BREATHE
Alvin Paraguison
September 1, 2021
BREATHE
WRITTEN BY ANGELO JOSE
In|hale
As a mother bears a child, the purpose of each body part changes. When she takes a breath, each inhale is now responsible for supplying oxygen to two living beings. Alvin Paraguison’s first solo exhibit, entitled “Breathe”, is a mirror of what humans need to thrive and survive in life: the need for each other.
Yoga, a major concept in Paraguison’s paintings, has a stark resemblance to that of his art process. Various lines, shapes, and angles are put together to form a pattern. Alvin then breathes life into his works much like how a man executes yoga poses: always taken with a pause and a breath. When he does not feel satisfied with his work, he just simply starts over again with complete surrender. The same can be said for his audience, everything starts with a breath and when we do not feel happy or content with how life has become, we try once again.
In “Little One”, a piece that is inspired by the first child of Paraguison, a flower grows from the vines that bind the mother’s hands. Both experiences for the mother and child are parallel as they are limited in their actions but are burning with an eagerness to share with each other the gift of life.
“Hail the Queen”, on the other hand, is a piece that exudes vulnerability and tranquility, as the woman surrenders herself to the upright plant, posing as if she was in a trance-like state. The scene invokes the need to lose control and let everything go.
Alvin Paraguison’s first solo exhibition sends a direct message to his viewers. It shows an honest depiction of the kind of people we have become because of what we have experienced so far. His pieces convey that what seems to be a constricted and warped kind of world is still teeming with life because of the people that inhabit it.
