Words by Jona Loren and Mark Francis

 

Humans have had the perennial desire to take control of their environment. They manipulate the world based on their whims and hopes.

 

By contrast, animals instinctively settle in their natural habitat. What nature provides, they use to survive.

 

Alter this reality and both find themselves captive of unknown circumstances and are driven to adapt and show resolve.

 

In this series, JB reflects on this fascinating distinction yet alikeness of humans and animals in dealing with the world, particularly on their arduous, yet inspiring will to find and build a home.

 

The artist ponders this as he becomes a nomad in his two homes. After uprooting himself from his homeland, the Philippines, he now finds himself navigating a new life in Switzerland. While recognizing the privileges of having two places to call home, he has also become aware of the existential paradox and inevitable realities this brings: losing and finding love, giving in yet going against the tide, and letting go of the past but being attached to the familiar.

 

Ultimately, the artist finds himself in the in-between: take control of this new world or instinctively settle for what is known.

 

In ‘Nesting,’ the artist weaves the narrative of the fox, a recurring image in his work, as he carefully navigates his past and incessantly looks for his home. He uses actual location references in Switzerland to depict the journey in somber colors of fall & his signature purple haze as if giving hope that home can be found alongside the changing seasons.