GedAze Project sheds light to hope through "Portals"

Presented by the Ateneo Art Gallery, step under Portals, an interactive, ephemeral, and experimental outdoor installation by artists Ged Merino and Aze Ong. The work unveils this 29 June 2024, Saturday, 4:00pm at the Ignacio B Gimenez Amphitheatre, Areté. The installation features a fabric canopy composed of varied fiber and fabric textures, with several holes and openings incorporated in its design.

Through the GedAze Project, artists Ged Merino and Aze Ong challenge the boundaries of textile through atypical approaches. Both draw inspiration and utilize techniques from their background as people raised around fabric. As part of the collaboration, each part of Portals holds meaning as it is bound together. Various techniques of crochet, sewing, embroidery, knitting, and knotting were used by the artists to draw viewers in to stand below the installation and observe the interconnected threads and bonds, as humans are to one another.

The holes and openings as part of its design, invite viewers to focus on the light coming from above as they look up towards the sky, symbolizing hope against the difficulties and challenges in today’s societies. The location of the work being outdoors, opens itself to interactions with its viewers and changes from the environment, naturally transforming the piece with time and emphasizing its ephemerality.

The installation is open to contributions from the public in the spirit of interconnectedness and support, reflecting the nature of fiber and fabric art itself as it is bonded into one. Crochet enthusiasts are encouraged to place their contributions in the designated drop box or to approach museum staff.

Portals will be launched on 29 June 2024, Saturday at 4:00pm at the Wong Chu King Foundation Cove, Ateneo College Batch 1980 Cove, and Eli and Elizabeth Hubahib Cove at the Ignacio B Gimenez Amphitheatre, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University. As the work is located outdoors, viewing is not limited to Ateneo Art Gallery’s regular museum hours. For more information, visit www.ateneoartgallery.com or email aag@ateneo.edu.

ABOUT GedAze Projects

The GedAze Project, traversing a lineage of contemporary artists pushing the boundaries of textile. Together, both artists have a common thread – from materials and process, to their interest in engaging viewers to interact with the work – the tactility, both a reflection and reminder of familiar objects, and the stories bound within.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Ged Merino (b. 1962) is a Filipino-American mixed media artist based in New York. Merino grew up in Manila before moving abroad to pursue his initial interest in print-making, influenced by mentor Manuel Rodriguez Jr. His current practice involves textile, with Merino explaining how he collects and uses discarded items because of his interest in the movement of inanimate things, constant transformation and recycling practices. Inspired by his migratory history, and upbringing watching his mother recycle fabrics to create something new, Merino’s work through GedAze Project focuses on the metamorphic act of memory, where fabric both protects and changes the current experience of the past. Working with Aze in the GedAze Project pushes the boundaries of textile as they both share a common thread in their materials, process, and interest in interactivity.

Aze Ong (b. 1977) is a Manila-based visual and performance artist, who specializes in fiber, with the inspiration of her works drawn from her upbringing of being immersed in her family’s textile business and her experiences with the Talaandig tribe. Her artistic practice intertwines macramé, sewing, crochet, and other fiber arts, celebrating intuition and spontaneity in every knot and stitch, making each of her projects temporary in the way that it cannot be reconstructed in entire accuracy. Ong’s work through the GedAze project is experiential in its dynamic forms, enacted through the dedication in her craft and the further layers she creates in her performance. Her creations together with Ged’s embody a fleeting yet profound moment in time, reflecting her belief that each artwork is a unique expression of the present, and their shared incorporation of external elements into their work.