{"id":934,"date":"2025-04-22T20:09:43","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T20:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/?p=934"},"modified":"2025-04-24T17:25:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T17:25:36","slug":"in-luminous-portraits-florence-solis-invokes-feminine-power-amid-constraint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/22\/in-luminous-portraits-florence-solis-invokes-feminine-power-amid-constraint\/","title":{"rendered":"In Luminous Portraits, Florence Solis Invokes Feminine Power Amid Constraint"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"In<\/p>\n

When touched, the hypersensitive makahiya<\/em> plant folds its minuscule leaflets inward, protecting itself from any potential threat.<\/p>\n

Florence Solis<\/a> draws on this defensive response in an ethereal collection of portraits. Beginning with digital collages that meld figures and delicate, organic ornaments, the Filipino-Canadian artist translates the imagined forms to the canvas. Shrouded in dainty, beaded veils or entwined with botanicals, each protagonist appears bound and concealed, their bodies and faces obscured by hair or grass. <\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cSirena\u201d (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Solis sees it, the figures may be restricted, but they\u2019re also able to find strength and transformation. \u201cFilipino women, much like the makahiya, have been taught to yield, to soften, to take up less space,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd yet, beneath this quietness lies an undeniable force\u2014one that persists, adapts, and reclaims space in its own way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working in saturated, often single-color palettes, Solis renders figures who appear to harness magical powers. She references Filipino folklore and the belief in the power of the everyday to lead to the divine, painting women rooted in tradition and myth, yet determined to see their transformation through.<\/p>\n

The vivid portraits shown here will be on view at EXPO CHICAGO this week with The Mission Projects<\/a>. Find more from Solis on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cSa Lupa (On Ground)\u201d (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cTotem\u201d (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cMakahiya VIII\u201d (2025), acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cMakahiya VII\u201d (2025), acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
\u201cAlay (Offering)\u201d (2025), acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article In Luminous Portraits, Florence Solis Invokes Feminine Power Amid Constraint<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When touched, the hypersensitive makahiya plant folds its minuscule leaflets inward, protecting itself from any potential threat. Florence Solis draws on this defensive response in an ethereal collection of portraits. Beginning with digital collages that…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “In Luminous Portraits, Florence Solis Invokes Feminine Power Amid Constraint”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=934"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":944,"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934\/revisions\/944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}