Ateneo de Davao University Archives and the Department of Languages, Literature and Arts present its Arts Month Exhibition: "Letras con Imagines, Letters & Images ni Noy Narciso," at the grounds of the Ateneo de Davao University Jacinto Campus.
"This pen-and-ink series presents a fresh visual narrative of the Filipino alphabet, capturing the sounds of Davao Bisaya words. Each illustration infuses these words with meaning and context, portraying objects and images that reflect Narciso's personal experiences from childhood to adulthood. Rooted in the vibrant Philippine landscape, these experiences are specific to the domestic and farm spaces of Davao. The series delves into the complexities of Filipino identity within the cultural context of Davao, exploring how local history, language, and environment shape individual and collective narratives." (PC)
Exhibit notes
Noi Narciso's Letras con Imagenes recall our collected/ collective everyday experiences that are organically formed as we engage our plural, vernacular worlds. The artworks situate us to perceive (sensing and seeing again), manipulate brally naming), and grapple (memory forming) with shared local (Binisayang) realities.
Noi Narciso's drawings (art) are not remote and exotic.
He enriches our worlds and perceptions with his own insights from his diverse art practices. He draws varied emotions ranging from humorous reactions to pensive self-realizations about who we are in our local communities.
Though the exhibition holds us in a visual experience, we also hear our own voices speaking as we become more aware of our urban, rural, and natural surroundings. We perceive sounds between commotion and silence-all being grasped as we engage and remember.
Walking through the letters, words, and familiar images is actively knowing about ourselves, making us more sensitive community participants in this part of our archipelago. (AG)
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| Noy Narciso |
About the artist
Norman Falcasantos Narciso is a Mindanawon multidisciplinary artist, writer, educator, and cultural worker in the Davao Region.
His works include drawing, painting, quilting, assemblage, installation and construction, puppetry, theater, improvisation, literary writing, and music. He creates multisensory art experiences for his audience.
Noi produces artworks with the force of life. His subjects depict scenes of local life, exploring raw expressions of common people encountering the joys and tensions of everyday life.
He brings his subjects to life on paper or canvas and through found objects, such as metal scraps, ukay-ukay, cutout textiles, and even worn-out slippers. He also upcycles these to form instruments for soundscapes that he co-creates with his audience.
He is an Assistant Professor at the ADDU Department of Languages, Literature, and Arts— the home of Teatro Humanidades, a theater group he founded in 2008 with mentors Don Pagusara and Mac Tiu.
Noi authored Soulmaking: A Creative Process in 2016 and coauthored Alampat: An Introduction to Art Appreciation in 2013.
Noi thrives, explores the world, and continues to create and learn more about art and life with his family, Neng, Gasa, and Tala (HMH).
