Augustine Paredes Builds His Paradise Home at Gulf Photo Plus

By Sophie Mayuko Arni

Published on Feb 9, 2023

Walked in – greeted by colors, hues of peach, indigo blue, holographic filters, and the rawness of authentic photographs. Welcome to PARADISE 4EVER, the world of Augustine Paredes, an artist we have had the honor of featuring multiple times on Global Art Daily.

Augustine has become a fixture of the Dubai photography scene. Lending his camera to Seeing Things, he is the man behind many of the installation views we marvel at in the UAE. An artist in his own right, he also completed the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (SEAF), has exhibited his many series of photographs in venues throughout the country, and has been commissioned by the likes of Alserkal Arts Foundation, Art Dubai, Goethe Institut, and Warehouse 421. I’m thinking particularly of his series of photographs, self-portraits of the artist lying in bed facing away from the camera, which has been exhibited in various forms at Warehouse421 and Engage101’s exhibition at Sotheby’s Dubai, and was the starting inspiration for the cover of Augustine’s self-published Long Night Stands with Lonely, Lonely Boys book.

Augustine’s ethos is the “Migrant Heart”, the two words that begin PARADISE 4EVER’s curatorial text. Originally Filipino, Augustine has been residing in Dubai for the past few years. Much of his work deals with the longing for a concept of home, a concept foreign to a migrant heart who travels across continents, meets fleeting strangers, and uproots himself from place to place, searching for intimacy and authentic, deep, human connection.

1. Installation views of Augustine Paredes, Paradise 4 Ever, 2023, at Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai. Courtesy of the artist.

This exhibition, in my humble opinion, marks a turning point in Augustine’s artistic practice. He is accomplishing himself as an artist – ready to digest his decade-long nomadic adventures, and ready to show us his inner world as it is.

This exhibition, in my humble opinion, marks a turning point in Augustine’s artistic practice.

Not hiding under his alias painter name anymore (Clementine Paredes, you will be missed), Augustine presented us with an explosion of colors, mixed-media technique, and a rich inner world. Perhaps more vulnerable to any other exhibitions he has undertaken, this show gave me the chance to meet Augustine for the first time again.

PARADISE 4EVER is filled with installations, and I think shows a new direction for the artist’s journey. I think it will become clearer in the future that photography should be understood as part of Augustine’s work, not his whole work. Augustine has always proved to do great installations - his work shown in As We Gaze Upon Her curated by Banat Collective at Warehouse421 proved he could bring an immersive aspect to his photography. Installing an actual bed and printing his photograph on the bedsheet worked very well for example.

2. Installation views of exhibition: Paradise 4 Ever, 2023, Gulf Photo Plus. Courtesy of the artist.

I heard from another artist who visited the exhibition that while the works on view were fantastic, the show blended too many themes into one. I would partly agree, but I also think when someone has so much creativity inside them, with so many messages to spread, there is no way to stop it from coming out. Contrary to his previous shows, he did not necessarily focus on one series or one concept: PARADISE 4EVER is a compilation of two or three exhibitions in one. You can feel that the artist has a lot to express, likes to experiment with different techniques, and would not like to be confined in one box.

While this exhibition functions as an experimental retrospective, I think Augustine’s next show will solidify his practice with another focused series of works. Every artist goes through a journey of exploration and self-discovery. Every artist also has a signature series, or technique, that they become known for – a recognizable type of work that strikes a chord between medium and message, and fundamentally derives from the artist’s personal life story, surrounding, community, and message to the world. Art comes from clear, succinct, and well-crafted distillation of a chaotic, enriching, lived experience. Augustine’s cup is full and he has all the materials he needs to now digest and distill.

3. Augustine Paredes, Mother, Acrylic on photographic print, framed. Image courtesy of the artist.

The work which stood out most to me was a large framed portrait of Augustine’s mother. Powerful, raw, natural. The picture had a certain Wolfgang Tillmans quality to it. No frills added, the portrait just exists. Mother exists – in the context of the exhibition, and as an extension, of Augustine’s life – as an anchor. Strength and resilience can be felt in her eyes, and the wonderful indigo blue stripe, that covers half the photograph, adds a quality of nobility, stature, and solidity.

Mother exists – in the context of the exhibition, and as an extension, of Augustine’s life – as an anchor.

