Lydia Velasco’s ‘Paradiso’ at Galerie Joaquin

MANILA, Philippines - In her latest one-woman exhibition, Lydia Velasco embarks on a route to define her own vision of Paradise. 

The concept of Paradise has cross-cultural references in the history of man, most of them having pastoral or garden-like imagery. In ancient Egyptian culture, this is known as Auru, or ideal hunting and fishing grounds in the after life. In Hellenic culture, the ancient Greeks had a concept of the Elysian Fields, a paradisiacal land of plenty where the noble and the heroic continue onwards after death. The famous Florentine poet Dante Aligheri, in the third part of his literary masterpiece The Divine Comedy, describes Paradiso as a heavenly paradise of nine celestial spheres where the virtuous and the good will enjoy paramount redemption.

Velasco creates new works of astounding beauty, a world of lush foliage, abundant waterfalls and colorful flowers. Her concept is to present her interpretation of paradiso via her garden scapes and merge these with her female figures. Velasco, a Modernist master in her own right, navigates the levels of Paradiso in her own creative and artistic terms.

“Paradiso” opens on Sept. 5, 6 p.m., at Galerie Joaquin and runs until Sept. 16. Galerie Joaquin is at 371 P. Guevarra st., corner Montessori Lane, Addition Hills, San Juan City. For information, call 723-9418 or 975-9532, e-mail info@galeriejoaquin.com, or visit www.galeriejoaquin.com.