The portfolio website of Panch Alvarez

An Ekphrasis on the Climate Crisis
By Panch Alvarez and Joel M. Toledo

Artists’ Statement

Seasonal Adversities seeks to expand the narrative on climate change, one that encompasses both an ecocentric and anthropocentric aspect of the discourse. Aside from the prevalent image of a polar bear on a slab of melting ice, the ideation of the climate crisis could also better incorporate issues faced by those at the forefront, particularly people living in the tropics. The Climate Crisis is far more complex than most people think, affecting all inhabitants of the planet including those who have little power to affect a more global discussion on the matter that includes the machinations of huge oil companies, the debate on nuclear energy, and, in places like the Philippines, a long history of colonial rule. In a nutshell, the climate crisis only compounds and magnifies existing social issues in third-world geographies and economies.

In Alvarez’ hometown of Bicol, three consecutive storms ravaged the region in 2020. The strongest of the three was Super Typhoon Rolly (Goni), which made landfall on the peninsula on November 1. Less than two weeks later, Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) struck Quezon Province in the island of Luzon, affecting the Bicol Region, Northern and Central Luzon, and Metro Manila, where Toledo resides.

Both typhoons left similar, grim images: dead bodies on the streets, submerged villages and barrios, felled trees, damaged infrastructure, and evacuation camps brimming with displaced people. All this, even as the nation was reeling from the effects of the pandemic.

In Bicol, communications were down for a week. Stable electricity and water supply would not be restored until more than two months after. To date, NGOs continue to support the local government in providing aid to the region for rebuilding infrastructure and restoring livelihood, especially for people living in coastal areas.

Toledo and Alvarez were among the various civil-society volunteers who aided in the call for and provision of relief to those gravely affected by the typhoons. Having had these firsthand experiences, the pair seeks to explore and capture the complexity of Climate Change through the unbounded lens of poetry and visual art, believing that both the sciences and the humanities have equal footing in conveying vital messages related to the climate crisis. In so much as facts are needed to communicate the urgency of climate change, we must likewise continue to explore the role of the possible and imaginable in both visual art and literature. This is the impetus and rationale behind Seasonal Adversities.

EXHIBITS

Studio Maya, Quezon City
October 2025

Exhibit photos

Zambulat Art Festival, Casa San Miguel, Zambales
December 2025

Exhibit photos

BOOK

UST Publishing House 2025

Notes

Seasonal Adversities has been featured at Greenpeace Philippines’ People’s Museum of Climate Justice in Manila and The Hague in The Netherlands in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

The project has been granted residency at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Italy in 2023.

Seasonal Adversities has been published by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House in 2025.