perhaps the one in the dreariest of state is shown

materiality, their potency reels from the cadence

prior to their meeting. Proceeding from this awe,

in Blue Mend on Pink (pp.38-39). There is a huge

and manner of their conveyance, whether as a

she directs her attention to the folds and creases

gash on the fabric, probably caught or wedged

painting, print, photograph, a sculptural piece or

of the fabric, connecting and tension points from

in between edges that meet. With an abrupt and

an installation. Once pristine and new, it was a

and maintained by each stitch. Crimping what is

thoughtless tug, the pressure tore the woven

second skin, enlivened and animated by its contact

clearly the midsection of the garment, this gives a

material. The pink streaks hardly resemble the

with a body and the life lived. With the presumed

sense of what it is you are looking at, even as other

crisp flowers it once had; rather, they are marred

subservience to the elements, frailty and the reality

parts are cropped out.

by splotches of browns and tinges of yellow, of

of wear and tear, there is one salient truth about

dust and dirt.

the material that she continuous to work with:

thread and other stitches that have come undone,

The exhibition is predominantly of wall-bound

own them.

come into view; resonating the truth of the

works. Comprised of 6 wall-bound oil paintings,

garment’s ownership and possession, use and even

she relates that painting is her comfort zone. Able

of its care, albeit not impeccably.

to see the entire picture from end to end, flat and

Stains and discoloration, tears and holes, loose

predictable, she is able to gauge when it’s time to Textures, patterns, lines and colors; all of these

stop and put the brush down. However, she insists

revert back to the formal composition that

than any artist would require a departure, a deviation

characterizes the dresses. To comprehend these

from the security afforded by a chosen medium.

that it is oft the case that they outlive those who

Thea Garing

elements, one would devote considerable time to get to know the material. Some of the garments

At this particular junction, Cruz augments the

are displayed right-side out with the seams, hem

story of the paintings, and includes a series of

and segments that meet, peeping through; all

collograph prints (pp.46-47), an obvious nod to

captured in the still. Others are in the reverse

what started it all. Modestly colored, she says that

showing the area that touches the wearer’s skin.

she wants the focus on the print, textured and

This denotes that she had to physically handle the

patterned using the ink on the plate, rather than

dress to overturn it.

on the vibrance and visual arrest that louder colors can provide.

With the dresses she selected, the panels and parts

23

seem to be symmetrical. What is seen on the left

Completing the works are sculptural pieces, casts

is likewise present on the right. In Thin Red Line

of dresses in the round (pp.44-45). Able to stand

(pp.24-27), the button holes are prominently

on their own even without a base or a form to

displayed. Here, the placement of one is equidistant

hang from, there is an eerie suggestion, a marking

1. Appadurai, Arjun (eds.) “Introduction”. The Social Life of Things.

USA: Cambridge University Press, p. 4.

2. Simmel, George. “Value and Money” (Chapter 1). Philosophy of Money. USA: Routledge, p. 57.

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