50 Shades of Black
9:45 AM
“BLACK is not the color of
love,” shares the artist PG Zoluaga who’s exhibit entitled Black Valentine was
opened on the eve of Heart’s Day last Feb. 13.
Offering an alternative point of view to the annual
celebration of love, the exhibit is “an attempt to exist out of bounds of the
traditional way of celebrating Valentine’s Day.”
Synonymous with bleeding hearts and red roses, people would
normally never connect black to Feb and V-Day (except maybe those who express
scorn and annoyance at the holiday), but Zoluaga thinks otherwise.
“We must celebrate love, whether unrequited or reciprocated
like [how] we celebrate [both] life and death,” muses Zoluaga.
The highlight of the exhibit is an installation entitled ‘The
Remains of a Non-Existent Forbidden Love Affair’, depicting two melting faces
suspended from the ceiling, with art materials painted stark black littering
the floor.
“Black symbolizes silence for only in darkness can one hear
the loudest longing of our hearts. The bitterness, pain, angst and suffering as
portrayed in the artworks reveal that burning desire to be heard,” adds
Zoluaga. “Black may carry a negative feel, but it is inseparable from all the
beautiful facets of life.”
Hugot lines and bitter remarks about former lovers aside,
Black Valentine is a stirring dialogue on the side of love we rarely get to see
in full display. It’s the rejection, closure, and things not ending in happy
ever after. Ardent romantics be warned, this is not ‘boy meets girl, they fall
in love’ like in the movies.
“Celebrate love and its impermanence,” asks the artist. Black
Valentine shows that relationships and affairs may not always end well, but at
least you can say you gave love a chance.
“Our love experiences, whether good or bad, will always be
beautiful because at a certain point in our lives, we learned how to love,”
concludes the Zoluaga.
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