Santan Series: The Grass is Green

Karina Broce-Gonzaga creates impressionistic-like gardens made from hand-cut discarded clothes. At the onset of 2020, faced with a lifetime of material accumulation she found herself with a closet full of clothes that she no longer needed. “If there is one thing the recent years have taught me, it is to let go of unnecessary things,” says Karina. What started as a decluttering project became a cleansing ritual wherein each piece of clothing that held memories and served as diaries became vessels for transformation. Cutting each piece of clothing with scissors for hours on end—became a ritual of thanking the past, and with trepidation and measured anticipation, a chance at moving forward with a more intentional purpose. Santan Series: The Grass is Green comprises six pieces. Each takes inspiration not only from her paternal grandmother’s garden but also from the sturdy flowering bush that grew profusely everywhere in the city of her childhood. Many days these tiny flowers were arranged in glass and ceramic vases on religious altars throughout her childhood home. “The process of deliberately taking each meaningful article of clothing, one each from a member of my family, brings a new shape as a symbol of healing and hope.”