An Allegory of Present Histories: How Niño Odosis Paints Time

Here Lies a Memory is a play of words that visual artist Niño Odosis presents in his solo exhibition at Galerie Stephanie. Lured with nostalgia, his works bridge the past and present through antiquities.

His narrative stylized in acrylic and ink hatches on canvas and paper established these memorabilia as compendiums of timelines and memories–what we remember, ways we remember them, and why we remember them. The bright and organic lines that are scattered in the works seemingly function as connectors both in an aesthetic and an implicative sense: traditional and contemporary, the old and the new.

One of the exhibition’s highlighted pieces, “Sibol”, a polarity of a Maria Clara, refined by the period and the ideals they are adorned with. Odosis portrays progression and movement through these female figures, capturing time’s movement and, a nod to its title, growth. He explores the volatility of memories and our perspectives towards them through creative and a literal shifting of views, given his clever use of varied display features. While most of his works dabble on the similar intangible nostalgia that “Sibol” has, many of the works present in his exhibition namely “Haligi”, “Kamiseta” and “Letra” feature outmoded items like typewriters and gas lamps to chronicle how memories travel. He entwines emotions with memory, creating temporary illusions where elements in color-gradient distinctions allow the viewer to forge a sentimental blueprint of the stories.

“The past has a message for the present,” he shares. “They communicate through reminiscing and nostalgia.” Odosis pulls his audience into a paradoxical retrospection by identifying verities that our memories hold: repositioning lies that become truths with time. Here Lies a Memory is an attempt to convey how time changes the way we see the past no matter how tangible these memories seem to be, and how much of it we want to carry into the future.

Text by Grace Micah Oreiro