Visual artist and poet Maxine Syjuco opens her soul and her studio—her literal and figurative sanctuaries—in her most intimate solo exhibition this year.
Inspired by the untamed passion of romance, dreams, and desire, her solo show, My Inner Sanctum features dark and surreal paintings that explore the depths of human emotion and the subconscious mind.
Featuring faceless children whose heads have eerily metamorphosed into broken wings, torn-open chests that reveal the raw human heart, and ghostly rooms ravaged by violent streams of water, each painting in this exhibition, Syjuco says, is a twisted fairytale filled with poetic symbolisms and psychological poignancies.
Known to push the envelope by exhibiting her work in venues other than the conventional, Syjuco’s My Inner Sanctum is no exception.
“Art, to me, is more than just the final outcome,” she explains. “It’s an entire creative process that’s extremely personal. From the moment the work is conceptualized, to the point when it’s completed, the whole experience—including the environment in which it takes place—is as much a part of the work as the finished result.”
Syjuco continues, “My goal, therefore, is to encapsulate the true intimacy of art as an experiential journey where the artist’s studio plays an integral role. In this exhibit, I open the doors of my studio and invite viewers into my inner sanctum both figuratively (because the pieces are confessional tapestries of my soul) and literally (because the venue is my own private studio where my restless imagination runs wild and free).”
A recipient of the Editor’s Choice Prize at the Magnum Photography Awards in London, and a winner of the Independent Music Awards in New York City for three consecutive years, the vocalist of experimental art rock band Jack of None has exhibited and performed her art in numerous venues both locally and abroad.
My Inner Sanctum will be on view from August 12 to September 15 at ART LAB: Atelier Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco. Interested parties may schedule visiting hours 24/7 by appointment via 0917-5340779, [email protected], [email protected], or www.facebook.com/artlabmanila.