Monica Delgado earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in Painting from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Cum Laude. She has exhibited her work in solo and group shows in Manila, Singapore, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston and Miami. Her works are part of permanent collections in Conrad Hotel Manila, Andaz Hotel Singapore, Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, and Broadway playwright and actor, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s personal collection. She is represented by Maybaum Gallery in San Francisco, and has completed two residencies from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Monica lives and works in New York City.

What are the usual themes in your work?

Repetition — My work involves a lot of repetition, both in the process and visual patterns the repetitive process creates.  

Ambiguity — There also is a lot of ambiguity in perception of material. Some people mistake the paint for fabric and textiles or even paper.  

Materiality — My work explores the materiality and physicality of paint beyond its traditional process of using a paintbrush to apply it to a two-dimensional surface.

Tell us about your latest project/s or anything you are currently working on.

I am currently working on a solo show at Artinformal.  I’m exploring a variation of my Drawing the Line series that I haven’t quite explored before.   So far, I’m loving the results.

How do you study or research for a project?

I read a lot and see a lot of art.  I’ll create prototypes of concepts I want to explore and learn from both their successes and failures.

What are the processes involved in your art-making?

My process involves drying acrylic paint in layers, drips, individual strips or sheets. I squeeze paint out of condiment bottles in varying lines, drip paint from sticks or knives, or spread it with putty tools and scrapers. Once it’s dry, I stack, layer, coil, roll, drape or wrap the paint around objects or cut it into tiny pieces and adhere it together. 

When working for an exhibition, how do you know which work to include?  

My pieces are so time-consuming that I never really have a huge inventory to choose from for an exhibit.  I usually make pieces specifically for a show or commission.

Name some of the artists who have influenced you in your practice.

Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Agnes Martin, Tara Donovan, Eva Hesse, Charline Von Heyl

Among your works, which of them could be called your favorites? 

While I enjoy the joys and challenges of all the different bodies of work I do, the three bodies of work I enjoy doing most are the What’s a Painting series, Drawing the Line series and the Art in America series.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

Learning how to do a backflip.