Visual poems on introspection to be showcased in Galerie Joaquin
By Hannah Jo Uy
For Katrina Pallon, a tarot card is a mirror held up against a seeker’s soul, offering a tangible reflection to aid in unravelling the mysteries of their subconscious. This is what drew the artist to develop a series of paintings in homage to this misunderstood object of the occult, which she is set to conclude with her latest show “The End of a Cycle”, to be showcased from November 5 to 14, at Galerie Joaquin. The latest collection serves as a follow-up to the painter’s 2016 show “Lovers, Death, Judgement” at Art Underground.
Pallon’s fascination with the occult and tarot cards has deep roots. Not one to be whisked away by mystical fancies, the painter’s earnest interest in tarot cards lies in how they are used in divination and the powerful metaphors behind the cards’ stunning images, overflowing with symbolic detail and meticulously rendered. A firm believer that nothing is written in stone and that individuals are the masters of their own fate, Pallon does not see the tarot card as a means for revealing a predetermined destiny, but rather as a prompt to encourage self-reflection. The images embody narratives of individuals at meaningful stages in their lives and in Pallon’s eyes, tarot cards are a tool for understanding and interpreting present situations that are hard to grasp.
“In the hands of a capable and intuitive reader, I believe that they can be used to help achieve clarity and to explore the pros and cons of different choices that one might make to assess possible outcomes,” she said. “Afterall, the cards reflect answers and energies that the seeker already knows within herself or himself.” The reader’s job, therefore, she said, is to interpret the meaning of the cards in a way that they relate as closely as possible to the seeker’s situation to guide the individual in finding answers.
While its predecessor featured all Major Arcana cards, Pallon included queens from the Minor Arcana in her latest collection to continue the narrative she began in 2016, and even as part of a concept which was incubated long before. Presenting both the Major and the Minor Arcana made for an even richer narrative in combination. While the Major Arcana, larger in scope, offers a revelation of energies and innermost impulses affecting individuals in a broader and more dramatic scale, the Minor Arcana reveals events, problems, and people smaller in scope than its counterpart. Integrating both offers an apt reminder that our life is not merely composed of big milestones, but also everyday trials and triumphs.
While Pallon’s visual commentary embraces the human experience in its entirety, the narrative closely follow women at different stages in their lives. Many pieces are socially charged, discussing women in the context of the roles they undertake in society, while others are a playful reimagining of the usual imagery depicted in the cards, which Pallon injects with her signature and beloved Pan-Asian aesthetics.
The exhibit title, “The End of A Cycle”, is apt, not only as a journey of the artist, herself, and the Major Arcana’s narrative on the journey of “The Fool” from beginning to end, but also how the symbolism of the cycle is strung within the Major Arcana. Closing the chapter on this series as she opens herself up to new artistic endeavors, Pallon proves that every conclusion only means the beginning of a great new adventure.
“The End of A Cycle” will be showcased from November 5 to 14 at Galerie Joaquin, located at Level 3, The Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. The artist reception will be held on November 13 at 6:00 pm.
