Christina Dy's unguarded moments

Artist Christina Dy, or CD as she is called, has always been celebrated for her singular vision, but in recent years she’s also been known for the scale of her work. Her last couple of shows saw Dy using charcoal on huge pieces of paper, from extreme closeups of hair and textiles to expansive sea- and skyscapes inspired by her Australian residency. For her work as one of CCP’s 13 Artists she drew a 360-degree panorama of the view from the top of a skyscraper, which you had to walk in to view properly. It occupied an entire room. When she goes to South Korea this August it will be to decorate an entire wall.For her latest exhibit, Dy decided to scale back, returning to smaller sizes befitting the subject matter and the tone she is trying to set. Titled “Lover Lay Down,” the exhibit will stretch across three galleries: Blanc’s gallery in Makati, Silverlens’ 20Square, and Blanc’s compound in Mandaluyong. Soliciting single sentences from writer-friends like Zig Marasigan and King Palisoc, Dy fashioned her own visual love stories with these words as her starting points.The first part opened last Wednesday at Blanc Makati, with Marasigan’s line: “With sheets folded like oceans, the waves folded inside her” as impetus. Dy depicts the details of a tryst: rumpled sheets and discarded clothes, continuing her fascination with textures.

A blindfolded couple. Supine bodies in repose. Limbs entangled in blankets.

These smaller drawings force one to draw nearer and peer into an intimate scene. Sometimes we squint, and the ingress paper’s ridged parallel lines create an impression of static, as from an old TV broadcast. As always in Dy’s work, there’s a play of light and shade. She mentions that it’s been her most organic show to date, the pieces coming naturally, unbidden. Many of them are paired; some are triptychs.

The other two parts of the exhibit have different details, different “flavors,” based on their respective starting lines. Still, they are stolen moments, something Dy has become quite adept at. It’s easy to imagine her in the spaces she’s drawn, bearing silent witness, capturing details with her singular vision.Part 1 of Christina Dy’s “Lover Lay Down” is at Blanc Gallery Makati until June 23, Part 2 will be at Silverlens’ 20Square from June 9 to July 3 .

Part 3 will be at Blanc Compound Mandaluyong from June 12 to July 3.

* * *

To know more go to http://www.blanc.ph or http://www.slab.silverlensphoto.com for directions.

* * *

Ramon De Veyra blogs at www.thesecuriousdays.com.