Eduardo Joaquin: Liminality
November 23 – December 2 / December 12 – January 3, 2022
THE COMMONS GALLERY, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Commons Gallery is proud to present Eduardo Joaquin: Liminality. Born in the Philippines but raised on Oʻahu from an early age, diasporic identity is central to Joaquin’s work, bridging tensions between his Filipino heritage and the Western academic tradition of oil painting. The gestural, disrupted forms of Joaquin’s painting are informed by narratives drawn from Philippine literature, the global art history canon, and current socio-political dialogues. Joaquin says, “Growing up as an immigrant I’ve always had this desire to feel accepted in the space I occupy to the point of shedding any semblance of my background in hopes of assimilation. What I’ve come to realize is that I now no longer exist here nor there, stuck in a sort of cultural purgatory. I think that is something that I am trying to confront in my work. Figures feel familiar and present yet they dissolve into obscurity. My paintings have become a means to assimilate the figure into space but in doing so losing parts of it in the process.”
Artist Bio
Eduardo Joaquin (b. 1997, Manila) is a BFA candidate at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (UHM). He received his AA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Art at Kapiʻolani Community College in 2020 and is currently a BFA candidate at UHM. During his time in the UH system Joaquin has been a recipient of the John Young Scholarship in 2019 and 2022, the Jean Charlot Foundation Scholarship, the College of Arts and Letters Alumni Scholarship, and is currently creating a series of paintings for the Geraldine P. Clark Memorial Fellowship. He has shown work at Maui Arts and Culture Center, ARS Cafe, Mark’s Garage, Koa Gallery, Hawaiʻi State Library, Honolulu Design Center, among other locations. His work has been published in the Lēʻahi Creative Arts Journal, and the Star Advertiser.
Organization
This exhibition was organized by students in Art 360: Alexandra Melendez, Megan Ridings and Mickaela Valenti.
Sponsors
This exhibition is made possible by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Department of Art + Art History and College of Arts, Languages & Letters; supported by the Halekulani Hotel– Hospitality Sponsor for the Arts at UH Mānoa; the State Foundation for Culture and the Arts; and anonymous donors. Special thanks to The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
THE COMMONS GALLERY is located in the ground floor of The Art Building. From Dole Street, take East-West Road to Correa Road, and then turn left for the Art Building.
Museum hours & Admission
The Commons Gallery at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa is open 24/7 through the gallery windows. We will be staffing the gallery as staff allows, and hours are noon – 4 pm, Wednesday – Sunday. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, school breaks, and state holidays.
Free admission. Donations are appreciated.
Parking is free on Sundays. Parking fees may apply during weekdays.
For more information please contact 808.956.8364 and gallery@hawaii.edu