Geloy Concepcion and What's Left Unsaid

How do you remember people? Is it based on the smell of their hair, the shape of their eyes, or the coarseness or softness of their hands, Geloy Concepcion details his memory with what's left unsaid. How do you come to remember someone based on regret, of all the should've been(s) and happy accidents that shape how we treat people. I recently had a conversation with a friend about if all good things are meant to last. Sometimes the brevity of an encounter is purposeful. I like to think that no love, however brief, is wasted, and some people come into your life who aren't meant to linger. That lingering for too long can taint the intensity of the shared moment, forcing things past their expiration date. It's a cliché, and it's bittersweet, but you can't appreciate loss without love, and love without loss. This isn't to say you shouldn't fight for those you care for but you need to know when to let go. Concepcion knows no matter how much time we have there will always be things left unsaid.

Concepcion matches photos from his archive and work submitted by participants of the project with quotes from participants on what they've lost, what they never got the opportunity to say, and isn't that such a punishing experience? To be left with all these thoughts rotting away because you can't share them, but to move on is to forget, and it's only fair to honor someone's memory by feeling everything. The images that I find most striking are the cutouts of people's silhouettes in various personal spaces with the quotes written inside. It creates a kind of uniformity to say, "you don't have to carry this weight all alone". That figure could be anyone because we all carry regrets and shouldn't feel ashamed for admitting that. As the project continued Concepcion made use of found photographs as a means of further highlighting this sentiment that you can look at someone and even if you don't know them you know that they've been abandoned or lost or they've hurt someone or hurt themselves. It's an act of realizing the fullest extent of empathy in the art-making process. The reason I collect found photographs of people is out of empathy for those who have all but been forgotten.

Some of the responses-

things you wanted to say but never did - Geloy Concepcion

Concepcion's work is infinitely heartwarming and it's so refreshing to discover new young artists, I encourage everyone to view the portfolio.