In the contemporary world of fast-paced technology and seemingly connected mediated lives, the selfie is the currency of the now. The selfie is the present testament of assertion, of ownership, of projecting assertions. For all the digital noise of self-portraits, the notion of self is under assault. Despite the self-curation of the selfie, most of the selfies cater to project a certain desirability, a notion of being better than the rest. The self is now a commodity to be marketed to earn more likes, and social media traction. We are reduced to images thirsty for validation with likes which can be alienating as well as blinding to what matters.
It is not coincidence that there is a rising need for “mindfulness” in urban areas. Many say that we are disconnected and ergo quite receptive to the suffocating embraces of stress and isolation. Funny that what is called “social” media is actually an insidious engineering towards disconnection of the self in excess. Many experts cite that one should disconnect from the snarled traffic of social media, of online life to deal with real life and as a salve to the demands of living.
What is lacking in the crowded streams of urban blight (be it in malls, or stuck in traffic) is this “mindfulness” or an enhanced sense of “awareness.” In Benjie Torrado Cabrera’s latest exhibit Reflective Discourse (at The Crucible Gallery The Artwalk, 4th Level, SM Megamall Bldg. A, Mandaluyong City from Aug. 23 to Sept. 4), this awareness gleams literally through the surfaces of his works.
Through Cabrera’s deft and nimble hands, he renders a canopy of geometries simulating the high cognitive engagements of geometry as articulation and symbolizing the whirring splendors of the cosmos. Cabrera has been producing these pulsating shapes in his past works. This time, however, he etches them on reflective surface. Ergo, he is not merely presenting his visual notions of portraitures surrounded by abstractions of movement, time, and space. With the reflective surface, the viewer is now incorporated in the art works.
Therein lies this exhibit’s engagement. It is not just an aesthetic pleasure that is invoked, but perhaps a glimpse of yourself in Cabrera’s beautiful radiance. This is not merely to check your self in a narcissistic way, as most selfies are wont to do, but to frame yourself in Cabrera’s notions of the cosmos.
What the current noise of modern life distracts us is that we have forgotten to cater to our interior selves. In the ubiquity of Instagram and Facebook, the surface holds court. The preeminence of the appearance is expressed by many selfies. The danger here is that selfies can be the digital renditions of Faberge eggs: beautiful on the outside, but hallow and empty inside.
Cabrera’s works call for a strong Herculean commitment to the self to be stronger, more grounded in the quick lashes of the shallowness of life. The audience is asked to work a little harder and go beyond just by responding to stimuli but to be a little reflective. There is a difference between seeing and perceiving. Such an endeavor can have meditative qualities. His works highlight the beauty of craft and now engages with the viewers to situate themselves in these contained galaxies.
In this way, you are not merely elevated as a mere image with duck lips but you are to have a reflective discourse between the work, its representations, and yourself. Psychologists cite this empowering feeling of realizing your own worth, your place in this life when you are in the throes of awareness. People, who are disconnected, discombobulated, are more susceptible to depression and acts of violence to the self. One way for healing is a series of assertions to the self that you are worthy. These assertions are imbibed in a person that is aware.
You are beyond your selfie. You are more than a hashtag.
