Tiger Got to Sleep, Bird Got to Land
PEPE DELFIN
July 6 - July 29, 2022
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Pepe Delfin (b. 1991) explores abstract forms through geometric shapes and lines. The careful placements of these elements produce visual narratives of Delfin's experiences, observations, and relationships with people and contemporary life. Her paintings, illustrations, and video installations include scenarios that depict solitude and the multitude of expressions through bright colors and structures as a form of expression, unbounded by traditional forms of image-making. Delfin is influenced by Josef and Anni Albers' studies and theories on color, where color is never singular and always presents itself in continuous fluxes, constantly linked to the changes in environment and conditions.
Delfin's approach to geometrical abstraction broadens the perspective one can take in portraying reality according to the artists' observation and perception. The non-illusionistic settings found in her works prompt a realm filled with cues that engage the viewers to form their understanding of images, meanings, and realities. Delfin received her degree in Fine Arts from Ateneo de Manila University. Tiger Got to Sleep, Bird Got to Land is Delfin’s second solo exhibition with MONO8.
Tiger got to sleep, Bird got to land is lifted from Kurt Vonnegut's 1963 satirical postmodern novel, Cat's Cradle, which criticizes the challenging merits of human progress. Echoing Vonnegut's sentiments on humanity's often self-centered and narcissistic approach to life, Delfin sets a field where existence is defined by the meaningful relationships and connections that we build instead of the individual's urge to receive gratification.
The exhibition hints at the futile task of aiming to become more significant than what we already are ---custodians of the planet. In the words of cosmologist Carl Sagan, "For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love." In the expanse of space and the immensity of time, it should be our joy and pride to share an epoch with our beloved.
Curated by Gwen Bautista
Selected works from Tiger Got to Sleep, Bird Got to Land
Pepe Delfin, I Look At The World Outside, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 in (152.4 x 121.9 cm)
Pepe Delfin, Whoop-Dee-Do, 2021, Single channel video, Running time: 211 secs
Pepe Delfin, Are You There, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61 cm)
Pepe Delfin, Can You Hear Me, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61 cm)
Pepe Delfin, I Look At The World Outside, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 in, 152.4 x 121.9 cm
Pepe Delfin, I'm Nowhere, 2022, Watercolor, Cotton Rag, 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in (29.7 x 29.7 cm)
Pepe Delfin, I'm Everywhere, 2022, Watercolor, Cotton Rag, 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in (29.7 x 29.7 cm)
Pepe Delfin, What's There Left To Do III, 2022, Acrylic on wood, 3 x 5 x 3 in (7.6 x 12.7 x 7.6 cm)
Pepe Delfin, What's There Left To Do V, 2022, Acrylic on wood, 3 x 5 x 3 in (7.6 x 12.7 x 7.6 cm)