Adults need bedtime stories more than children do. Little kids close their eyes by the end of a story, a glass of warm milk, bedtime wishes, and goodnight kisses. Most grownups spend dark, cold evenings all alone. This exhibit is for those whose bodies lie on soft sheets but whose minds crash the concrete; for those who want not only sound slumber but steadfast sunshine to wake up to.

Leafing through 15 familiar tales in mixed media and terracotta, we confront adulthood and console the inner child. “Snow White” retold in “Multiple Choice” mirrors life as an evil witch: knocking and handing out choices when we are most vulnerable. Like Snow White’s apples, some choices we take are riddled with poison, some without. From Hansel and Gretel’s “Bitter Choco” to Ibong Adarna’s “Pusong Bato,” we are forewarned as we tread paths less taken. 

Our childhood comfort of being tucked into bed is now coated in concrete. Even with heads in bitter pain, we try to dream sweet dreams. We beat the nightmare of norms. In “Hair Spray,” Rapunzel refuses to let her hair down. “Baby Pato” celebrates being the odd one out. “12:00,” with its colored carabao, show how mighty grind works better than Godmother’s magic. 

Grownup tales are far from happily ever after but this we know. We could always change the narrative.

Words by Vincent Sarnate