“Soar” is both Kristine Lim’s testament to God’s love and saving grace, as well as the capacity of the Filipino spirit to transcend limitations, especially during the nation’s lowest periods.
Artist Krisine Lim heralds the month of October with her second solo exhibition at the Manila Hotel. Dubbed as “Soar,” the month-long show, which ends on October 31, consists of 33 framed mixed media works, several of which are presented in triptychs.
Using her specialized technique of combining a special textured ground with layers of transparent metallic bronze and gold colored glazes over the graphite pentimenti, or under drawings, Lim creates a cohesive and compelling exhibition using the Philippine eagle as the central motif with complementing verses from the Bible scribbled lightly at the edge of each work.
An Evangelical Christian, she considers herself as an “artist with a mission,” as her faith and her patriotism serve as foundation for the art that she makes, while remaining true to her own personal life experiences. By using these as her jump-off points, she creates multiple avenues of connection with her audiences who share these with her.
“‘Soar’ is not just my story or personal reflection. It’s everyone’s story that presents who our Creator truly is that we can only discern when we allow ourselves to. It depicts His immeasurable power and might. ‘Soar’ also embodies His perfect love that envelopes us,” she said.
The majestic Philippine Eagle serves as the central image in most of the works. A powerful animal endemic to the Philippines, it is a symbol of the nation; and a reminder of both how blessed we are with natural resources, and how we need rightful stewardship in keeping the balance, as it is critically endangered due to habitat loss and environmental apathy.
As a symbol, it is emblematic of both the potential of Filipinos as a people, and the complicated societal imbalances we face because of our colonial baggage in all aspects of culture, politics and economy. In its solitary appearance in all the works, the artist seems to also imply the need to be in our own space, to reflect and to have an honest appraisal and reckoning with ourselves.
With “Soar,” Lim proposes a potential way to salvation, based on the guiding principles of her Christian faith. Reflecting on how the eagle is often used in the Bible as a metaphor to compare the impossible heights God raises his people in an effort to keep them away from harm and to raise them in exultation.
To see the solitary eagle soaring in the vast sky, which Lim often leaves bare in her works, we are reminded that it is not by the eagle’s efforts that it glides across the sky, but by the invisible updrafts of air that supports it and lifts it up.
“Soar” is both a testament to God’s love and saving grace, as well as the capacity of the Filipino spirit to transcend limitations, especially in the lowest periods, the artist said. It provides hope that even in the direst situations, the love of God, and the love for our fellow man, will enable us to transcend our condition, and be free to be our most real and fullest selves.
“We soar when we are willing to humble ourselves and let go. We must know and accept who is in control. He is in control. In our weakness, we are humbled and in our humility, God picks us up and lifts us in ways only He can do. The only way to soar is not by our own strength, but by Him and through Him; on our knees, on the ground, reaching out to surrender to Him all that we are wholeheartedly and completely,” Lim concluded.
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