tekstong bopis: katalog

Two millennia ago, the first sator square was discovered in the ruins of Pompeii, among pumice and volcanic ash. Since then, many other excavations revealed these same Latin words—SATOR, AREPO, TENET, OPERA, ROTAS—engraved on doorknobs and wall fragments, etched on boxes, and even skulls. From the debates, we learn that perhaps the cryptogram had magical or incantatory properties, that it functioned as a mystical lock.

Likewise, 𝐋𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐍, 𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐀, 𝐋𝐈𝐇𝐀𝐌, 𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐀, 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐍 mark our claims to home. In this collaborative project, each artist receives a sator-type square based on keywords that they use to personally represent the locale of their birth, their dwelling, and their artistic practice (while suppressing specific information). Released, our creations move porously between text (the grid) and art (the visual forms). We unlock place and memory in this manner: gathering letters to unleash images, meeting in symbol to step out into the light of day.

Exhibit opens this March 7, 2024 at Gallery One of the UP Fine Arts Gallery.

March 7 | 2 PM | Artist Talk

March 7 | 4 PM | Exhibit Opening

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Walk-in guests are warmly welcome from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9 AM - 4 PM. For bookings, visit bit.ly/ParolaVisitorsForm or email us at cfagallery.upd@up.edu.ph

See you!