Looking at our planet with fresh eyes
By Vivyan Yeo

Emmanuel Tolentino Santos, ‘Bell Caves’, original B&W photograph shot in 2011, colours hand-painted in 2019-2020, type C print, hand coloured photo, available in two sizes: H120 x W120cm (unique edition) H100 x W100cm (edition of 5). Image courtesy of Art Porters Gallery.

An astronaut roams around our earth, discovering the peculiarities of each community they meet. At times, they interact with the surrounding people and creatures; but in other moments, they gaze upwards in awe. We cannot see their expression, but their body language speaks of wonder and curiosity. With this exhibition of photographs by Emmanuel Tolentino Santos at Art Porters Gallery, we cannot help but ponder: What would our planet look like to aliens?

The space traveller frames earth as new land, making us look at home as if it were the first time. With rich pastures, stunning caves, vast oceans and vibrant communities, these photographs call attention to our planet’s expansive beauty. Indeed, the astronaut is a timely reminder of what we have around us. With the recent global lockdowns, people have been sharing online the desire to go outdoors, often commenting on the beauty of previously mundane sights like flowers and rivers. In many ways, we can relate to the astronaut’s sense of admiration, signalling the timeless importance of looking at our planet with fresh eyes.

Emmanuel Tolentino Santos, ‘Epecuen’, original B&W photograph shot in 2011, colours hand-painted in 2019-2020, type C print, hand coloured photo, available in two sizes: H120 x W120cm (unique edition) H100 x W100cm (edition of 5). Image courtesy of Art Porters Gallery.

The astronaut is also a symbol of progress, an homage to humankind’s landing on the moon 50 years ago. Although worthy of celebration, ’progress’ is a double-edged sword. Santos’s character witnesses the earth in its entirety, observing colossal issues such as overfishing, agricultural mechanisation, global warming, endangerment of animal species and so on. The work ‘Epecuen’, for instance, sheds light on the flooding of a once thriving village in Buenos Aires, leading to its current barren state. “Have we become alien in our own planet?” asks Guillaume Lévy-Lambert, Co-Founder of Art Porters Gallery. “We’d love to go to the moon and other worlds, but let’s start by respecting ourselves and our environment.”

Emmanuel Tolentino Santos adjusting the visor of a person in his spacesuit. Image courtesy of Art Porters Gallery.

Another important concern of Santos is the increasing globalisation of our world, which houses a wide spectrum of cultures. Honouring these narratives, the artist has travelled to various countries over 4 years, carrying the spacesuit with him in a suitcase. Not merely a passerby, he visited each place multiple times and often created his photographs with the surrounding people. “Wherever the place may be, I stop to put the spacesuit on whoever is willing to wear it,” explains Santos. “The collaboration is spontaneous and mostly un-choreographed; the stories unfold intuitively during the process.” Truly, as if treating each location with respect, Santos has titled each work by the city, area or park they were shot in, thereby giving value to the stories of specific sites rather than their existence within large countries.

Emmanuel Tolentino Santos, ‘The Baguio Cowboys’, original B&W photograph shot in 2011, colours hand-painted in 2020, type C print, hand coloured photo, available in two sizes: H120 x W120cm (unique edition) H100 x W100cm (edition of 5). Image courtesy of Art Porters Gallery.

Looking at these familiar and yet otherworldly narratives, we might wonder: who is the one observing these moments? What exactly does the space traveller represent? In curious ways, the head of the astronaut is similar to the lens of the camera. Its convex surface mirrors the surrounding area, and at times, even the artist himself. When questioned about the astronaut’s identity, Santos shared that the visor is “a reflection of our own world” and that “in it, we see ourselves and our environment, prompting a recognition of the Earth’s needs.” Perhaps the suit has an added meaning in today’s world, where face masks have become a daily necessity in social interaction. Has enforced segregation caused us to become more alienated from one another?

Santos describes the slow process of his artistic practice as a form of meditation. Using analogue photography, he would first shoot an image in black and white before hand-painting it with archival colour pigments, revealing the imagery of his worldview. Santos has lived in Australia for 36 years. Reminiscing his childhood in the Philippines, he has painted the images of his tropical home in colours of nostalgia. Back then, agriculture and aquaculture formed the way of life. “I initially made the series in full vibrant colours,” he reflects, “ but these colours became less and less varied, signifying the vanishing cultural wealth as the evolution of modern life takes its place.”

Emmanuel Tolentino Santos, ‘Balian’, original B&W photograph shot in 2011, colours hand-painted in 2019-2020, type C print, hand coloured photo, available in two sizes: H120 x W120cm (unique edition) H100 x W100cm (edition of 5). Image courtesy of Art Porters Gallery.

‘Shadow Earth’ is a treat for the eyes as galleries begin to welcome visitors back into their spaces. Despite their photographic nature, Santos’s works shine differently in person. Each of his hand-painted images is re-photographed and printed in editions of 5. He would then take time to carefully touch up the prints, leading to the individuality of each edition. Guillaume hopes that audiences will recognise the charm of Santos’s medium. “Photography can be as painstaking as painting,” he elucidates. “Theatre can take the form of a print.”

‘Shadow Earth’ at Art Porters Gallery runs from 9 September to 11 October 2020. Click here for more information.

To watch a video of Emmanuel Tolentino Santos speaking about his practice, click here.