Photos courtesy of the artist
In her first solo show after the COVID-19 pandemic, visual artist Tin Garcia again includes images from Lewis Carroll’s not-just-for-kids book Alice in Wonderland.
She said the book “has always clicked with me because it shows how chaotic and unpredictable life can be. It’s not about having all the answers but figuring things out as you go. The story’s weird characters and strange events are a lot like what we go through, especially when dealing with grief. It’s not my Bible or I Ching, but it helps me make sense of life’s craziness. I love it because it captures real human emotions and the strength needed to keep going.”
This time around, she centers on the emotion of grief after losing a close friend last year. She said, “We were working on helping him get his ‘second lease on life’ as he was fighting a serious illness that we thought he was overcoming. I’m still in denial about his loss, so creating and planning pieces for this show became my way of grieving. The Mad Hatter piece, ‘Bargaining,’ has his birth and death years on it.”
She has lost other friends and acquaintances before and after her close friend died. “It feels like there’s never enough time to properly mourn each one. It might seem morbid, but dedicating a big part of my creative work to each of them helps me process the grief and hopefully help distill the tears and make them sweeter.”
In her last solo in 2017, when she filled up a gallery by herself, it was called “Alice Isn’t Real.” This current one is connected to that since she included two works from the 2017 show: “Grinning and Bearing” and “Auf Wiederhead.”
She said, “Those pieces also reflect grief, but this time, the symbolism is more personal, though it can still resonate on a bigger level, too.”
What is notable in this show entitled “I Made You Soft So I Can Hold You” is she again combines painting and sculpture. For the first time she is using resin and 3D printing.
She explained her process,“I’m still primarily a painter, but juggling a job and creative work means I can’t paint as much as I’d like. So I’ve outsourced some pieces and taken on more of a creative director role. It’s similar to adding embroidery or polymer sculpture to my paintings—just different parts of a whole. This approach gave me more freedom to think big and work with other creatives, like mascot makers and 3D printing experts, to bring my ideas to life. I find it liberating and exciting.”
The gigantic, 16-foot tall Alice sculpture took around seven months to complete. She said she chose to execute it on “a grand and grey scale to capture the overwhelming emotions associated with grief and to make a bold statement that can’t be ignored.”
The sculpture mirrored the iconic scene in Alice in Wonderland when she grew large inside the White Rabbit’s house: “Alice’s right foot, ESQ., was pressed hard against the ceiling, and her left foot was nearly out of the window. She could do nothing at all, so she took up the bottle, saying to herself, ‘Well, I’ll drink it, and if it makes me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep under the door; so either way I’ll get into the garden, and I don’t care which happens!’”
According to Garcia, this scene “symbolizes grief’s uncontrollable and transformative nature, which is why I felt it needed to be represented on such a large scale. I didn’t have the materials or space for it, so I outsourced the work to a local mascot maker, who did a superb job and was happy to be part of a unique endeavor.”
The artist’s statement runs in part: “The mixed-media works… explore the tangible nature of grief—after all, isn’t grief a crushing force? The heart sinks, and the chest collapses. Breath leaves the lungs. The Japanese even coined a term for it: takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken-heart syndrome.
“Here, the artist sought to transform the harsh, sharp edges of grief into something softer and more approachable. By making grief something that can be held, Tin explored the possibility of embracing and coming to terms with this profound emotion, rather than being consumed by it.”
The overall color for some of the newer works is gray to stand for “the numbing, all-consuming nature of grief, draining color and joy from life. The shade mirrors the void left by loss and the fragile facade we present to the world.”
In the three works that form the grief triptych, Garcia recorded “the dates (which are) the three most grief-stricken days I’ve experienced so far.”
After one goes through the stages of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance), one can only marvel at the healing properties of art.
Catch “I Made You Soft So I Can Hold You” which runs until Aug. 10 at Post, a gallery located at Shop 7, Cubao Expo, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.
