Playing God in an Art Lab: Geraldine Javier

Geraldine Javier (b. 1970) is recognized as one of Philippines’ finest young  artists. Through her conceptually oriented training at the University of the Philippines, Javier has acquired the predilection for making art emphasizing intellectual engagement over immediate emotional response. Her recent solo exhibitions include Museum of Many Things at Valentine Willie Fine Art, Singapore (2011), In The Beginning… at Arario Gallery, Korea (2011) and Samploc Cave Paintings at Finale Art Gallery, Philippines (2008). She was also the recipient of the Ateneo Art Award, Philippines in 2004 and the Cultural Centre of the Philippines (CCP) 13 Artists Award in 2003.

In a four-week residency at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Geraldine Javier has created 48 unique curiosities. These creatures inhabit a haunting, dreamlike world shaped by evolution, paleontology and natural history. The origins of existence and man’s place in the universe are central to Javier’s exploration into the notion of ‘Playing God’, providing an insight to man’s mastery of his known environment. While the futuristic anatomy of her works hints at life forms beyond the present, their fossilization simultaneously suggest history and the end of life, echoing both the promise of progress and the inevitability of death.

According to the artist, “these works were not done in an isolated environment but in a space where there’s constant stimulation, in collaboration with the STPI staff”. Adds Emi Eu, Director of STPI, “This project is extraordinary in many ways. Not only is Geraldine highly meticulous and methodical, she has brought along a strong vision which she has realized by combining the best of herself and the STPI team.”

What started out quickly as an exciting collaboration has manifested itself in a single grand narrative of works, celebrating life, death, quirk, beauty, and the very act of creation itself.

Learn more about the artist at: http://www.geraldinejavier.com/