Denise Weldon’s exhibition ‘Witness of the Quiet’ invites viewers to take pause and be still

Born in California in the Sixties, when cultural liberalism and radical socio-political awakening were becoming a phenomenon, Weldon’s interest in photography began in her childhood years in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. This led her to pursue photography at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, as one of the pioneers of the institution’s programme. Shortly after graduation, she found herself once again on the other side of the Pacific by moving to Hong Kong and later settling in Manila. She has long called the Philippines her home, venturing into commercial and fine art photography.

“What guided me throughout my career is the understanding that our lives are gifts and that it’s really important to look at each day as a gift. To be aware that you’re not ‘running the show’, which means there’s a power far greater than you and that has plans, inviting you to let go and just be a witness to the grace and be in awe of what comes your way,” shares Weldon.

‘Witnessing’ for Weldon can be something not only people do but also a particular moment, essence, object or detail. Her exhibition comprises more than 30 photographs, showcasing works spanning from the Nineties to the present, underscoring Weldon’s lifelong commitment to the practice. It chronicles the artist’s distinctive engagement with her medium, where objects and life forms often become almost one and the same.

For Weldon, it’s not just about capturing a snapshot of a moment in time, but also includes foraging and percolation in image-making. Deviating from a mere traditional singular studio set-up, the photographer works anywhere and everywhere—from her family’s living room to even while on holiday.

“There is no place nor time that Weldon’s instinctive desire to seize a moment is relinquished,” says Gwen Bautista in the exhibition notes. “Instead, she grounds herself to the present and in the ordinariness of found scenes and landscapes, she captures the grace of light emerging from the shadows. From there, time is ensnared in a frame, an exercise of life recording life.”

Bautista recalls that in Weldon’s first solo exhibition at Galleria Duemila, photographs of flowers, leaves and sponge gourds stood next to a wall in a quaint corner of the photographer’s studio in Malate.

“Weldon’s delicate care in achieving dramatic lighting is present in her depiction of the human form, like in her portrait of the late Betsy Westendorp in Avaraca, Spain. In it, the Spanish painter stares into the lens as Weldon takes a profile shot with the facial features revealed through the exactness of light, declaring Westendorp’s regal yet empathetic presence,” Bautista explains.

Asked why this is her approach to photography, Weldon quickly answered, “Paying attention to those little things is important for me. Everyone is wired differently.”

However, Weldon is also experienced with the more logical process of photography, namely in commercial and editorial photography, where concepts were drawn out from the get-go, and certain layouts had to be executed. Because she finds magic and serendipity in the more intuitive process, Weldon would always aim to find the sweet spot between structure and spontaneity.

“Your way of seeing and your way of being can still have that essence. It has a lot to do with at what pace you want to live,” she says. For Weldon, she reminds younger photographers to ‘catch their breath’ and pause to see the nuanced moments in life.

Currently, Weldon devotes her free time to learning new things, deepening her studies of the healing arts as a practitioner of meditation, Trauma Release Exercise (TRE) and Reiki. Additionally, she loves listening to music, cooking and gardening. Likewise, she fills her social life with much vibrance by making meaningful conversations with her family, godchildren and friends. Despite the prominence she has earned throughout her career and the respect given to her by the country’s art scene, Weldon keeps her feet on the ground and sees the often overlooked blessings of the day-to-day life as her achievements.

“I just turned 60 and the achievements for me are the grace-filled moments that have brought me to this point. There is a lot of magic that gets woven in between the hard work, the good effort and the marriage of the grace that comes with it,” Weldon says.

Perhaps it was serendipity for Yuchengco Museum’s curator and director, Jeannie Javelosa, to join Weldon in a dinner for artists, designers and architects, as that prompted the former to reach out and propose the idea of mounting an exhibition. Javelosa expressed that the museum is gearing towards developing one of its spaces into a photography gallery, and what better way to jumpstart it with the works of a prolific female photographer right before Women’s Month.

“I consider that a blessing,” recalls Weldon. For three weeks, they worked together, alongside Migs Rosales of Caramel Art Advisory, Bam Laurel and some friends, to piece things together. “All of that was like, ‘wow, look how everybody shows up for one another,” Weldon comments, her eyes almost tearing up with joy.

Weldon admires Filipino artistry, as she has been a quiet witness to the growth of the art scene. From the perspective of the photography sector, she comments that it is wonderful to see photography’s voice to flourish and to explore different genres. What’s crucial now, she suggests, is the deepening of the appreciation of the arts. This, she explains, comes in the form of the collectors’ resonance with the works they collect.

“It’s important for me that when people collect my work, I hope it brings them moments of peace and contemplation,” she says. “It’s important in my process to pay attention to the person or things I am capturing, connecting at an energetic level,” she adds. Hence, the essence of her subjects gets magnified in the images she makes.

With regards to her portraiture work, she hopes that viewers can get a feel for the potency of a moment frozen in time, an example of which was a portrait of Arturo Luz shot for the 1999 Philippines Yearbook, as much like that of Betsy Westendorp found in this survey exhibition.

Throughout her decades-long career, Weldon has remained steadfast in capturing contemplative portraits amidst the increasingly fast-paced world. When hurdles come her way, she rather ponders the lessons that would make her a better person. In documenting the micro details of life, the mundane and the liminal spaces of our life’s journey, she has shown us that there is much more to absorb in these fractions of time.

“On my five takeaways, first is to always believe in love and to come from that space of the heart because it has an essential and powerful wisdom that guides beautifully. The second is to have faith. There is a power greater than you, and in remembering that, it keeps you in check. The third is to keep being humble. Fourth is to be grateful. And fifth is to be hopeful,” she concludes.

Witness of the Quiet at the Yuchengco Museum runs until May 3. Weldon invites readers to attend an artist talk and meditation circle at the museum from 2pm to 4pm on May 3.

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