The cinematic technique “fade to black” traditionally signals the conclusion of a story, an endpoint defined and finalized. Outlined by an amber glow and of a story already told, the hero rides into the sunset, with the watcher’s sole imagination to continue the tale. In a contrasting palette, the counterpart, “fade to white” suggests an end told rather differently. Here, the blur in the aperture shifts from obscurity to clarity, darkness shifting to light, a beginning marked by an end.
Galerie Stephanie proudly presents the 2023 edition of its annual year-ender show, entitled Fade to White. Featuring thirty-three artists, this exhibition delves into the enduring gift of hopes and dreams—caught between glimpses of the future and the echoes of past.
The intersection of the past, present, and a lucid subconscious unfolds through the imagination of Farley del Rosario and Nino Odosis, weaving together narratives deeply rooted in history and pop culture iconography. Exploring the delicate realms of dreams and memories, Imam Santoso and Addy Debil playfully navigate the ethereal landscapes of the mind. Hiraya Ocampo-Tejido and Jomike Tejido‘s botanicals elegantly reach skyward—their blooms, stamens, and petals catching the golden rays of sunlight, offering a poignant vision of a hopeful future. Isha Naguiat and Sher Cajucom take twilights and sunsets as points of departure for their work. One pierces its tranquility with gradient thread work while the latter embeds enigmatic messages into its surface. Jem Magbanua examines permanence while Regina Reyes contemplates the enduring imprints and marks of living matter.
The artworks for this year’s year-ender show are bound together by surveys on personal histories, metaphors from the depiction of the natural world, fantasy storytelling interwoven with fragments of everyday life & hallucinatory dreams experienced in waking hours. The end is here, yet, beyond its conclusion is a new chapter, a fresh start and a new beginning. It is a bright, pure, earnest renewal—a slate wiped clean awaiting to be overgrown with a garden of possibilities.
Curated by Liv Vinluan