Immeasurable Distance

At one point during our conversation in his studio-warehouse, Mark Justiniani asked: “What is truth?” The Filipino artist was referencing Plato, whom he sees as the “most artistic philosopher” due to his poetic explorations into knowledge and truth. “He hated art though,” he continued, “because he felt art is just a copy of a copy.” He laughed, aware of the clash between his love for Plato’s rejections of mimesis and his fascination with doubles, seen clearly in the “Infinity” series (2010–), so-called because of the use of two parallel mirrors, which, when facing each other, can produce never-ending reflections.

The artist often uses copies of copies of copies to explore reality and truth. (1950) for the first time as a young boy. Housed in the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Chapel, the painting features psychedelic, contrasting colors, bold contour lines and an irate Christ, his arms outstretched in a menacing pose and crushing a serpent underfoot. The mural roused terror and admiration in the young Justiniani: “The feeling of awe … that stayed with me. Fear and beauty is captivating.”