Quiet witness

A picture, as they say, paints a thousand words. Some of these pictures have great stories to tell and present a feast for the eyes, a tickle to the imagination, a resonance, an unexplainable connection, an appreciation or reflection of beauty — beyond skin deep.

Among the most seasoned yet under-the-radar photographers in the Philippines is Denise Weldon whose works are currently on exhibition at the Yuchengco Museum in RCBC. Witness of the Quiet, curated by the super-talented Miguel Rosales, runs until mid-May 2025.

Witness of the Quiet is a collection of over 30 photographs, mainly produced from the late 1990s, with the most recent one dated this year.

The outstanding artist’s lifelong commitment to the practice is displayed in a non-traditional style. Weldon instinctively seizes a moment regardless of space and time. She grounds herself to the present and in the ordinariness of scenes and landscapes as she captures the grace of light emerging from the shadows. The exhibition chronicles the artist’s distinctive engagement with the medium, where objects and life forms often become almost one and the same.

Weldon’s delicate care in achieving dramatic lighting is present in her depiction of the human form and interest in portraying micro details of life. And towards the new millen nium, her body of work expanded to taking images of structures and the outdoors.

Weldon’s mindful perspective is one that goes beyond witnessing context and form. Each representation of people, places and things becomes a soul-full embodiment of energy. They are moving, touching spirited imagery that are more than just visual narratives for they draw the viewer into the pictures, making them part of the whole and never separate.

A concept of oneness pervades — one that overrides and encompasses topical impressions but instead leaves marks in the soul.