Common Ground

This work is both a celebration of the diversity of individuals, communities, and cultures, as well as an exploration of finding what unites and brings us together - our common ground. The two panels portray two opposite sides (with contrasting colors and patterns), along with directional lines that represent their coming together.There is always a dialogue between order and chaos, harmony and dissonance, in my work, expressed in this work through the swirls, waves, and irregular patterns (representing the diversity within an individual or a community), which are foregrounded and juxtaposed by the straight lines (depicts the order and harmony that helps bring together what would seem irreconcilable) that provide direction as the lines find their intersection where the panels meet.

Painted on Saguran (raffia) fabric. Unlike the traditional canvas and other linen, Saguran is handwoven in the Philippines, from the fibers of young leaf sheaths of the Buri palm. The varying widths and thickness of each strand, the knots in random spots, and the loose open weave, lend to its coarse surface and rich dimensional depth.