About the Event
In the spirit of collaboration, Silverlens invites like-minded galleries around the region for an exhibition program exchange. This October, Silverlens hosts ROH Projects (Jakarta) in Manila with a solo exhibition of new works by their artist Syaiful Garibaldi (b. 1985) titled Limaciform. Garibaldi has been featured at Silverlens Art Fair Philippines 2016 and 2017 editions. Comprised of videos, mini sculptures, drawings, and installations, the series alludes on the shift of human consciousness after death through the process of decomposition by larvae and the significant change it brings to the growth and survival of beings in an ecosystem.
In Terhah, Garibaldi combines observations into microscopic organisms as well as carefully conducted nature expeditions with imaginary aesthetic ideas, resulting in a synthesis of forms based in reality with that of his fantasies. These ideas are articulated through works on paper, sculptures that incorporate living organisms, as well as photographs or videos that magnify those things invisible to the naked eye. Simultaneously, Garibaldi provides a sort of structure that binds other streams of thinking through the creation of his own spoken and written language. His works are oftentimes participatory in nature, requiring the involvement of the audience and allowing his work to reach open-ended, multi-interpretational outcomes.
Limaciform provides a glimpse into a number of Garibaldi’s different aesthetic interests, with a particular concentration in this case to human flesh and its decomposition. The decomposition of human flesh is commonly associated with negative connotations, especially with notions related to death. It is these kinds of preconceived notions, however, that Garibaldi often looks back upon and re-contextualizes. It is, in fact, through decomposition that Garibaldi instead observes a sense of reincarnation, or restoration of matter, into different forms of life. This process of decomposition, then, is broken down into its various components in conducting both a parallel investigation into existentialist concerns regarding the way death is to be perceived, as well as looking into how and why various forms of life cycles arise out of decomposition.
Limaciform will be on view from 26 October to 25 November 2017 alongside Patricia Perez Eustaquio’s exhibition, Still Life, at Silverlens, 2263 Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City. For inquiries, contact info@silverlensgalleries.com or +63917-587-4011.