Perhaps one of Francisco Goya’s most captivating works, “El sueño de la razón produce monstruos,” is an aquatint etching produced in 1799. It has been viewed as the artist’s personal manifesto depicting his views of his time’s demented and corrupt society. Hinting at a scene that could only be alluded to as a nightmare, the subject is seen asleep as owls, bats, and other creatures hover around. Centuries later, Goya’s portrayal continues to resonate and echo through our endless struggle to become more conscious of the monsters inside and outside ourselves. Thus, the exhibition “Man and Monster” sets an inquiry into these struggles. It features the works of Lec Cruz, RA Tijing, Ciane Xavier, Kaloy Sanchez, Nix Puno, Martin Honasan, Dexter Sy, Krista Nogueras, Don Dalmacio, Victoria, and Jason Montinola. Together, they form the PARA Collective. In this presentation, they are joined by Dex Fernandez, Kiko Escora, Romeo Lee, and 13 Lucky Monkey.

The narratives presented in this exhibition are materialized through landscapes, portraits, abstract works, and experimental formats. Collectively, they embody the evolving human clash in understanding what we should make of monsters— are they a reflection of the dark times, of ourselves, or have they burrowed inside of us, waiting for an opportunity to invade us during our most vulnerable days?

These confrontations and dialogues are visible in the works of Martin Honasan, Dexter Sy, Kaloy Sanchez, 13 Lucky Monkey, and Dex Fernandez. Their works uncover the multiplicity of the depicted characters. Hence, we witness transformations and transitions, whether caused by trepidation for the unknown or the immensity of the task of living as an individual in a dynamic universe. Meanwhile, the works of Ciane Xavier, Nix Puno, Kiko Escora, Romeo Lee, RA Tijing, and Jason Montinola represent unimagined ways of understanding and seeing ourselves. Like in Montinola’s “Beast Buster,” a person can become a different version of himself twenty years later and constantly grapple with the monsters thriving inside him. Finally, landscapes and more visible abstract forms are what we find in the works of Don Dalmacio, Krista Nogueras, Victoria, and Lec Cruz; the lines, gestures, and forms gently articulate terror, dread, and the grit to remain optimistic amidst adversaries.

At times, the artists depict the environment around them, while some find it necessary to create their version of the present. Hence, the consciousness that the death of reason could ignite unwanted horrors ties the exhibition together. Here, we find works where the complexities of an individual are demonstrated and sometimes immersed in territories where these entanglements are amplified. However, the exhibition also warrants relief in knowing that internal and external conflicts could be resolved and rectified as long as one does not become dominated by inaction. Nevertheless, our ability to move and act is vital in the end while becoming aware of the distress, crisis, and chaos. As Fyodor Dostoyevsky puts it in 1861, “When he has lost all hope, all object in life, man often becomes a monster in his misery.”

Words by Gwen Bautista