Geraldine Javier

Bio

Geraldine Javier (b. 1970 in Makati City, Philippines; lives and works in Batangas, Philippines) is one of the Philippines’ most important and collected contemporary artists. With a Nursing degree from the University of the Philippines that included a top rank in the licensure exams, she took a second university degree in Fine Arts, and pursued an art practice. Since 1995, she has held more than 30 solo exhibitions in the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, and China. From 1999 to 2003 she was a member of the Surrounded By Water collective. Much of her early work was in collage form, but it was with paintings that she established her reputation as an inventive artist. These were characterized by either melancholy or wit: death and childhood were frequent subject matters. By 2008, she was making fabric works with the paintings and combining them in installations; exhibitions were a mixture of paintings, installations and objects. Paintings would often have collaged elements, notably preserved beetles and butterflies. In 2013, she moved south from Manila to the countryside in the district of Batangas. Her work increasingly dealt with our relationship with nature. Current projects often involve the participation of the women in the community where she lives. In 2019 she exhibited at the Havana Biennial. Around this time, she began exploring two new forms of painting: palimpsestic and encaustic (with use of blowtorch).

Geraldine Javier (b. 1970 in Makati City, Philippines; lives and works in Batangas, Philippines) is one of the Philippines’ most important and collected contemporary artists. With a Nursing degree from the University of the Philippines that included a top rank in the licensure exams, she took a second university degree in Fine Arts, and pursued an art practice. Since 1995, she has held more than 30 solo exhibitions in the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, and China. From 1999 to 2003 she was a member of the Surrounded By Water collective. Much of her early work was in collage form, but it was with paintings that she established her reputation as an inventive artist. These were characterized by either melancholy or wit: death and childhood were frequent subject matters. By 2008, she was making fabric works with the paintings and combining them in installations; exhibitions were a mixture of paintings, installations and objects. Paintings would often have collaged elements, notably preserved beetles and butterflies. In 2013, she moved south from Manila to the countryside in the district of Batangas. Her work increasingly dealt with our relationship with nature. Current projects often involve the participation of the women in the community where she lives. In 2019 she exhibited at the Havana Biennial. Around this time, she began exploring two new forms of painting: palimpsestic and encaustic (with use of blowtorch).

Leonard Co
2023
16298
1
imitation gold leaf, ink pencils, encaustic on canvas
84.20h x 78.20h x 2d in • 204h x 198.50w x 5d cm
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Amerika
2024
16294
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metal, shoe tacks, colored safety pins, handwoven fabrics,applique, hand embroidery on mono printed fabric
Artwork: 224h x 167w cm • 88.19h x 65.75w in Installation: 167h x 245w cm • 65.75h x 96.46w in
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The Two Fridas
2021
16301
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acrylic, thread, silk organza (11 panels)
84h x72w in • 213.36h x 182.88w cm (each)
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The Story of Plants Without Us
2024
16300
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threads, piña (pineapple) silk, cotton and handwoven fabrics, hand embroidery on eco printed fabrics
Overall dimensions: approx. 125.59h x 192.13w inches • 319h x 488w cm
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Geraldine Javier’s The Story of Plants Without Us is a five-panel installation composed of eco-printed tapestry in which Javier utilized teak, star-like talisay leaves, and castor oil plants (which are poisonous when consumed) to monoprint on traditional Philippine piña (pineapple) silk. Layered with intricate embroidery, each panel illustrates a narrative that connects evolution, humanity, and the natural world. The first highlights Godzilla, the fictional reptilian monster, alongside the comet that led to the extinction of dinosaurs; the second features a traditional Japanese Torii gate,—seen at the entrance of shrines to mark the transition from the secular to the sacred—representing a utopian vision of modern human life in harmony with the environment. The three background textiles portray a mycorrhizal root network, depicting the symbiotic relationship between humankind, plants, and fungi.
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Indistinct Chatter From Below (E)
2022
16295
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powdered pigment, encaustic on canvas
12h x 12w in
• 30.50h x 30.50w cm
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Infinite Patterns 2
2023
16299
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monoprint on Hahnemuhle InkJet and watercolor paper
dimensions variable
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set of 54 prints
SPI_GJ033
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What's In a Name III
2023
16296
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hand embroidery on mono-printed fabric (piña cocoon; jusi) rust on bamboo linen
80h x 52w in • 203.25h x 132w cm
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sold as a set of 3 (What's In A Name I, II, and III)
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Maria Sybilla Merian
2023
16304
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acrylic, encaustic on canvas
84.20h x 78.20h x 2d in • 204h x 198.50w x 5d cm
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Terminator I
2023
16297
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hand embroidery on monoprinted fabric / handwoven fabric on cotton
92h x 63w in
• 233.70h x 160w cm
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Selected Exhibitions

Video

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