The title of this exhibition, Hamuok, is drawn from the Hiligaynon word for “deep slumber”. Roland Llarena, a full-time artist, meticulously crafts his waking reality – a world saturated with news of war, environmental destruction, and collective anxieties. Hamuok is the artists’ way of documenting the unseen realm where these external stimuli bleed into the artist’s subconscious, manifesting in unexpected forms.

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, refers to dreams as the reflection of the unconscious process. Llarena’s paintings echo this sentiment, functioning as visual narratives brewed in the depths of his psyche. By relinquishing some control and embracing the free flow of the unconscious, Llarena allows these external influences to morph into free-flowing forms in neutral shades.

Hamuok invites us to look beyond the meticulously crafted surfaces of Llarena’s art and delve into the cryptic messages unveiled in his dreams. By confronting the unsettling imagery within, we might gain a deeper understanding of the anxieties that permeate our waking lives, anxieties that Llarena, through the transformative power of slumber, lays bare for all to see.