When the Open Studios event ended at 6pm yesterday I had nothing in mind but packing up. It was a very good conclusion to a three-month long residency that began with late winter and ended in the middle of summer. The second and last day of the studios brought in some very unexpected visitors and guests, some even having traveled several miles just for the occasion. For these guests and visitors I am deeply honored by their efforts.
Within the two days of the Open Studios I received a variety of positive feedback, mostly by walk-ins who were visitors of the park on a summer weekend. Only a handful were art enthusiasts and there were even some families. Children react to my work the most and mothers always have the kid's photos taken with the sculptures. I cannot help but think of the installation as "Facebook friendly". Needless to say the response was very encouraging. More than five people have asked if they can buy the pieces but I had to say sorry: these works are bound elsewhere.
My works seem to appeal and find resonance with different people I mean, classes of people. Latinos insist that I am one of them. Filipino-Americans said they were drawn to the work even though they weren't aware that I was even Pinoy (almost everyone thinks I am Puerto Rican, or Mexican and even Hawaiian) Americans who have traveled to Asia also found familiar forms and presences in my work. One person even made an interesting interpretation of my imagery and said I was bound for a future that needs flight, outbound and exploratory. The monkey images are good for me as well, as they bring very good luck.
My work resonates to those who still want to believe in mystery, in magic, in the unknown and the presence of images, and the power of objects. Like the conceptual artists of today, I also use the realm of the mind as my point of departure, but also use different facilities of my psyche - like the unconscious - to strike a sort of Jungian dynamism in my work. My process I now understand, is an integrative one. It involves not only analysis, or deduction, but also feeling and sensation, of judgment and perception. I do feel that the direction of my work leans to a post-conceptual, post-Duchampian trajectory and into something else. But to demonstrate this, a more integrated approach is perhaps due. I am not totally opposed to immaterial art; I treat it like a treat a sibling, with respect for the individuality.
Perhaps I can take this to a whole new level. Until then, I work.
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