Gravity Art Space Exhibit Uses Stairs as Metaphor for Life

We Have to Look Down to Know What’s Up is Gravity Art Space’s second of three group exhibits featured in the gallery this month. The works largely revolve around the image of the stairs as a metaphor for societal narratives. 

For the six artists who contributed to the project, the staircase shows the way life tends to pigeonhole us with a specific pathway, and how the world tends to work to ensure we stay on that path for our lives. 

“Threading this path of truth seeking is akin to the use of a staircase. Some being straight forward, others labyrinthine or steep and the effort can be [grueling] depending on the ascent or descent,” the exhibit write-up said. 

No Stairways to Heaven

Using the imagery of the stairs, many of the artists display their skepticism at the way society disseminates information. For instance, Mark Bardinas’ vivid “what goes up must come down” shows an Escher-esque stairwell floating above the ocean, forcing its users on an endless cycle of ups and downs. His other work, “snakes and ladders,” displays a ladder going to a hole beyond the sky while guarded by an angry snake. 

Mark Nativo’s “As long as we get there,” meanwhile, offers a different perspective: a ladder going up to a slide, which ends up turning into its own set of stairs. 

For the viewer, some of these paintings show a collective frustration at how society forces us to either repeat the same mistakes or to never find the solutions we seek. We sometimes don’t get to understand or know better because the world we crafted never allowed us to. 

“The simple act of telling the truth is countered by digital manipulations, false narratives and the erasure of actual histories to hide the brutality of how regimes established themselves. Those that are vocal are either submitted by intimidation or drowned into the sea of irrelevance by the useless data that are pumped out to keep us distracted, entertained and stupid,” the exhibit write-up said.

The Hope in Endless Travel

And yet, some of these paintings could also be interpreted in a less pessimistic way. 

“Precipe,” a painting by Rene Bituin, gives us an end to the stairwell: a rock with a sundial, overlooking the world around us. It’s a strangely hopeful image, that maybe the knowledge we seek will have a definitive end. 

Meanwhile, Harvy Armada’s “Script written in figures” uses polymer clay on paper to create a stairway-like look that keeps going upwards. It leads us to wonder if truth is so hard to find, or maybe it’s just something that needs to be interpreted. 

A Matter of Perspective

Another painting, Jobert Cruz’s “The more things change, the more they stay the same 1-2,” shows an escalating staircase within a colorfully-uneven city landscape. The second version of this painting displays the stairwell upside down, a less straightforward climb than the first. 

Marybob Arce’s two “Indefinite” paintings show two pictures of steps in a stairwell cut into boxes of nine. The center of those boxes then reveal a zoomed-out picture of the stairwell. Both Cruz’s and Arce’s works change the perspective of the stairs to simultaneously show the ease or difficulty of the journey. And from there, you can surmise yourself: maybe the challenge lessens from a different perspective. 

We Have to Look Down to Know What’s Up revolves around interesting images that expand the metaphor to something compelling. “Life being a journey” is a well-trodden cliche we all know. And yet this Gravity Art Space exhibit creates new images that explore the idea further. 

Related reading: Gravity Art Space’s Artist Talks Demystify the Creative Process

Art Deco: Modernity and Design at the National Museum

Running from November 27, 2025, to May 31, 2026, the exhibition traces how Art Deco moved from global design movement to localized expression through Philippine architecture, furnishings, fashion, and everyday life. The National Museum of Fine Arts’ Art Deco: Modernity and Design in the Philippines 1925-1950 explored the history of the Art Deco style in […]

How Large-Format Tiles Create Seamless and Luxurious Interiors

Flooring can profoundly influence how a space is experienced. Long before furniture and finishes are introduced, the floor establishes a visual field that shapes movement, light, and proportion. This is where large-format tiles are particularly effective. By reducing the number of grout lines across a floor or wall, they create a more continuous surface. The […]

Advertisement

Micaela Benedicto on Designing Homes Built to Last

Since setting up her design firm, MB Architecture Studio, in 2007, Ar. Micaela Benedicto has built a diverse portfolio of architectural projects. Her works, whether residential or commercial, showcase a distinct spatial quality, “I like to create things that can go from something static to something that is alive and reactive,” Benedicto states. “In creating […]

Building Third Spaces: 4 Kapitolyo Cafés as Community Hubs in Pasig

Located in Pasig City, Kapitolyo is a small village that is known for its food and beverage scene. From karinderyas to local bistros, the area is a popular hub for young professionals and families. The cafés in the neighborhood reflect the dynamic community they serve, offering more than just a cup of coffee. What Makes […]

Protected: The Quiet Power of Everyday Details

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Dexterton (DXT) Launches a New Kohler Showroom at its Quezon City Office

On May 9, 2026, DXT opened its new Kohler Showroom on the 7th floor of its Quezon City Office. Alongside the launch is the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers’ (PIID) General Membership Meeting (GMM).  The theme, Designing for Possibility, underscores this significant milestone. Three speakers were invited for the featured talk: PIID’s National President, IDr. […]

Advertisement