“Does your face also transform into strange shapes when you look long enough” ~ Isobel Francisco
The rain continues to pour inside her head, long after the storm has passed and after the flood has ravaged her studio and her most personal space. She doesn’t sleep, and when she does, she jolts awake before long to check for weather conditions and leaks. But when the soaked works and damaged tools have finally been swept away, there is room again for something new. She sits down and works through the deluge.
Francisco’s pieces have often been manifestations of catharsis. At the core of her art is the relentlessly human capacity to live through human sufferings. Now, during the present onslaught of the global pandemic and sinking into two years of forced isolation, this calling continues.
This latest exhibit by Isobel Francisco, who has faced, fought, and continues to overcome the many challenges life has thrown her way, fights through this growing threat of despair and oblivion.
“The flood isn’t a symbol for anything; it is largely the by-product of failed man-made systems that have not respected the raw destructive power of nature and have not prepared millions of citizens for the pandemic. But the aftermath of it can be a dialogue, and a personal challenge: What do I take with me in a time of crisis? Who are the people I turn to during my greatest need? How can I provide my own aid in turn? What truly matters, after all?”
Known for her subject matters and messages that touch us, Isobel Francisco forces us to look within ourselves to face the truths within us and around us. Using vibrant, lively colors to depict solemn circumstances, Isobel’s juxtaposition proves that in all things, there is a silver lining once one’s truths are revealed.
Keeping only the essentials that truly matter and turning the rest into life experiences and lessons. To refuse to be blind and to be numb, and instead, to always believe in the strength of the human spirit to prevail. These are necessary ordeals for self-discovery and growth. Authenticity may not be compatible with comfort, but living in truth will always set us free.