Adam and Eve

The creation of man and woman and their tragic expulsion from Paradise is one of the first stories learned by young children in the Philiippines. Taught in early catechism classes or read in books, this bible story introduces the concept of sin and its consequences. It is one of the stories that Geraldine Javier -- a self-confessed "lapsed Catholic" -- explores in her search to find a more universal spirituality beyond the organised trappings of religion.

The value of the creation myth is not that it relates an exact account of what occured; rather, it helps explain a truth about the human condition. 

In Javier's imagining of the Garden of Eden, Adam is portrayed as a wooden deer. Its body is marred with wounds, areas where its varnish has chipped away or has been scratched off. One of its antlers has been lost, a veiled reference to Adam's lost rib. Like Adam, this deer walks out of Paradise a broken creature, but its inherent grace and dignity remain intact. It has gained freedom but it has come at a heavy price.

Eve's representation is more abstract. Here Javier has draped red tatting lace on a painted background. The bold redness of this panel alludes to seduction and temptation, both of which are at the core story of Eve. The addition of the tatting and the birds symbolise fertility and femininity. The painted background of this panel contrasts starkly against the white purity of its partner. The gentle curves of the background somehow give the impression of flowing blood, a reference perhaps to a woman's coming of age or the punishment God promises Eve for her misdeed: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children."

Ultimately the story of Adam and Eve is about man's freedom and fallibility. It speaks of the interconnectedness of men and women, and the inevitability of suffering and sorrow.