Marina Cruz

The paintings of the Philippine artist Marina Cruz (b. Quezon City, Philippines, 1982; lives and works in Bulacan) blend abstract harmonies of color with trompe-l'Œil depictions. Her motifs are dresses her late grandmother sewed for her mother and aunt. They bear the imprints of the grandmother's manual craftsmanship as well as the wearers' bodies and experiences. Not unlike an archaeologist, Cruz reveals these traces in the folds and deep grooves, the vibrant chromatic textures and fragile lineaments of the fabrics. In some pictures the haunting beauty of the surfaces has suffered the ravages of time, while in others stains and tears seem to hint at incidents of violence and bodily injury. At a time when clothes are increasingly short-lived mass products, Cruz's works read as an ode to the tailor's trade and to garments as a record of history.