Maxine Syjuco’s ‘White Lies’ at Artinformal

MANILA, Philippines - Drawing inspiration from the mystique and allure of one’s private bedroom, Maxine Syjuco presents an array of photographs manipulated into visual tales of dreams and illusions in “White Lies,” which opens on Sept. 5 at The Inner Room (formerly called The Space) of Artinformal, 277 Connecticut Street, Greenhills East, Mandaluyong City. The show runs until Sept. 23.

Beyond the commonplace definition of the “bedroom” as mere place for serenity, rest, and retreat exists a world of lies, trickery, and deceit.

Each piece in this exhibition is a celebration of the imagination as the viewers are presented with images of the most typical and mundane objects found inside a bedroom. Within each work, however, is a juxtaposition of elements, digitally fused together to create a whimsical harmony between truths and lies; between what is initially seen, and what — upon closer scrutiny and inspection— actually is.

“Confining myself to my own bedroom for weeks on end, I photographed random objects strewn amidst the space. Using only natural light, I utilized the shadows to color, shade and even distort my subjects — allowing my imagination to author new and alternative realities for the still lifes at hand,” explains Syjuco.

“Doing this required a conscious and deliberate muting of my normal understanding and perception of things. Treading a creative process akin to that of Rorschach tests on psychology patients, I asked myself what I saw while carefully examining the photographs of the shadowed objects,” she adds.

The hand-knitted sweater thrown over Syjuco’s bed, for instance, reminded her of a roaring waterfall, while a pair of doorknobs, quite discomfortingly, called to mind a perverted mushroom and the snout of a snorting pig.

“By adding necessary elements to illustrate my imaginings, these ‘white lies’ were born, inevitably creating new versions of truth — illusionary tales that perchance uncover the psychological makeup behind the intricate layers of intimacies locked inside the bedroom. Through these fantasies of altered truths, viewers are confronted with the fact that perhaps art, in itself, is a white lie… that what we see is merely a pacified jargon of intended imageries, rather than a brutally blatant depiction of what really is,” notes Syjuco.

The outcome, therefore, is a strange and otherworldly marriage between dreams and reality— a delicately haunting metamorphosis from inanimate objects into portals of storytelling mischief and wonder.

For inquiries, call 725-8518 or SMS 0918-8992698.