The Garden of Us: Three artists reflect on memory, relationships, and the choices that shape us

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The Garden of Us, a group exhibition featuring Jael Laura, Ron Mariñas, and Natasha Juliano, opens at Orange Project in Bacolod on Oct. 3, 2026. It brings together three distinct perspectives on memory, relationships, personal growth, and the choices that shape who we become.

Centered on the idea of somatic memory, the exhibition considers how experiences can remain in the body long after they have passed. Emotions may surface as physical sensations, while objects, relationships, and familiar gestures can trigger memories before we consciously articulate them.

Here, the garden becomes an allegory for this process: a space where experiences are planted, relationships take root, and some things are cultivated while others are allowed to wither. Through figurative painting and visual allegory, Laura, Mariñas, and Juliano reflect on what we carry from the past and how those experiences continue to shape the present.

The timing of the exhibition adds another layer to its themes of reflection and resilience. Its opening coincides with the MassKara Festival. The festival’s iconic smiling masks have since become a symbol of the community’s capacity to confront hardship and move forward.

For the artists, this context resonates deeply with the exhibition’s emphasis on looking inward and taking stock.

“‘Garden of Us’ would be one of [Orange Project’s] last shows of the year. This is also my last show for this year. And I think it’s a perfect time for us to explore this theme since it’s like looking back at what happened for the whole year. This is a show about realizations. It’s like compiling all of the memories that you’ve had this whole year. I think that would be a great conversation starter for everyone,” shares Ron Mariñas.

“It’s also a celebration of making it, basically. And that’s what my pieces are. It’s about choosing yourself.”

Natasha Juliano similarly sees the exhibition as an opportunity to reflect on the decisions that have brought us to the present.

“We have a festival of showing resilience [while] this show is about introspection, of looking back and taking stock and being accountable of the choices we’ve made in the past.”

This spirit of reflection unfolds differently across each artist’s work. Jael Laura’s figurative paintings return to childhood, revisiting the tenderness and aspirations of a younger self. Her works reflect on the dream of becoming an artist and the obstacles that could have hindered that path.

Laura also returns to Orange Project with a personal connection to its community. She is one of the mentee artists of Pasilyo Press who previously exhibited alongside fellow mentee artists and mentors in Pagtilipon-Tipon in 2024. Her participation in The Garden of Us marks her return to Orange Project as an exhibiting artist.

Mariñas explores the cycles of relationships and the ways people enter, shape, and sometimes leave our lives. His works consider how relationships can help us grow or contribute to our undoing, while the series remains open to multiple conclusions and possibilities.

Juliano’s works turn toward objects, tools, and the choices they make possible. Her four-part series invites viewers to consider agency and consequence: how the choices available to us, and the choices we ultimately make, accumulate into lived experience.

Together, the works in The Garden of Us ask viewers to consider what remains with us after an experience has passed: the memories held in the body, the people who become part of our story, and the decisions that shape the person we become.

At a moment in the year already associated with celebration and resilience, The Garden of Us offers the Bacolod public a space to look back, take stock, and consider what we will continue to nurture.

About the artists

Jael Laura (@jaellaura)

A visual artist based in Quezon City, Jael Laura showcases mastery in both graphic arts illustration and traditional fine art. Her style intricately weaves together human emotions and the supernatural, resulting in profound connections. Amid the trials of the contemporary world, she imbues her creations with a celebration of hope. Her use of vivid colors and imaginative elements distinguishes her as a unique artist with a captivating surreal edge. Jael has exhibited both locally and internationally and was nominated for the 37th Awit Awards in the Best Cover Art category for OPM band SunKissed Lola.

Ron Mariñas (@imronmarinas)

Ron Mariñas creates visual poetry that feels both timeless and personal. With a Fine Arts degree under his belt, he skillfully blends classical techniques with the vibrant energy of modern pop culture. His art resonates with echoes of Renaissance masters while embracing a bold flair of modernism, delving into themes of vulnerability and masculinity. There’s a quiet rebellion in his portraits, and in the beautifully crafted edges of his canvases, viewers discover a delicate balance between the ornate and the raw.

Natasha Juliano (@tasiiiiing)

Natasha Juliano (b. 1995) is a painter whose work delves into the intersection of the everyday and maximalism. Based in Quezon City, Juliano’s exploration of diverse materials and processes has led to a unique fascination with glitches, which she integrates into her creations. Her work challenges the notion of linearity, inviting viewers to engage with multiple perspectives and embark on a journey of visual and conceptual discovery.