Kiaf SEOUL 2023

2023 Kiaf SEOUL
Booth B63

Venue｜COEX Convention & Exhibition Center 

VIP Preview｜September 6 (Wed.) 13:00 - 20:00, September 7 (Thurs.) 11:00 - 13:00

Public Days｜September 7 - 10, 2023

Mind Set Art Center is honored to participate in the upcoming 2023 Kiaf Seoul for the first time and present Fabric, Interior, and Water by Marina Cruz. The fair is scheduled from September 6 to 7 at the COEX. The preview starts at 1:00 p.m. on September 6. We extend a warm welcome to all.

The exhibition highlights Marina Cruz's latest artistic endeavor, featuring a diverse range of mediums such as oil, watercolor, mixed media, and sculpture. Over the past decade, Cruz has been masterfully weaving her art through the threads of family stories and cherished object memories. This rich tapestry draws its creative source from the narratives spanning three generations of the artist's maternal lineage. With each passing moment, the fabric of her artistic expression grows organically, nurtured by her unyielding passion and ceaseless exploration of the concept of home. Water, a recurring element in Cruz's work, assumes a dual role of calamity and everyday existence. Her family's house in Hagonoy, often subjected to flooding, has imprinted the notion of a flood as a seemingly ordinary catastrophe—one deeply ingrained in the very architecture of the house. This profound experience serves as a poignant imprint on the scenography of Cruz's paintings, leaving an indelible mark on her artistic narrative. This fluid state, evoking images of routine inclement weather or the ominous specter of climate change, places water at the forefront as a key focal point of the aesthetic. The liquefied aesthetics are vividly displayed in Agony in the Garden, where the flood engulfs the original backyard. The juxtaposition of stillness and fluidity reflects the covered sky and the school behind by corrugated iron roofs. The pale blue of the school walls intertwines ambiguously with the white of the sky, creating abstract color blocks. Simultaneously, the objects, plantings, and the reflection of the wall tiles in the yard dance with rhythm, creating a dynamic scene. The division between the water creates a world of illusion and reality that corresponds to the figurative and abstract brushstrokes in the composition, reminiscent of surging memories, summoning the 'everyday' moments co-created by the flood and the houses. In Cruz's well-known textile theme, the panoramic view of Traces of Folds and Flowers presents the artist's grandmother's dress in almost life-size, providing a strong sense of scrutiny. The faded details and widespread wrinkles reveal the clues of the garment's history and the many traces left by imperceptible time, most likely having endured the onslaught of the flood while still standing tall. It's as if they inherit the wearer's resolute character and thrive alongside people after overcoming the natural disaster. In the small-scale series Musings of Family Tree, Cruz combines body meditation with creation. Adopting the format of diary writing, she initiates a dialogue with herself and the past. She employs hand-carved portraits of her mother and stamps of little dresses, complemented by hand-embroidered lines and typewriter text. By digesting the existing family lineage, she continuously contemplates the myriad possibilities of 'home'."

About Artist

Marina Cruz was born in 1982 in Hagonoy, Bulacan Province, the Philippines. She graduated with honors (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts in 2003. In 2008, she received the Ateneo Art Awards in the Philippines for her work "Embroidered Landscape of My Mother's life: A Biography," and was granted a research visit to the Visual Arts Center at La Trobe University in Australia, which brought her into the international spotlight. In the same year, she also received the Grand Prize in the Philippines Art Awards and the Morris Awards. In 2012, Marina Cruz was honored with the prestigious Thirteen Artist Award. Her works have been exhibited in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, and France. In 2021, the solo exhibition "Tide Table", curated by Patrick Flores, was held at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan. Her artworks are held in collections at institutions including the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Art, Antho-Life Art Foundation, the Menarco Vertical Museum Art Collection and the Pinto Art Museum