Filipina sculptor Julie Lluch has never shied away from tackling social injustices when it comes to her art. After all, she is known for her life-size portraits and groups that present satirical commentaries. Through her latest endeavor, “Chronicles of the Skin,” she invites viewers to engage with questions of identity and representation, emphasizing the role of the gendered body as a conduit for unapologetic, uninhibited self-expression.
Julie Lluch infront of her work, Resistance; Mandala, Acrylic on cold cast marble, 2023
Presented during Women’s Month, Julie is among the few prominent female artists working in the country today. Her knack for storytelling pushes the boundaries of figurative sculpture and painting back against the repetition and revision of history, the denial of truth, and the erasure of cultural identity, amplifying many like voices from the margins of society.
“Materially, the exhibition expresses my personal anguish over the unresolved and neglected issues of crimes against the people, specifically the state-sponsored extra-judicial killings and war on drugs. In form, as art, I endeavor to meld painting and sculpture by incorporating some style of tattoo on fragmented torsos, limbs, and other human body parts. The medium of my work is acrylic on coldcast marble,” says Julie.
Untitled, Acrylic on cold cast marble, 2023; Sunrise (For Adi), Acrylic on cold cast marble, 2023
The artist examines accounts of the country’s recent and distant past in an epic retelling of the story of the Filipino people. Her work presents a spectacle of mangled bodies, solid torsos, and flexed limbs—each bearing imprints of history. Every piece of art is troubled, marked by memories of injustice, inequality, unrest, and violence.
“The subject of the exhibition is rather negative—death and mourning, grief and anger. My intention is to make the viewer feel and grieve with me, to react to the brutality of the killings, the magnitude of the unrestrained evil of oppression and injustice, not to just forget as if they never happened, and to get actively involved in seeking redress, justice for the victims. It is our moral duty, it is on our national conscience. Yet, in spite of the grim message, I wish the viewer to experience delight to the eyes and senses, intellectual satisfaction for mind and spirit. That is the function of art – to make the unbearable bearable, the ugly, lovely. And we are able to contemplate on it and gain deeper insight and understanding on the human condition,” says Julie.
Peasants Spoliarium, Acrylic on cold cast marble, 2023; Picasso, Luna Y Yo, Acrylic on cold cast marble, 2023
Julie’s intentions for her art pieces may be emotionally-charged and triggering to some, but as educator and activist, Cesar A. Cruz said, “art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” Her emotions and inspiration are seen on Peasants Spoliarium, showcasing a man with a towel draping from his shoulders, his heart and chest filled with heaviness from his struggles. It is seen on Resistance, which chronicles the hard journey of those fighting for the country. And it is evident in Touch Me, a scarred body oozing with the blood of the victims of injustice.
“For this show, I found inspiration in those who quietly, selflessly, and tirelessly work in the pursuit of truth and justice for the poor, helpless, downtrodden victims of violence and impunity, who truly love the country, even putting their lives on the line. I speak for those who may not be able to speak in a social or public platform. It is my privilege to represent those who also want to participate in the movement to call for justice and righteousness in the governance of this country, to move us forward as a God-fearing, peace-loving people,” she says.
“Chronicles On Skin” is on view until April 3 at Galerie Stephanie on the 4th floor of Shangri-la Plaza East Wing, Mandaluyong City.