In 2023, I presented my debut New York solo exhibition Kaharian at From Here To Sunday, where I created an environment that welcomed viewers into my inner world through paintings, drawings, and small sculptural objects. Working with curator Ray Hwang, I transformed the space into a vignette of what I imagined my kaharian (“Kingdom” in Tagalog) to look like.
My kingdom unfolded through recurring symbols that have long shaped my visual language. Fragmented paintings acted as meditations on motifs I continually return to: flowers blooming and wilting to mark the passage of time, butterflies reflecting transformation and the shedding of old skins. By repetitively painting these symbols through a fractured lens, I hoped to push the edges of their perception and, in doing so, allow new meanings and visual associations to emerge.
The exhibition brought together a constellation of painted surfaces, drawings, and personal three-dimensional objects arranged like a walk-in cabinet of curiosities, where relationships were suggested rather than explained. The room felt both familiar and slightly estranged, echoing the digital realm that occupies so much of our lives, yet grounded in the handmade textures of each piece.
Through this orchestration of works, I revealed the strange, folkloric topography that shapes my inner world, and invited viewers to step inside it with me.
