Cover Tracie Anglo-Dizon's 'Peacocking on a Sunday' on display at Art Verité Gallery until October 29
Tracie Anglo-Dizon's 'Peacocking on a Sunday' on display at Art Verité Gallery until October 29
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Much like the peacock, Tracie Anglo-Dizon unfurls her feathers to show us the beauty in both the exotic and ordinary
For her fifth solo exhibition, Tracie Anglo-Dizon explores the connection between nature and contemporary life—celebrating the beauty of our world while mourning its destruction. Upon walking into the gallery, I immediately noticed a massive painting of a Qing dynasty vase surrounded by her supporting artwork, carefully curated by Carlomar Arcangel Daoana. At first glance, I detected plenty of exotic animals, pop culture references and vibrant colours scattered throughout the paintings and assumed that the artist’s style likes to take on a whimsical approach but upon closer inspection, I realised that it meant to speak volumes about her passions and beliefs.
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Above 'Hunting for Gold,' Oil on Canvas 24 x 24 Inches
'Hunting for Gold,' Oil on Canvas 24 x 24 Inches
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At the heart of the exhibition, we see the transformation of the exotic and the everyday. From Chinese vases and bowls to fauna and flora, we see the artist’s keen attention to detail and how she makes each painting pop while holding deeper meanings beneath the protruding oil. For example, her depictions of peacock feathers are extremely vivid—sparing no expense with each tailfeather to show us what these creatures are, beautiful.
Above 'Pulling Strings' and 'Fish Out of Water' side-by-side to reveal a connection
'Pulling Strings' and 'Fish Out of Water' side-by-side to reveal a connection
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An interesting thing to note is the positioning of the artwork, which can be credited to Daoana. I must’ve spent some 20 minutes examining two paintings opposite each other to see the connection between them, and sure enough, there was a (literal) bond. ‘Pulling Strings’ and ‘Fish Out of Water,’ when put side-by-side, tell a story on their own. The leopard’s tooth is attached to a string tied to a tree on which hangs a bone tooth necklace. This link between the two opens a conversation against poaching and the killing of endangered animals for sport. “I wanted to tell a story in the most minimal way possible—with just one string,” shares Anglo-Dizon.
'Tropical Shower,' Oil on Canvas 42 x 36 inches
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While the exhibition is titled ‘Peacocking on a Sunday,’ it’s easy to notice that there are only two paintings with peacocks on them. Anglo-Dizon chose to focus on the things that she and the people around her love. “I could’ve devoted a show to peacocks, but I think there are more stories to tell,” she says. For instance, various pop culture references can be seen in ‘Tropical Shower’ and ‘Hunting by Candlelight.’ A solitary Pokemon sits atop a cloud while a pixelated iron shovel from Minecraft is positioned on the bottom right of her favourite painting. Some flames and the moon are also pixelated in the other vase painting with a small illustration of the nine-tailed fox from Naruto joining the ensemble of exotic animals on the vase. Her other paintings also sport sticker-like paintings of a star, lightning bolt and flowers—a homage to Olivia Rodrigo who recently had a concert in the Philippines. “I had to paint stickers on my daughter’s face for the concert because the star sticker we had wouldn’t stick to her face,” she shared while laughing.
All these references, while seemingly there to add a touch of whimsy to her work commemorate her daughter’s hobbies and passions while relating to the rest of her work and bringing an even bigger topic to light—the human vice of exoticising animals. “My kids love Minecraft and Pokemon… Maybe someday Philippine eagles or Asian tigers will be extinct and only exist in video games,” shares Anglo-Dizon.
Peacocking on a Sunday by Tracie Anglo Dizon runs until October 29 at Art Verité Gallery in BGC, Taguig.
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About
Gabriel found his passion for writing through poetry in high school. He sharpened his skills at Ateneo de Manila University and hopes to write a play worthy of Broadway one day. A self-proclaimed geek, he loves to spend his free time playing video games and board games. When he's not clicking heads on Valorant or roleplaying as a barbarian in Dungeons and Dragons, you can find him exploring art galleries or watching stage plays.
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A creative writer who writes about anything and everything, Gabriel loves to dive deep into the arts and culture scene—as well as going on long road trips for travel pieces.
You can reach him on Instagram at @gbohol for any leads, casual conversations or game invites.