We should not forget that a lot of Augustine’s work can be labeled as transient and fragile, not only in its content but in its medium. Photographic prints are paper, not stone. Framing the mother in solid glass made this work stand out amongst the rest.

4. Left: Augustine Paredes, Velvet Hammer II. Photographic print. Courtesy of the artist. Right: Augustine Paredes, Portal to Paradise. Photographic print on fabric. Courtesy of the artist.

A solo exhibition does not come around often for artists, especially for photographers in Dubai. In this sense, credit is due to Gulf Photo Plus for nurturing Augustine, as well as many next-generation photographers who call this city home. Augustine lived up to the task. His multi-tasking DIY spirit can be felt through the exhibition walls. I can sense that he was in charge of the whole creative direction: from the color of the walls to the catalogue text, to the installation pictures – which I have a feeling he took himself – everything is branded Augustine, and that perhaps, is the unifying factor of the exhibition. I was struck by the exhibition design, colored walls, and paint on photographs.

A solo exhibition does not come around often for artists, especially for photographers in Dubai. Augustine lived up to the task.

5. Top: Augustine Paredes, Only Love. Bottom: Augustine Paredes, Follow The Fire. Mixed media, framed. Courtesy of the artist.

We often hear that the UAE art scene feels like a bubble, shows get repetitive, and we often see the same artists exhibited across the major known venues. I think Augustine has proved himself, in the Dubai scene, as one of the top emerging artists of his generation. Post-SEAF, post-art fair (Augustine already showed in curated sections of both Abu Dhabi Art and Art Dubai), post-421, post-Alserkal gallery shows – where else do you exhibit? The UAE art scene lives in its own bubble, which is somewhat an oxymoron to the concept of a country that always moves forward, with the influx of population migrating in and out of the country. When artists grow and mature, it’s only natural that they want to expand out of their regular practice and reach new territories, new color palettes, new themes outside their boxed-in category. The venues that welcome photographers, installation and mixed-media artists tend to be limited, so exhibitions tend to feel repetitive because of their white-cube format, even though their subject matter differ.

Post-SEAF, post-art fair, post-421, post-Alserkal gallery shows – where else do you exhibit?

I think it would take one great institution to see Augustine’s potential – many great curators have already seen it – and choose to show his work, differently. The artist can produce. That is not a question. But how would his work look like if it was on a larger scale, using sturdier materials?

To go back to the fragility that is so well celebrated in Augustine’s works, both in content and in form, what if we suddenly made this fragility monumental? What if Augustine’s photograph became as sturdy and large as a Dubai skyscraper? What if his constant state of transience and nomadism, of feeling at home between multiple rooms and multiple countries, was suddenly rooted in the city that he has called home for many years now?

6. Augustine Paredes, A Burning Sensation. Mixed media. Courtesy of the artist.

What if we suddenly made Augustine’s fragility monumental?

6. Installation view of exhibition: Paradise 4 Ever, 2023, Gulf Photo Plus. Courtesy of the artist.

What if someone gave him a solid, non-moveable, public art commission? This could be a riskier choice but one I feel Dubai is ready for, especially as it is set to become one of the world’s major cultural capital by mid-century. More than a celebration of Augustine’s life, this exhibition can also be understood as a commentary on Dubai itself. Dubai is migrant, transitory, and filled with rich experiences. Dubai is colorful, and the many people who call the city home can relate to Augustine’s longing for a motherland. Augustine’s photographs speak of an inclusivity that is very much mirroring Dubai’s ethos.

Dubai is migrant, transitory, and filled with rich experiences. Dubai is colorful, and the many people who call the city home can relate to Augustine’s longing for a motherland.

8. left: Augustine Paredes, Icarus Before Jupiter. Photographic print. Courtesy of the artist. right: Augustine Paredes, Tendeer Touch. Photographic print. Courtesy of the artist.

Augustine, in the video accompanying this exhibition, refers to what home means to him: “Home is a place that is not physical. Home is a mindset. Home is my mother. Home is paradise.”

Home is a place that is not physical. Home is a mindset. Home is my mother. Home is paradise

- Augustine Paredes

In some sense, this exhibition feels like walking into Augustine’s home.

Augustine Paredes is a Filipino multi-disciplinary artist questioning what it means to desire in the light of love, loss, and longing. His lyrical, contemporary, and sensuous visual narratives are derived from his many-storied travels, South East Asian consciousness, and curious gaze.

