‘Significat’ by Jo Balbarona on view at Galerie Joaquin BGC

Cranes, or herons as they are also referred to, play an important role in eastern mythology. In some cultures, the crane has a legendary status, venerated as the prince of all feathered creatures. Embodying longevity and peace, it is the second most favored bird symbol after the phoenix. Throughout the imperial times, crane motifs were used on the robes of civil officials to depict their ranks. Because of its ability to fly high and over long distances, its wings were used as an amulet for protection against exhaustion.

Jo Balbarona uses the symbolism of cranes, origami, and the senbazuru principle to explore the poetry of life and the world.

Few who have held paper have not, at some stage, folded a bird, or some bird-form, a pair of wings, and flown them, literally, or with arms whirling to create the magic of flight. Cranes are core to origami, and the tradition of folding a 1,000, or senzaburu, dates back to a Confucian belief that they could live to be 1,000 years old. To fold so many is to conjure up the long-standing association between these remarkable birds, longevity, happiness, and good fortune.

For “Significat,” Jo Balbarona uses the symbolism of cranes, origami, and the senbazuru principle to explore the poetry of life and the world.  By focusing on these elements and one’s relationship to them, the artist presents a fresh vantage point from which to consider identity, place, time, and memory.  A beloved personal object retains the essence of the person who chose it, and Balbarona believes that these objects have the power to contain, as well as reveal and restore one’s hope for the future.

Born in 1977, Joan Antonio Balbarona is a self-taught artist from Hindang, Leyte. She studied Food Science and Technology at UP Los Baños. She has worked as a 3D animator and video editor and is now a full-time artist. In 2013, she had the chance to study at the Art Students League of New York, under the tutelage of the well-known abstractionist Ronnie Landfield. She was one of the finalists in the non-representational category in the 2017 GSIS national art competition for her abstract Ang Pagtangis ng mga Ibong Pipit. She was also a finalist in 2017 Metrobank Art and Design Excellence for her sculpture entitled The Colony.

“Significat” by Jo Balbarona will be on view at Galerie Joaquin BGC from April 5 to 16. The gallery is located at the Upper Ground Floor, One Bonifacio High Street Mall, 5th Ave. corner 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For inquiries, call +63 915 739 1549 or email [email protected].