“Nor food nor rest can draw him thence—outstretched upon the overshadowed green, his eyes fixed on the mirrored image never may know their longings satisfied, and by their sight he is himself undone.”
 Narcissus staring at his own reflection -OVID, Book 3 of Metamorphoses

What does it truly mean to love yourself? Narcissus, the greco-roman icon, tells us that it is the pure, unadulterated longing of oneself. His devotion to his own beauty was so strong that he was unable to leave the riverbank from where he stood so that he may keep yearning at his own reflection. Meanwhile in today’s era, self love is incomparable to Narcissus’ single-minded longing of one’s own beauty but rather, composed of a number of factors. These may include taking care of one’s overall physical, emotional, and mental state. Self love has become complicated and is interpreted by each person differently, yet all with the same goal: to accept one’s self.

“Self Love” approaches the ageless question “What makes us love ourselves?” In this exhibit, the artists show two different kinds of “self love.” Nagret illustrates a light blush of flowers flooding his subjects. Contrasting the light playful composition is Batilaran’s work which dabbles on a gold and earth tone color scheme emphasizing the subject of his pieces. Their choice of symbols and colors allude to the different kinds of self love as the artists know it, both showing empowerment in their own ways. Each artist has a unique approach to the issue at hand and yet when brought together creates harmony in giving meaning to how we accept ourselves.

– Wesly Sy