Collection: Hantungan | Kanlungan | May 2021
Michelangelo's Pietà, a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ, has always been deemed by history as a quintessential piece of work for its intimacy, grace, passion, and overall sublime depiction of the love between a mother and a child. This work places the immaculate Mary, whom most Christians revere almost as much like Jesus Christ, as the ideal mother for all - pure, loyal, and unconditional in love.
Sadly, as much as Pieta succeeded in presenting "Storge" - a Greek word for the love between parents and children, it is also successful in putting tremendous pressure on mothers to become like Mary - again, pure, loyal, and unconditional in love. Conditions in our reality, as they always happen, do not and can not allow for such ideals to effectuate. Our mothers are human beings (farther from God than Mother Mary ever was) who miscalculate and err. Outside forces in society that may differ from the time of Mother Mary also affect the love that mothers give us: labor, poverty, and gender inequality.
As much as Pieta succeeded in presenting "Storge" (a Greek word for the love between parents and children, it is also successful in putting tremendous pressure on mothers to become like Mary - again, pure loyal, and unconditional in love. Conditions in our reality, as they always happen, do not and can not allow for such ideals to effectuate. Our mothers are human beings (farther from God than Mother Mary ever was) who miscalculate and err. Outside forces in society that may differ from the time of Mother Mary also affect the love that mothers give us: labor, poverty, and gender inequality.
And despite all of those nuances and issues, we still always find ourselves going back to the laps of our mothers to receive that supply of love the times forced them to give in difficulty. In the age when love feels so numb, our mothers fill us with intimacy even when they can't feel themselves. Doesn't that make the love of our mothers even more enriching, meaningful, and powerful? Unconditional love or Pietà for Michelangelo or Storge for some is still possible in these days that at the end of the day, our only resting place remains in the shelter of our mothers.
For this year's Mother's Day, The Grey Space PH presents "Hantungan/Kanlungan" - an online exhibit that puts into display the different forms of unconditional love that our mothers have provided us all our lives. The event features artists that work in various mediums and puts their paintings on sale from May 1st to 15th, 2021. Featuring artists:
Hantungan | Kantungan Spotify Playlist