Ged M

Hands together

Published June 5, 2017, 12:05 AM
By Hannah Jo Uy


“My earliest memory learning about art,” recalls Ged Merino, “was when my mother took me to a mosaic class. I was enchanted by the colors.”

The humility with which he recalls this is in stark contrast to the larger-than-life creations that Ged is now associated with.

Though he spent many years in New York, he has maintained a deeply Filipino consciousness by nurturing an invisible connection with our culture’s affinity for textiles. He remembers watching his mother “give old fabrics new life.” The ability to reincarnate old textiles was something passed on to his mother by her ancestors.

This became innate to Ged as well, leading him to an artistic process that is “spontaneous, intuitive, improvisational.” He could be taken by a color, an image, texture, or pattern and this multifaceted approach makes printmaking an essential part of his practice.

Though he intended to be in New York for only a year, Ged encountered several galleries that encouraged him to stay. He became associated with notable galleries in New York, Chicago, and even Columbia and won a number of awards such as the Jackson Pollock Memorial Scholarship in Arts Student League in New York. He was also named Top Five in the ASEAN Youth Painting Delegation in Singapore. He actively participated in local and international exhibitions and biennales.

Ged maintained a day job for the most part, which took time away from his art. In 2010, after talking to his wife, he resigned from his job. The challenges this brought added a new dimension to his process. “Without a steady income I realized I did not have access to store-bought materials,” he said. “I had to revaluate my approach. I started collecting discarded objects and using them as my materials.”

An encounter with Aze Ong through the Drawing Room Contemporary, a gallery that represented Ged, gave way to a collaboration now known as the GedAze Project, launched at the Bliss on Bliss Art Projects in New York.

Aze pioneered in her distinctive use of crochet. The contrasting yet complementary aspects of their creative process make the GedAze Project unique. Aside from their mastery of three-dimensional pieces and the effort required of their methods and their tactile aesthetics, they also nurture a very organic process.

“Aze’s is more fluid as, in a trance-like state, she flows with the work. She can maintain a high level of intensity for prolonged hours,” Ged explains. “I can be a bit more static and will step back at some point to evaluate, but we are both process-oriented. Where her works are fluid, mine are, in some way, raw. Yet there is that certain tangibility that is unexplainable for us.”

The collaboration helped Aze learn to work with a fellow artist. Initially, she had trouble with sketching and she said this was what led her to follow her intuition. “I would just crochet spontaneously with very little idea of what will come out of it,” Aze admits. “But I would describe my ideas to Ged and he would sketch them for me. I enjoy discovering new ways and techniques.  The magic (of our collaboration) might be the contrast and the similarities, the way they complement one another. But I can’t say for sure. It is still a question for us that cannot be answered.”

As they head off to New York, Ged, to go home, and Aze, for her ACC grant, they have had three notable exhibits at TDR in Escolta Manila, Fundacion Sanso, and the UP Vargas Museum, for their show “Existence,” which was perhaps the largest, most daunting, among the three for the sheer space that the venue offered.

Ged credits the idea of building on the image of the spider as a creator, which was the focal point of the collection, to Aze. “It was natural for me to identify with the spider as creator,” she admits, “creating something out of nothing, in my case, creating something out of yarns/thread. The spiders would create their web as a home and to catch their prey. To me, it symbolizes creativity, strength, resilience, survival, and existence.”

Ged, however, was drawn to the concept differently—the spider’s industriousness and ability to adapt. “Having moved to NYC in the late ’80s, I witnessed how Filipino immigrants would assimilate faster than the others,” he said. “It is one of our outstanding traits.”

Both artists have imparted a distinctively Filipino flavor in their work, especially Aze, who credits her upbringing as a source of inspiration: “Crochet is from Europe and weaving can be found all over the world, but what makes it Filipino is where it is coming from—the heart.”

The collaboration, though daunting in many respects, especially in terms of logistics, has been beneficial for both Ged and Aze. After many discussions and oculars, they were able to complete the process by entering into their respective organic flow. “One’s weaknesses are strengthened by the other,” Aze said, “through exchange of knowledge, discoveries, materials, research. The dialogue between us helps us create better, leads us to new discoveries, and challenges us to create better.”

The GedAze project showcases work reminiscent of organic life forms, as well as both artists’ strengths. The collection presents visual spontaneity that leaves viewers in thrall as they are confronted with the limitless capacity of the human hands.

“I think Ged and I are restless in our own ways,” said Aze, “Working with our hands probably calms us. Our energies are translated into works to share with others. To show others that anything is possible and that after creating all of our works, we are both left in disbelief, thinking: Hey we did that with our own hands?”

Indeed, they did.