FOLD & UNFOLD

a solo exhibit by Ezekiel Fajardo

The title Fold and Unfold describes the narrative of fabric. We fold and unfold fabrics methodically, accidentally, precisely, and abruptly. The phrase describes both a simple action and the distinct character of fabric to be both a predictable object and evolving entity. It echoes in a repetitive cycle – one we can depend on for the intimate role it plays in our day to day, as each crease tells a story of ubiquity and idiosyncrasy.

In Fold and Unfold, Ezekiel Fajardo depicts the elegance and mystery of fabrics in black and white. Painted in graceful detail, the artist illustrates fabrics and dresses in austere black, dancing and draped delicately across his canvases. He renders them animate, dynamic and poised, highlighting the way fabric can often have a spirit of its own, independent of its wearer. For Fajardo, there is both a simplicity and mystery to be found in fabric. Delving past the physicality of his subjects into the winding topographies of each textile, we are faced with the enigma of such mutable forms. How do these blank canvases conjure notions of identity, tradition, history, life, and even death? Fajardo airs these mysteries out in the open for contemplation.

We have a close connection to fabrics that transcends cultural and gender-defined boundaries. It allows one to see the past memories, both the mundane and significant, reflected in pools of soft black. Fajardo invites viewers to sit peacefully with this connection and all its nuances, “As if idling by the beach, yet from a distance one does not see waves, but ripples of cloth.”

- Mara Fabella