In attempting to define collage over the years, Gary-Ross Pastrana has fortuitously stumbled upon the evolution of his own practice. The result has become a clear indication of not just forms and images being developed but of a kind of language in its own right—his own. One that is communicated through the act of cutting and pasting pieces of paper and, in some cases, a return to painting—either combined with his collage compositions or on canvas.

In this latest series of works he calls sign, signal, shadow, he forays deeper into the language collage has created for him in an attempt to seek out what is primal: where it could fundamentally start as a symbol or ‘logos’ before it could possibly speak of something explicit or determinate. It is, after all, for Pastrana, the beginning of all utterances, of latent sign systems—the attempt to signify something without anything yet definitive to communicate.

But apart from the seemingly symbolic and constructivist nature of the exhibition, the collection of works does speak decisively about Pastrana’s commitment to exploring the art of collage. And for whatever kind of language is articulated through the presumed straightforwardness of images and compositions, we could derive from it the different stages through which Gary-Ross Pastrana developed his vision, while also reflecting on the show’s own logocentric nature: that although collage is constructed through fragments, everything was once derived from a single thought.

The exhibition takes shape in three strains that branch out from Pastrana’s visual language, namely: False Flags; sign, signal, shadow; and First Forms.

- Cocoy Lumbao

Gary-Ross Pastrana (b. 1977, Manila, Philippines; lives and works in Manila) is an artist deeply  immersed in the philosophies surrounding concepts, objects, and art. His highly conceptual pieces, rich with poetic intensity, maintain an unobtrusive subtlety. Incorporating dynamic and nonsequential images along with other modes of study such as music and science, his creations form a new textual narrative. 

In 2006, Pastrana received the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Thirteen Artists Award. Since then, he has shown at the Singapore Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of the Philippines, the Jorge B. Vargas Museum, and was part of the 2019 The Art Encounters Biennial in Romania, 2019 Singapore Biennale, 2012 New Museum Triennial in New York, 2010 Aichi Triennale, and 2008 Busan Biennale. In 2004, he co-founded Future Prospects art space. In addition to his artistic career, Pastrana curates and organizes exhibitions in Manila and abroad. Exhibitions include Erstwhile Maps, CASE Space Revolution, Bangkok, Thailand (2020); Every Step in the Right Direction, Singapore Biennale, Singapore (2019); The Art Encounters Biennial, Romania (2019); An Opera for Animals, Para Site, Hong Kong (2019), Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai (2019); Utopia Hasn’t Failed Me Yet, Silverlens, Manila (2018, solo); The Extra, Extra Ordinary, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Manila (2018); The Other Face of the Moon, Asia Culture Center, Gwangju (2017); Clock, Map, Knife, Mirror, ROH Projects, Jakarta, (2016, solo); Summa, Vargas Museum, Manila (2014, solo). Pastrana received his Bachelor’s degree in Painting from the University of the Philippines, where he was awarded the Dominador Castañeda Award for Best Thesis. He has gained considerable experience and exposure within the region, with residencies in Bandung, Kyoto, Bangkok, and Singapore.