Artist Biography
Geraldine Javier (b. 1970, Makati City, Philippines, based in Batangas, Philippines) creates mixed-media works that examine themes of memory, mortality, and our relationship with nature and with each other. From dioramic elements that protrude from paintings to canvases sewn into tents, her layered expressions explore universal values that connect individuals.
Javier was part of the generation of young Filipino artists who moved beyond Social Realism in the 1980s and 1990s, experimenting with unconventional media and conceptual approaches instead. Drawing on a childhood marked by illness, isolation and a strict religious upbringing, she produced emotionally charged works like Blood Type C (Catholic), Major Major G (Guilt) (2011), which mimics the format of an altarpiece and questions the Catholic Church’s dominance in society and policy-making. Javier’s relocation to the countryside in 2013 shifted her focus towards a deeper exploration of the natural environment, as well as collaborations with the women in her local community.
Javier obtained her BFA in Painting from the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City in 1997. Her work can be found in various collections including Arario Museum, Seoul; National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Manila; and Singapore Art Museum.
Notable exhibitions include A Heart that Weaves Banana Leaves (2024), ASEAN Culture House, Busan; Far Away But Strangely Familiar (2019), Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, Bratislava; Passion and Procession (2017), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Curiosities (2013), Jorge B. Vargas Museum, Quezon City; and Thrice Upon A Time (2009), Singapore Art Museum. The artist has also participated in major international festivals including Shelter (2025), 3rd Helsinki Biennale; Choreographies of the Impossible (2023), 35th São Paulo Bienal; Construction of the Possible (2018), 13th Havana Biennale; and 4th Prague Biennale (2009).
Javier had her residency at the STPI Workshop in 2012, which resulted in the exhibition Playing God in an Art Lab (2012).