James Gabito's "Aura of the Breathing Land"

In the Cordillera region, protected forest areas seem to get smaller and smaller, these are being eased out by agricultural and urban developments which for the locales, comes as a stifling new reality.

In creating a visual narrative for "Aura of the Breathing Land" Gabito presents his take on the woodland conditions of his hometown. He interprets this landscape using colorful abstract impressions. Instead of using customary colors like green and brown, Gabito made use of an auratic color scheme to illustrate the emotions of a suffering terrain.

His fixation with visualizing qualities of the Mountain province resulted in painting amalgamating colored fragments and lichen-like textures. These are expressions that intertwine with his memories of what were once abundant woodland areas. Having spent the summers of his formative years in the Cordilleras, Gabito was raised to see humans as the stewards of nature.

In this series, Gabito tugs at the notion of man's stewardship of nature — particularly the woodlands — which has taken a backseat in favor of urbanization. "Aura of the Breathing Land" seeks to bring light on how the scales have tipped in favor of urbanization. Reminding us of the comfort that trees provide us through clean air and many other gifts at no cost. Lest we forget what Antoine de Saint - Exupery taught us that what is essential is invisible to the eye.