PLANESCAPES
June 16, 2019 | Archives | No Comments

A two-man exhibition featuring the works of Raymond Carlos and Jose Luis Singson.
Deconstructing the planes of human consciousness
In “Planescapes,” Raymond Carlos and Jose Luis Singson imagine consciousness as comprising multiple parallel planes that ceaselessly overlap and intersect, crossing each other at points that ultimately influence the overall perception of one’s current reality. Each plane is allowed its own distinct character, bringing to life elements that are both familiar and easily identifiable, thus allowing the viewer to move through the layers, one by one, in a process that indefatigably defines and redefines the complexity of the human experience.
Carlos delves into the plane of imagination, where the absurd take form. Figures are scaled down to impossible sizes. A camel is nearly as small as a cigarette lighter, its disproportionate representation mimicking a rather dream-like state. Likewise, it could be the opposite – the cigarette lighter has overwhelmingly increased in size, as have the other objects. This world they exist in – one of subdued tones and a warm, illusory ambience – allows these slight absurdities to thrive.
Singson completes the picture by exploring the plane of memory and its relation to what we perceive as a physical reality. His works are draped in soft shades of black and grey, evoking a keen sense of nostalgia and lost recollections. The façades of the old buildings are like an entryway into the peculiar world of memories, where the past (or at least, what we remember of it) determines how we interpret our physical reality, presented by the artist as an abstract collection of variable elements, virtually formless in architecture.
“Planescapes” depicts these endless interplays between the planes of memory, imagination, and reality. The fleeting nature of human memory, and our inherent ability to fill in the missing gaps through our sense of imagination, create the truth and reality that the conscious mind inhabits. Our identity becomes the sum collection of these truths, whether imaginary or real, and the fleeting impressions we have of our physical realities. Ultimately, we find that human existence is the sum total of these encounters, an endless combination of different perceptions, recollections, impressions, and imaginations, all part of an intricate dance that eventually shapes the human consciousness.
Words by Elle Lucena