{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":21991,"auction_id":23,"set_id":42,"lot_number":"85","artist":"Alfredo Esquillo, Jr. (b. 1972)","title":"Garden Of Plastic Delights","starting_price":800000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 2013 (lower left)","medium":"oil on ethylene-vinyl acetate panel, triptych","size":"60\" x 36\" (152 cm x 91 cm) each","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Sotheby's Hong Kong, Modern and Contemporary\nSoutheast Asian Paintings, Hong Kong, 6 April 2013, Lot 206
\nChristie's Hong Kong, Asian Contemporary Art, \nHong Kong, 26 November 2017, Lot 223","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"The works of Alfred Esquillo are often seen as imaginative representations of Philippine social life, and by extension, the human condition as well. Born in 1972, Esquillo received his formal schooling in painting from the University of Santo Tomas’ College of Fine Arts. Early in his career, Esquillo adopted the language of the magical and social realists, creating works that heavily adhered to their aesthetic canon. But, as Esquillo’s craft progressed, so did the underlying philosophy that guided his works. Esquillo’s works evolved from mere aestheticizations of scenes to works that are inherently animated by contemporary culture, history, and identity. This newfound direction did not only inform his works, but allowed him to utilize a variety of religious, historical, and popular iconography as a way of disseminating with and engaging in critique. Though most of his works often revolve around themes relating to the post-colonial Filipino condition, Esquillo has proven that he is more than adept at handling more general and universal concepts relating to humanity as a whole.
This particular piece titled Garden Of Plastic Delights is a tongue-in-cheek interpretation and retelling of Hieronymus Bosch’s 15th century painting titled The Garden of Earthly Delights. Bosch’s work is presented as a triptych and features a somewhat chronological narrative structure. Though analyses are varied, the most common interpretation of the work is that it depicts man succumbing to fleeting pleasures of the mortal realm. When read from left to right, it starts off with a depiction of the creation story found in the book of Genesis, progresses to a mural containing individuals partaking in earthly desires, and ends in a panel depicting the absurd circumstances of eternal damnation. Esquillo’s work operates in the same fashion but is seen as less religious and more existential. The leftmost piece features an egg with two fingers acting as its legs. As the scene progresses, not only do the layers of the shell begin to peel off revealing a plastic doll, but the world around it begins to morph as well. Candycolored elements begin to fill the canvas, as plastic pacifiers rain down from the heavens. The once muted elements of the work have now taken a more artificial look. Esquillo’s work, like Bosch’s, seemingly depicts a fall from grace. But unlike the 15th-century master, Esquillo’s narrative implies that it is the very environment that we have made that has undoubtedly shaped our seemingly absurd contemporary condition.","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Alfredo Esquillo, Jr. (b. 1972) Garden Of Plastic Delights signed and dated 2013 (lower left) oil on ethylene-vinyl acetate panel, triptych 60\" x 36\" (152 cm x 91 cm) each