On Our Watch … A Word of Caution 

Growing up in the mono-crop economy in the martial law years that was Negros  Occidental, Charlie Co nurtured an attitude of cautiousness and vigilance. He witnessed  and experienced the impact of the collapsing sugar industry in a community blessed with  fertile soil, abundant natural resources, and a rich cultural heritage — a predicament  clearly caused by human greed. It is this lived memory that fuels him as he reimagines  stories pertinent to the nation and to the world. On Our Watch is a word of caution —  warning us of the dangers in the present and the future, lest we forget as we become  insensitive and callous or continue to be distracted by material gains and technology.  Humans have morphed into robots or drone operators becoming agents of surveillance in  the service of the powerful few.  

Following his exhibition titled System Corrupted at Finale Art File in 2022, Co once again  reminds us of the failures of society that may lead to a global war and that we all have a  stake in our future.Through the four decades of his art practice, he has developed a  lexicon of symbols taken from various cultures. These representations have articulated his  many concerns related to his personal battles and social problems. Shape shifting avian  creatures such as the crow and the raven are messengers of the divine and the ominous.  Foo dogs and the dragon stand for a global power that continues to threaten our national  sovereignty. The crucified figure represents humanity, painfully weighted and mocked. 

The angel, also a messenger, has appeared in Co’s earlier works as envoy of God or as an  agent of redemption. In a recent visit to Pisa, Italy in 2023, he was struck by the sculpture  Fallen Angel by Polish artist Igor Mitoraj, a debilitated figure on the ground with a single  wing. This led the artist to ponder if the collapse was caused by its own doing or by the  transgressions of humanity. He paints the disabled figure, bloodied and barely standing.  Yet, Co bestows it with a redemptive potency — with not just a sacred heart but a sacred  mind. He appeals for humanity to develop a spiritual mind — one that is caring and  compassionate. 

MVTHerrera 

January 2025

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📍 Booth 34
ART FAIR PHILIPPINES 2025
February 21-23 | 10am-9pm
Ayala Triangle, Makati City
www.artfairphilippines.com