An Unhusked Grain of Rice Fills the Whole House at Galerie B-312, February 27, 2025 – April 12, 2025
Of the Same Mountain, photo credit: Karine Guyon
I first encountered Kuh Del Rosario’s work during a visit to her residency space at Fonderie Darling. My fiancé and I had been wandering from studio to studio when we stumbled upon Del Rosario’s space. Intrigued, we stepped inside this cabinet of curiosities and began examining the details of her compelling array of sculptures and paper reliefs. One thing we sometimes enjoy doing, especially in crowded settings, is switching languages depending on our surroundings. That day, we happened to be speaking in basic Tagalog, with an emphasis on “basic”, as it’s the full extent of my knowledge of the native language of my fiancé. Thinking we had found a discreet way to converse, we even commented on how lucky we were to share a third language, other than French and English, no one else around us seemed to understand, or so we thought. Eventually, Kuh Del Rosario walked over and introduced herself. In a wonderfully humbling moment, we realized that our host, like my fiancé, was a Philippine-born Canadian. Our conversation, it turns out, may not have been so private after all.
For Good Measure, photo credit: Karine Guyon
Del Rosario’s work requires time to absorb, feel, and sit with after. Intricate shapes, recycled, organic, and found materials, earthy tones, and even the subtle scents that emerge from some of her pieces all collide, inviting the viewer into a layered visual and sensory experience that resists instant interpretation. One sentiment that lingers with me as I reflect on her work is a deep sense of nostalgia, which seems to emanate quietly yet powerfully from her overall installation.
As one moves through Kuh Del Rosario’s exhibition, it becomes immediately evident that her cultural inheritance is deeply woven into her practice. Several works reference domestic cultural symbols familiar in Filipino households, most notably a 3D-scanned reinterpretation of low-relief wall decorations taken from her grandparents’ home in Batan, Aklan. Strategically placed at the forefront of the exhibition space, Del Rosario pays homage to the cornerstone of Filipino culture: the family. These reliefs depict Tinikling, a traditional folk dance emblematic of Filipino cultural performance. Through digital scanning and CNC machining, Del Rosario reconstructed in 3D the figures using salvaged wood scraps, preserving and transforming its original vernacular aesthetic. The recontextualized sculpture is displayed on a wooden stand, ebonized with steel wool and white vinegar, and encrusted with used coffee grounds and salt crystals. The inclusion of vinegar, a staple in Filipino cuisine, extends the work’s cultural references into the culinary realm, accentuating the role of taste and scent in the transmission of heritage. In this one piece alone, called The Long Dance Home, Del Rosario articulates a complex negotiation between memory, diasporic longing, and cultural preservation through both form and material.
The Long Dance Home, photo credit: Guy L’Heureux
One of the most compelling aspects of Kuh Del Rosario’s practice is her sensitive and intentional use of scale. Her sculptures, and the way they are thoughtfully installed within the gallery space, allow the viewer to move fluidly between the intimate and the monumental. From small figurines arranged within larger compositions that evoke bird’s-eye views of coastal scenes, to expansive works like Made of the Same Mountain, which commands space and presence much like its title suggests, Del Rosario’s use of scale is both physical and emotional. This interplay invites close, delicate observation of minute details, and also inspires awe at the larger structures, some of which are composed of tiny grains, layered with symbolism to create a whole.
Offerings Along a Thirsty Path detail, photo credit: Karine Guyon
These choices are deeply connected to her return to and involvement in the arts community in Aklan, on the island of Batan—the homeland of her grandparents and a place that holds personal and cultural significance. Del Rosario’s roots are woven throughout the work, emerging in matter, scent, and reference, carrying with them the quiet fragrance of what is cherished. Throughout the installation, Del Rosario communicates a profound love for her cultural values, a devotion that infuses each piece with intimacy, care, and reverence.
Kuh Del Rosario’s work is raw and emotional, with a pinch of humor; it pays homage to memories, to the family, and the homeland. Through careful attention to detail, material, and scale, she evokes a place, a feeling of belonging, a longing, and a deep-rooted identity. Her installations offer a space where fragments of personal and collective histories converge, reminding us that home is a powerful feeling that never leaves us, one that, when lost, we are always looking for until it is found again.
Offerings Along a Thirsty Path, photo credit: Guy L’Heureux
Text by Karine Guyon website, instagram
Kuh Del Rosario website, instagram
Header photo credit installation image: Guy L’Heureux