Primarily working within the realms of image-making via photography, painting, poetry, and installation, he has been commissioned by Alserkal Arts Foundation, Art Dubai, Goethe Institut, and Warehouse 421. He is a guest resident at Alserkal Arts Foundation in Dubai and artist-in-residence at the AlUla Artist in Residence by the Royal Commission of Al Ula and Afalula in Saudi Arabia. He is an alumna of Salama Bint Hamdan Emerging Artist Fellowship, Campus Art Dubai, and International Summer School of Photography, and has been nominated for 13 Artists Awards, World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. He has exhibited in the Philippines, Malaysia, Latvia, Australia, United States of America and the United Arab Emirates.

As an independent publisher, he has authored art books entitled Conversations at the end of the universe (2020), Long Night Stands With Lonely, Lonely Boys (2021), Happy to be here to be happy (2022). He is a co-founder of Sa Tahanan Collective along with artist and curator Anna Bernice, they aim to create a platform for Filipino art and creatives through exhibitions, art sales, and collaborations.

Gulf Photo Plus (GPP) is the region’s center for photography, a community organization cultivating visual practices and cultural production locally in the UAE, and internationally, across MENASA. GPP engages, educates, and inspires with exhibitions, educational workshops, art programs, community events, state-of-the-art fine art archival printing and film processing services, and specialized resources.

Sophie Mayuko Arni is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Global Art Daily E-Issues.

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🔍 Legal

Augustine Paredes Builds His Paradise Home at Gulf Photo Plus

This exhibition, in my humble opinion, marks a turning point in Augustine’s artistic practice.

Mother exists – in the context of the exhibition, and as an extension, of Augustine’s life – as an anchor.

A solo exhibition does not come around often for artists, especially for photographers in Dubai. Augustine lived up to the task.

Post-SEAF, post-art fair, post-421, post-Alserkal gallery shows – where else do you exhibit?

What if we suddenly made Augustine’s fragility monumental?

Dubai is migrant, transitory, and filled with rich experiences. Dubai is colorful, and the many people who call the city home can relate to Augustine’s longing for a motherland.

Home is a place that is not physical. Home is a mindset. Home is my mother. Home is paradise

︎︎︎Previous Next︎

E-Issue 07 –– AUHWinter 2023-24

E-07++ Winter/Spring 2024

About ––

Interviews ––

Open Call ––

Newsletter ––

Chronological Archive ––

E-Issue 01 –– AUH/DXB Summer 2020

E-01++ Fall/Winter 2020-21

🎙️GAD Talk Series –– Season 1 2020

E-Issue 02 –– NYC Spring 2021

E-02++ Spring/Summer 2021

E-Issue 03 ––TYO Fall 2021

E-03++ Fall/Winter 2021-22

E-Issue 04 –– IST Spring 2022

E-04++ Spring/Summer 2022

E-Issue 05 –– VCE Fall 2022

E-05++ Fall/Winter 2022-23

E-Issue 06 –– DXB/SHJSpring 2023

🔍 Legal

Augustine Paredes Builds His Paradise Home at Gulf Photo Plus

This exhibition, in my humble opinion, marks a turning point in Augustine’s artistic practice.

Mother exists – in the context of the exhibition, and as an extension, of Augustine’s life – as an anchor.

A solo exhibition does not come around often for artists, especially for photographers in Dubai. Augustine lived up to the task.

Post-SEAF, post-art fair, post-421, post-Alserkal gallery shows – where else do you exhibit?

What if we suddenly made Augustine’s fragility monumental?

Dubai is migrant, transitory, and filled with rich experiences. Dubai is colorful, and the many people who call the city home can relate to Augustine’s longing for a motherland.

Home is a place that is not physical. Home is a mindset. Home is my mother. Home is paradise

︎︎︎Previous Next︎

E-Issue 07 –– AUH
Winter 2023-24

E-07++
Winter/Spring 2024

E-Issue 01 –– AUH/DXB
Summer 2020

E-01++
Fall/Winter 2020-21

E-Issue 02 –– NYC
Spring 2021

E-02++
Spring/Summer 2021

E-Issue 03 ––TYO
Fall 2021

E-03++
Fall/Winter 2021-22

E-Issue 04 –– IST
Spring 2022

E-04++
Spring/Summer 2022

E-Issue 05 –– VCE
Fall 2022

E-05++
Fall/Winter 2022-23

E-Issue 06 –– DXB/SHJ
Spring 2023