In A Kiss on the Ground (Halik sa Lupa), a solo show by acclaimed Filipino artist Leslie de Chavez, he returns to his native Quezon province as both witness and interlocutor. Curated by Joyce Toh, the exhibition unfolds as a vibrant tableau of mixed-media installations, sculptures, and paintings, drawing from Lucban’s celebrated fiestas—the Pahiyas harvest festival, Holy Week rites, and the parades of Higantes (giants). Through these culturally rooted yet visually sumptuous works, de Chavez explores how faith, excess, and endurance intertwine within the collective psyche of a people shaped by both bounty and inequity.
Thanksgiving, in all its forms, is an act of gratitude and a symbol of hope. But beneath the exuberance of celebration lies a reckoning. A Kiss on the Ground probes the paradoxes at the heart of Filipino devotion: reverence and indulgence, sacrifice and spectacle, piety and performance. De Chavez’s works seduce through their splendour—gilded surfaces, vivid hues, monumental forms—while unveiling the tensions between faith and power, ritual and politics, wealth and want. His sharp yet empathetic vision exposes the dissonance between the abundance of the land and the deprivation of those who labour upon it.
Venue: Gajah Gallery, 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, #03-04, Singapore 089065
When: 26 Oct - 30 Nov 2025,
By: Gajah Gallery
