Not All Rivers Flow Into the Sea

2023 | Art Fair Philippines | Philippines

Ice cores provide clear evidence that we humans induced the rise of global temperatures. In Not All Rivers Flow Into the Sea, the artist collects and freezes water from Laguna Lake and Molawin River in the Philippines to shape water into the familiar form of a bottle. The formed ice then melts onto paper to leave imprints on its surface, echoing the melting of glaciers worldwide due to human activity.

“As an archipelagic country, the Philippines is surrounded by water. Yet access to clean water for drinking and day-to-day activities is challenging for most. Gupit shared in her residency talk how access to water was incidentally cut off on the day she needed to cook for the residency. Though explained lightheartedly, this is a daily and deeply rooted struggle in many places. Searching for Water has three components—a multi-channel video, watercolor paintings, and resin sculptures. The presentation was eye-catching, with the blue wall mimicking the blue water jugs that Filipinos use to store filtered water. Another point of interest is ‘In the Age of Abundant Scarcity,’ an installation of 44 resin sculptures in the shape of bottled water plastic. Instead of the expected pristine water in the bottles, they contain contaminants often found in lakes and oceans. The beautifully lit installation invites reflection as the conversation about water comes into focus, knowing the problem but having little access to a solution. The video series ‘Not All Rivers Flow into the Sea’ and the watercolor series ‘Residues of Water’ supported the installation. The colors in both video and watercolor bleed out of the bottle, much like how contaminants penetrate bodies of water.” — Portia Placino

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