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‘Beyond the Bark’ Explores Two Artists’ Depictions of Nature
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Beyond the Bark, showing at Alliance Francaise de Manille until March 15, gives us the perspective of trees and nature from artists Janine Barrera and Francis Dravigny. The combination of the two artists’ works function in conversation together—without necessarily being a collaboration.
The Cebu-based Qube Gallery reportedly asked the two artists if they could organize an exhibition with the two’s works, seeing similarities in themes and in style. Both artists agreed without necessarily seeing each other’s works put together until opening; they agreed that the synergy of the works was amazing.
“The one who curated this was Qube Gallery,” Barrera said. “I suppose I wasn’t told exactly why, but I think now that it was an idea that they thought would really work out.”
“Qube Gallery has the talent to blend the two artists and I just discovered tonight how it’s matched so well,” Dravigny said. “Because I’m working on the topic of the bark of the tree and she’s working on [ideas] about nature [and] scenery. And when you see the two [together], [it matches] so well.”
A Meeting of True Minds
Both Janine Barrera and Francis Dravigny’s artworks in Beyond the Bark function well together, showing different aspects of nature that the other doesn’t necessarily get to focus on. It’s interesting to see the juxtaposition of their works when put together.
Barrera, for example, contributes these expressive, abstract sceneries that create illusions of trees and pathways from her layers of colorful lines. Each of these paintings blend its colors well together, implying the seasons and the times of day through clever implication of meaning. Its methodology creates compellingly transcendent murals of the nature around us.
Dravigny, meanwhile, uses his textile work to create strong facsimiles of the bark in different trees. From eucalyptus trees to cherry blossoms, he analyzes them and tries to capture their essence through the different fabrics within his disposal.
It results in these charmingly traditional designs that feel dynamic and three-dimensional without removing it from its nature-centric roots. At times, one feels like these designs could be found in actual quilts and blankets in the provinces, bringing comfort to people.
Altogether, Beyond the Bark functions as a dialogue between two perspectives on nature. But these works didn’t start as a part of a conversation with one another, and both their creators had their own unique processes to get to the artworks they contributed today.
Janine Barrera Follows the Process
Janine Barrera’s paintings turn the ideas of trees, light, and nature into more of a conceptual theme. Instead of trying to create a hyper-realistic image, she explores non-objectivity, suggesting the landscapes without necessarily painting them.
“It’s not like I’m out to recreate these things,” she said. “I’m not copying. It’s just more process oriented, but informed by the landscape, informed by nature, but it’s really very internal. And the landscape would be more in my mind.”
She’s inspired by her own surroundings, reflecting the reality of the world around her. Barrera is based in Cebu, and she said that she’s surrounded by oak trees and other nature-related scenery that informs the images she tries to compose.
From there, she works to integrate these ideas into her abstraction process, one that welcomes experimentations and allows the composition of the image to change over time. She works towards emotional exactness, to not capture the blue sky, for example, but “the blueness of the sky, the tree-ness of the tree, the leafiness of the leaves. “
“It’s really the process of going through that,” she elaborated. “And for me, trees are more like signifiers, they’re design signifiers. They anchor the composition of the work.
“I had a show one time which I think explained really what I wanted. It was called Nature’s Abstract Truth. In the process, like I said, the elements of the tree, the nature, these are all just mediums of what I’m trying to go through, and that’s exploring truth, using these things as signifiers.”
Francis Dravigny and His Bark-like Textile Art
In contrast, Francis Dravigny is all about exactness. He studies the bark of the trees closely and really tries to capture their essence into the cloth. Dravigny sees the artistry within nature, and the fabric functions as showcases of the beauty found in even the oldest of trees.
“When you look at [it] in nature, the bark is already art for me. So I just translate the sensation I get. When I look at the trees, I just translate with the fabric,” he said. He added that he “really [studies] the texture and the structure and the design of the bark. Because you believe that the bark is very rundown, [but] it’s not at all.”
Dravigny’s textile materials are made by him. He said that he has a 25-room studio in Cebu where he creates and stores the textile fabrics that he uses in his artwork. Like the variety of bark types that he would depict in these artworks, he also uses a variety of fabrics—from abaca and local fabrics to antique cloth to tribal fibers that he acquired directly from the tribe.
“I use my own production of fabrics that we made in abaca, different, and blend also with my collection of antique or the collection of Filipino tribe [fabrics]. So some of them you can see! You can see the T’boli tribe mixed with [the] batik process mixed with abaca, with everything just to try to repaint with a textile the sensation of the bark,” he said.
Nature and Its Variety
Beyond the Bark as an exhibit is one that portrays a contrast and synthesis of depicting the same type of nature. Barrera and Dravigny have such different methods and objectives, and yet they work together as a layered depiction of the natural landscape.
Dravigny’s realism and tactility of material contrasts with Barrera’s abstract portrayal of the landscape. Yet together, they put across the idea of nature—all its sensations, its variety, and its awe-striking features that makes it such a hard thing to capture in art. One gets a fullness of experience from the combination of the two together.
“It really works out because the texture of the work sort of seems to echo each other, even though it’s different mediums,” Barrera said. “He works with weaving, texture, bark, whatever, and all coming from the tree. And I paint trees. So, I guess that’s why it’s ‘beyond the bark.’”
Beyond the Bark is open to the public until March 15.
Photos by Elle Yap.
Related reading: ‘Heritage in Bloom’: Celebrating the Growth of Local Sustainable Design
Frequently Asked Questions
The exhibition explores the intersection of nature and artistry through a dialogue between painter Janine Barrera and textile artist Francis Dravigny. While not an intentional collaboration, the show highlights the thematic synergy between Barrera’s abstract sceneries and Dravigny’s tactile fabric representations of tree bark. By juxtaposing these two distinct perspectives, the exhibit provides a multi-layered experience that captures both the visual essence and the physical texture of the natural world.
The exhibition is currently being held at the Alliance Française de Manille and will remain open to the public until March 15. Organized by the Cebu-based Qube Gallery, the showcase features works that were curated to complement each other despite the artists using vastly different mediums. This limited-time engagement offers a unique opportunity to see how regional talent from Cebu translates environmental themes for a wider audience.
Barrera follows a process-oriented, non-objective approach that focuses on the “truth” of nature rather than hyper-realistic recreation. Instead of painting a literal landscape, she uses colorful lines and layers to signify the “leafiness of leaves” or the “tree-ness of a tree,” treating natural elements as anchors for her compositions. Her work is deeply internal and influenced by the oak trees surrounding her in Cebu, turning landscape into a conceptual exploration of emotional exactness.
Dravigny utilizes a diverse range of fabrics, including hand-produced abaca, antique cloths, and tribal fibers sourced directly from groups like the T’boli. He employs a “textile repainting” process that combines batik and weaving to recreate the intricate structures and textures found in various tree barks, such as eucalyptus and cherry blossoms. Working from a large studio in Cebu, he translates the “sensations” of nature into three-dimensional fabric facsimiles that celebrate the inherent artistry of aged trees.
The title signifies the thematic bridge between the two artists: Dravigny literally depicts the bark of trees through his textiles, while Barrera paints the trees themselves and the abstract feelings they evoke. According to Barrera, the title reflects how their differing mediums echo each other’s textures, moving past surface-level representation to explore deeper conceptual meanings. It represents a synthesis of Dravigny’s tactile realism and Barrera’s abstract landscapes, offering a comprehensive vision of the environment.
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