Favorites. It seems like such a luxury to have those in these trying times.
During the first few days since the government has implemented the community quarantine, having a choice was something critical and yet, in a way, abstract. We were either pushed to make the most of what we have or having to push to have the most. And in those days, surviving meant barely getting to choose a favorite.
In Farley del Rosario’s latest solo exhibition, he narrates this idea of preferences and how we gradually were able to acquire it. Aptly titled Fifteen-day Favorites, it points to the average duration of a community quarantine before changes are declared. Del Rosario presents snippets of improving little luxuries within that period–from favorite ways to sanitize, favorite ways to connect, or even favorite ways to get tested–he creates a scene where people eventually were able to have the privilege to have options based on what they like despite the pandemic. This, in a way, reflects that “these trying times” does not seem like what it is anymore.
notes by Grace Micah Oreiro
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