The sudden sparks of light — the twinkle of stars; the glimmer of the purple horizon; the refracted rainbow after the rain; the electric rush that seeps inside us as we watch fireworks dominate the new year’s evening sky — these are moments that would flutter our hearts for a while just before they leave. The urge to record them has become Jomike Tejido’s undertaking in “Scintillate” in integrating abstract mid-century modern design elements with these emotions and sentiments as they were seized by such enthralling junctures. In seeing these flashes of light, the mind begins to wander off in a state between remembering and rest while a wild meandering feeling of elation overcomes the body. Here, forms and shapes seem to float mid-air and demonstrate the way Tejido nurtures the composition. Depths and movements occupy the colorful ground from which lightscapes peer. “Scintillate ” reminds us of the vastness of the universe amid the transitions of the past, present, and the future, and of catching the silver lining in the darkest of times.
Incidentally, “Scintillate” coincides with the artist’s 40th birthday and as a reflection of his personal journey, he remembers every spark and flicker of light that had ignited his path. Inside these paintings, elements and forms overlap one another. Others have become more prominent and dominant than the rest: a moon can be seen heralding the sky while the transitions between familiar and unfamiliar terrains gently allure the most mundane of corners. Every painting embodies a statement unraveling secrets and reveals what every image is about: The Muse of Motivation, The Evening of Possibilities, The Night of Opportunities, and so on. In producing his works for the exhibition, Tejido begins to think about how these panels may become vessels that could hold tiny embers of hope that may influence and inspire those who —- in their most harrowing moments of grief, loss, suffering, regret, and pain — may have forgotten what it is like to become excited again for the future. Living in an unprecedented era where stability could be elusive for many, it might be easy to forget the fleeting moment when a special flame kindled inside us. Hence, “Scintillate” is here to make us all remember and look at the times ahead.
curated by Gwen Bautista
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