MANILA, Philippines — Young local artist Caterina “Micat” Po is all set for her first-ever solo show, “Seeing Beyond: Images From The Subconscious,” featuring her watercolor abstractions that detail her close relationship with nature.
As a graduate of the University of Hawai’i with a degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Po’s artworks often draw from the environment.
In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, Po shared how “Seeing Beyond” finally came to be and how significant it is being in touch with the Earth.
Po has been working as a marine ecologist and researcher abroad since graduating and was about to take a job in the local conservation industry, however, she felt she could do more through her artworks.
After making several pieces, “diving timing” got Po connected with Marti Magsanoc, the director of Archivo Gallery, which will host her month-long exhibit curated by Sandra Palomar.
All the pieces Po will display are watercolor on paper, sharing she has a strong connection to the medium.
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“It offers a certain vulnerability that I haven’t experienced with other mediums that I find really special. ‘Mistakes’ and all, everything makes its way to the paper,” Po said, adding her painting is a “practice of full acceptance and letting go of shame and perfectionism.”
Po recounted being asked if watercolor is difficult to “control” as a medium, admitting she finds it easier to convey feelings and energy through the water as it feels alive and raw.
“My practice is really about allowing the images to unfold and embracing the mystery of creation,” Po explained, comparing it to a dance. “I enjoy the mystery of seeing where it goes, it’s part of my goal to allow boundless creativity.”
Shifting into the environment, Po said she discovered the “healing power of nature” after studying outside of Manila and her marine ecology job taking her to “places on earth where the trees and rocks and rivers talked.”
“The mountains watched over me. The ocean cradled me. When I feel most alone on this planet I know that nature is always there for me. Plants have always offered a listening ear to me,” Po expounded.
Po told Philstar.com she couldn’t describe what walking in the forest barefoot is like, but she tries through her paintings, with nature’s colors lighting up her life at its darkest.
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“I really believe that humans are meant to live intimately with nature and in community, not separated in concrete boxes, and that our disconnection from earth is what has led to so much pain and suffering,” she added.
The artist also said she has witnessed how much destruction people have inflicted on the Earth and how fearless communities can be to protect the remaining natural resources we have.
Those were the moments that led Po to realize her life’s work is in service of Mother Earth.
“The earth is a really magical place and I want to share that love and joy and respect for it through my work. I dream of a world where people live in harmony with the earth. And I believe we can get there,” Po ended.
Asked for what takeaways she hopes guests will have from her first solo exhibit, Po said she hopes people have open minds and hearts to receive the vibrations that come through her paintings.
“Seeing Beyond: Images From The Subconscious” will run at Archivo 1984 in Makati’s Karavin Plaza from October 12 to November 6.
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