The world according to Jana Benitez

MANILA, Philippines - Jana De Asis Benitez spent four nights writing on the walls of the gallery at the ground floor of the Ayala Museum as part of her installation. In pencil, in beautiful French school-style handwriting. Almost childlike, yes, but filled with free-flowing cursive wisdom of someone beyond her years.

One aphorism reads, “Anything that drains my energy is not the truth.” Her dad Joly says with a laugh: “(One of my friends) said, ‘I can use that.’ Sabi naman nung isa, ‘Mag-ingat ka! That leads to divorce!’” Another line reads, “Dear Fear, I’m not afraid of you anymore. Tell me all your secrets.”

Jana has embraced aphorisms the way Friedrich Nietzsche relished long walks in the woods, Greek tragedy and, well, aphorisms.  

These words written in the museum walls are a gateway into Jana’s headspace. Strange, compelling, probing — in need of as well as a source for textual balm for one badly bruised spirit.

These lines are for you, for me, since (as one of the aphorisms states) all life is interconnected, anyway.

Dear us…