Consolidated and adjacent 10

Marked by his life story played out in the southern part of Cebu suburbs, Ronyel Compra investigates the contradictions and complexities of presence and impermanence through the characteristics of a Kalachuchi flower known for its association with metaphysical realm and as a secondary Mohon marker for a boundary. Through material and visual explorations, Compra's investigation into rediscovering history within the contexts of personal-socio-environmental narratives continues in this exposition entitled “and floaters”.

The exploration entails determining the terrestrial points, borders, and positioning of a location; and how these areas are used for community activities. The remarkable development of mobility for the society and the economy, as well as the digitization of communication and knowledge, has fundamentally altered people's perceptions of territories, markers, and boundaries.

In light of the instability of these concepts central to the definition of personal identity, two distinct trends appear to be emerging: one based on the term that refers to geographical or spatial space and the sense of social and cultural belonging that extends into the personal, psychological, and mental spheres. The works in this exhibition reflect Compra's various approaches, cultural concepts, and ways of perceiving the volatile relationship between identity, territory, and borders in an age of high expectations (and illusions) about a borderless society, a shared global domain, or space.

These works make use of deliberate scratching to leave a mark directly on the surface. As an analogous depiction of the primordial gestures of survival for organisms –both animal and human, the artist's figure as a nomad on the edge of physical and symbolic territories sparks reflections on the notion of a marker as discovery or barrier. Compra displays images from previous works that have been expanded or reworked. The visitors will engage with large-scale paintings, an actual Kalachuchi installed in the space, and a figure of a Kalachuchi flower embedded in each artwork reflecting on the relationship between external space and identity, physical and psychological territories.