Reconstructing and Reclaiming One’s Lost Narratives

“Needle in the Head” is Kim Hamilton Sulit’s 8th solo exhibit (Blanc Gallery, June 8-29, 2019). It is correlated to his last solo show in July 2018 titled “A Hammer Inside the Chest,” in which he meditated on fear and anxiety as a reflexive sphere of death permeating his body of work.

In this latest exhibit, Sulit uses the image of the needle in his title to weave and reclaim the lost or hazy narratives of his birthplace, childhood memories and experiences, even trauma and unfulfilled dreams and longings. His works are stories of personal exploration, delving on the human psyche to reveal the tension and displacement of human existence such as life and death, desire, fear, and religious belief.

In the triptych titled “Longing for Lost Narratives 1,” Sulit uses religious icons to trace the peripheries of his childhood and home in a barangay/village named after San Roque, who occupies the center of the artwork. Juxtaposed to San Roque are the images of Adam and Eve seemingly consumed by fire, with skulls on their feet. (Are these dark and buried secrets?). Here, Sulit suggests an ideal birthplace like the paradise of Eden, yet remains mundane as the flames suggest arguments, contrasts and discourse. What connects the triptych is a dark and burnt landscape, which when taken contextually and socially, is a disturbing image of a place consumed and devastated by decades of relentless quarrying, mining and constructing subdivisions and infrastructure to respond to the needs of the metropolis.

“The Imprints of Time 1-2” explore the general notion of human nature and existence. It is a series of images narrating the desire and pursuit of happiness, fear, hope, and imminent death. What makes this landscape of Life powerful is the effect that it creates. The images reflect the fragments of time, place and culture as Life itself is carved out like petroglyphs or drawings on the walls, suggesting tenacity and survival.

“The Imprints of Time 3,” meanwhile, is Sulit’s take on the spiritual notion of redemption and salvation. The face looks like the image of Jesus Christ suffering on the Cross and a body resembling the wide universe guarded by two angels whose hands suggest contrasting views —  rejection or acceptance.

“A Needle in the Head” reminds us that we remain human and humane, so long as desire, fear and curiosity compel us to look back on what has made us what we are. Aware of our history and what the future holds, with hope as well as trepidation, we look back and then move forward in this uncertain trajectory of life.