MANILA, Philippines— Gina Osterloh’s solo exhibition her demilitarized zone reflects on the current human condition and asks viewers to imagine an alternate way of being where words and ideologies are de-weaponized; implements of brutality metamorphose into a poetry of possibility. The slow and labor-intensive processes of creating each image and object in this exhibit embody the difficult and committed work necessary to see each other without assumptions and ideologies. Words that initially seem like scribblings of black paint, are burned onto the steel bars with a welder’s torch, the intensity requiring the artist to stop after each gesture is rendered. The dark color of the steel objects is achieved through chemical process reminiscent of the way that silver gelatin paper is developed in a darkroom. The steel surface is changed irreversibly.
Bodily transformations, though temporary, likewise demand a durational physical commitment. In portraits where the artist binds herself in tape, it adheres to her skin becoming one with the body, leaving their marks when ultimately removed.
Osterloh’s images resist easy interpretation. Within them are seemingly oppositional ideas requiring prolonged engagement and consideration. The artist uses herself in portraits, but they are not recognizably her. Covering every feature, she renders herself anonymous. Yet the purpose is not to hide as they call attention by their strangeness. It is an invitation to momentarily let go, perhaps experience a psychic drop, refrain from our instinct to judge and categorize based on surface appearance. A continuation of her photography for over fifteen years, Osterloh’s photographs embrace performance for the camera and minimalist explorations of form. Sustained looking unveils layers of possible readings through contested sites of body and image, and with her new solo exhibition expand her conceptual inquiry through text and object.
Gallery visits are limited and by appointment only, from Tuesday to Saturday, 10: AM to 4:00 PM. There is no entrance fee; schedule your visit in advance through bit.ly/Visit- Silverlens
