NICOLEI BUENDIA GUPIT


WORKS EXHIBITIONS TEXTS ABOUT CONTACT

 Oro, Plata, Mata



    Gold plays a prominent role in contemporary myths about hidden wealth and fortune. Like the Tallano gold myth that led hundreds to gather in front of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in May 2024 to claim hidden wealth, many stories about gold stimulate human imaginations. Our fascination with gold also fuels the illegal and life-threatening gold mining operations throughout the Global South.
    The title Oro, Plata, Mata comes from the Spanish and Filipino superstition that says the stairs of a house should not be designed in multiples of three. According to the belief of Oro, Plata, Mata, having the last step land at oro (“gold”) or plata (“silver”) is thought to bring good luck to one’s home. However, if one were to follow the imitation gold bars like a set of stairs, they would land on mata (“death”). This is believed to be a bad omen. In the same vein, our greed, our exploitation of human labor, and our excessive extraction of natural resources lead us to our inevitable misfortune.

Materials: Imitation gold leaf on air-dry clay casts
Dimensions: Varies
Year: 2024



Nicolei Buendia Gupit
©