Cranes, or herons as they are also referred to, play an important role in eastern mythology.
In some cultures, the crane is venerated as the prince of all feathered creatures and thus has a legendary status. Embodying longevity and peace, it is the second most favored bird symbol after the phoenix. Throughout the imperial times, crane motifs were used on the robes of civil officials to depict their ranks. Because of its ability to fly high and over long distances, its wings were used as an amulet for protection against exhaustion.
Few who have held paper have not, at some stage, folded a bird, or some bird-form, a pair of wings, and flown them, literally, or with arms whirling to create the magic of flight.
Cranes are core to origami, and the tradition of folding a 1,000, or senzaburu, dates back to a Confucian belief that they could live to be 1,000 years old. To fold so many is to conjure up the long-standing association between these remarkable birds, longevity, happiness and good fortune.
For “Significat,” Jo Balbarona uses the symbolism of cranes, origami, and the senbazuru principle –to explore the poetry of life and the world. By focusing on these elements and one’s relationship to them, the artist presents a fresh vantage point from which to consider identity, place, time, and memory. A beloved personal object retains the essence of the person who chose it, and Jo Balbarona believes that these objects have the power to contain, as well as reveal and restore, one’s hope for the future.
A self-taught artist from Hindang, Leyte. Joan Antonio Balbarona studied Food Science and Technology at UP Los Baños. She has worked as a 3D animator and video editor, and now is a full-time artist.
“Significat” by Jo Balbarona will be on view at Galerie Joaquin Rockwell until September 28, 2022. The gallery is located at the R3 Level, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati.
