by Augustine Paredes

December 3 to 17, 2023

fffriedrich
Alte Mainzer Gasse 4-6
Frankfurt am Main

Curated by Anna Bernice delos Reyes

For his first solo show in Germany, Augustine Paredes presents Yearning the Sun to Fall, featuring new works developed in his studio in Frankfurt. Curated by Anna Bernice delos Reyes, the show runs from December 3 to 17, 2023 at fffreidrich in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

In this exhibition, Augustine embodies the Greek myth of Icarus as a way to understand the plight of the brown migrant body. In the Greek myth, Icarus lives imprisoned in a labyrinth with his father, and both attempt to flee on makeshift wings. Much like Icarus, the migrant body is always in a state of departure, constantly caught in a state of rebellion and defiance. Augustine ruminates on the remorse of departure, and the apologies we feel compelled to make to the loved ones we unwillingly leave behind. A migrant’s choice to leave is both a selfless and selfish act, motivated by the potential of providing a better life elsewhere.

Augustine’s new body of work — which includes paintings, manipulations of printed photographs and objects, video, and stills — incarnates the visual language and imageries of Icarus’ myth, exploring its materiality and textures. Augustine discovers resonances between Icarus’ story, his own narrative of constant departure, the collective solastalgia of migrants — to understand the sorrow and longing of leaving.

This exhibition follows Augustine's latest solo exhibitions, 'PARADISE4EVER' and 'Light, Leaks', hosted in Gulf Photo Plus and Foundry; Anna Bernice’s first museum curation, Tsuyoshi Hisakado: Polite Existence, co-curated with Yu Iseki at Jameel Art Centre, both held in 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Anna Bernice and Augustine also co-founded Sa Tahanan Co., a Filipino art collective aimed to create a platform for Filipino art and creatives through exhibitions, art sales, and collaborations.