Alta Jia: Sigma
Hair, roots, thread or the fibers of muscle. It is unclear what the complex, squirming tendrils backgrounding some of Alta Jia’s meticulously rendered female figures are meant to be. Occasionally, they are accompanied by corvids and lepidoptera, or fanciful, cartoon-like drawings of flowers or stars that call to mind the decoration of a childhood room. More often, they stand stark against emptiness or a dark wash of ink. Eyes shadowed, faces pixelated or omitted altogether they are exposed but anonymous.
By the typical standards by which representations of the female figure are judged, these are not pretty, simple or easy. A clear general consensus exists for what is considered ‘normal’, ‘appropriate’ and ‘desirable’ for the naked female body, and it is far more imposed upon with notions of beauty and disgust than the male body. It must be contained, smooth, easy to look at and easy to handle. It must not
transgress its boundaries, its natural conditions and processes must be hidden, and it must remain passive, behaving and presenting itself in a manner regarded as appropriate for a woman.
In Sigma boundaries are confronted and challenged. While the figures are frankly sexual, little is conventionally alluring here. Threat presents itself in the claws and beak of a crow. Roots or fibers appear disquietingly anatomical. Pensive, inwardturning, assured yet restless, these bodies do not entirely revel in their nudity. Instead there is a sense of struggle, unease, but there is no shame in this. Rather it is a task, an activity, an ongoing exploration. A reflection on the idea of self played out in front of us, an interior process of learning how to inhabit the body made physical. It is not about the viewer; they are merely a witness and the display is not
for their benefit.
At present the human body, clothed and unclothed is most often encountered and viewed, via self photography— selfies— hosted on the internet. Selfies frequently trigger perceptions of self indulgence or attention seeking, but they can be viewed as more than that. This form of expression is a means of taking control of social stereotypes and perception, of reinventing what is to be. It represents a performance of doing and being, not merely a vehicle of narcissism, but of self-identity. In this form of portraiture figures are often unknown, unnamed or with faces concealed. Without an obvious persona it becomes easier to identify with these bodies, and a tension between objectification and resistance to recognition is created. Alta Jia’s figures obscure an identity of their own. In mingled disclosure and withholding they push against the boundaries of the established codes of representation of the female body, creating space for viewer and artist to inhabit, learn and become.
Alta Jia’s interrogations and introspections of nature and self are a language beyond words. Channeling her thoughts and emotions through pen and ink, she also utilizes other mediums like acrylic or oil painting, watercolor, and even tea stains in order express what which she couldn’t put words to.
A Dumaguete artist through and through, her body of work has become deeply personal over the years. Depicting wild flora and fauna that are almost abstracted through her raw yet controlled linework, she also explores the human body, albeit through an honest and unfiltered point of view. Her recent work showcases an intersection of nature and human — a crossroads with high prospects.
With a significant resume of murals and public art projects, she has also done printmaking works. Exhibiting since 2015, she has has been part of group shows in Dumaguete, Cebu, and Bacolod. SIGMA is Alta Jia’s first solo exhibition.
Alta Jia: Sigma
Hair, roots, thread or the fibers of muscle. It is unclear what the complex, squirming tendrils backgrounding some of Alta Jia’s meticulously rendered female figures are meant to be. Occasionally, they are accompanied by corvids and lepidoptera, or fanciful, cartoon-like drawings of flowers or stars that call to mind the decoration of a childhood room. More often, they stand stark against emptiness or a dark wash of ink. Eyes shadowed, faces pixelated or omitted altogether they are exposed but anonymous.
By the typical standards by which representations of the female figure are judged, these are not pretty, simple or easy. A clear general consensus exists for what is considered ‘normal’, ‘appropriate’ and ‘desirable’ for the naked female body, and it is far more imposed upon with notions of beauty and disgust than the male body. It must be contained, smooth, easy to look at and easy to handle. It must not
transgress its boundaries, its natural conditions and processes must be hidden, and it must remain passive, behaving and presenting itself in a manner regarded as appropriate for a woman.
In Sigma boundaries are confronted and challenged. While the figures are frankly sexual, little is conventionally alluring here. Threat presents itself in the claws and beak of a crow. Roots or fibers appear disquietingly anatomical. Pensive, inwardturning, assured yet restless, these bodies do not entirely revel in their nudity. Instead there is a sense of struggle, unease, but there is no shame in this. Rather it is a task, an activity, an ongoing exploration. A reflection on the idea of self played out in front of us, an interior process of learning how to inhabit the body made physical. It is not about the viewer; they are merely a witness and the display is not
for their benefit.
At present the human body, clothed and unclothed is most often encountered and viewed, via self photography— selfies— hosted on the internet. Selfies frequently trigger perceptions of self indulgence or attention seeking, but they can be viewed as more than that. This form of expression is a means of taking control of social stereotypes and perception, of reinventing what is to be. It represents a performance of doing and being, not merely a vehicle of narcissism, but of self-identity. In this form of portraiture figures are often unknown, unnamed or with faces concealed. Without an obvious persona it becomes easier to identify with these bodies, and a tension between objectification and resistance to recognition is created. Alta Jia’s figures obscure an identity of their own. In mingled disclosure and withholding they push against the boundaries of the established codes of representation of the female body, creating space for viewer and artist to inhabit, learn and become.
Alta Jia’s interrogations and introspections of nature and self are a language beyond words. Channeling her thoughts and emotions through pen and ink, she also utilizes other mediums like acrylic or oil painting, watercolor, and even tea stains in order express what which she couldn’t put words to.
A Dumaguete artist through and through, her body of work has become deeply personal over the years. Depicting wild flora and fauna that are almost abstracted through her raw yet controlled linework, she also explores the human body, albeit through an honest and unfiltered point of view. Her recent work showcases an intersection of nature and human — a crossroads with high prospects.
With a significant resume of murals and public art projects, she has also done printmaking works. Exhibiting since 2015, she has has been part of group shows in Dumaguete, Cebu, and Bacolod. SIGMA is Alta Jia’s first solo exhibition.
