All of us have a story, a poem that lives within us, either we write it ourselves or recite it in our heads. The same goes when we see other people, we have a poem or a rhyme about how we see them no matter how brief our encounter was or how long we’ve known them. We judge each person or put them on a pedestal, the poems we have for them are unknown or unheard by the people we write or recite them for.

We do this subconsciously, and what we compose about people affects how we treat them. However, if we are conscious that we do this, we might be able to change how we see and treat them. Like in writing poetry, we can change what it’s about, even adjusting our composition, putting the first lines we wrote at the end of the poem. We can shift the emphasis and our takeaway about them, giving new meaning to one’s story, and therefore, having a new perspective on people.

You can see who a person really is when no one is looking. When we see glimpses of people when they think no one is watching them, they unintentionally show us their true selves. When we observe the people around us in their natural state, we begin to understand them more, revealing to us, without knowing their rhyme or reason, their untamed beauty. We are all poems, just waiting to be read.

WE ARE ALL POEMS, JUST WAITING TO BE READ is Marius Black’s 3rd solo show in Altro Mondo. Like his two previous exhibits with the gallery, he showcases artworks depicting the daily lives of his fellow Filipinos living in Manila. He takes candid pictures of them on his daily walks and paints the photos he takes, telling the story and the reality of their lives, capturing the beauty of people striving hard to survive, fighting their right to live in the streets and city of Manila.

Like his two previous shows in Altro Mondo, he writes poetry alongside the artworks, providing a perspective of how he sees the people he paints. Deciphering their thoughts and internal dialogue, giving context to a scene, unraveling a deeper meaning, and writing their poetry within.

In this show, Black exhibits 30+ new paintings of his collection of Manila Ukiyo-E artworks. Giving new light to his old works for those who were unable to see them during the peak of the pandemic, being it a safer time to go out now with the help of vaccines. People can now view his works in person and read the poetry that comes with it as he intended it to be seen and enjoyed.