Geraldine Javier (b. 1970) is a Filipino artist whose work combines a variety of materials and techniques, from painting to embroidery and from eco printing to rusting.
For Javier, who grew up in the Manila metropolitan area, moving to the countryside ten years ago was a turning point and marked a deeper connection with both local communities and the local nature and vegetation.
For her, plants are not only a material for making art, but also a source of inspiration. As a passionate gardener who has a deep commitment to natural farming practices, Javier has adopted from plants their inherent ability to adapt to ever-changing conditions. Her own art-making processes are also a constant process of change and adaptation, through which she seeks and discovers new techniques.
Central to Javier’s artistic projects is the sense of community in her home region, and she often produces her work in collaboration with other women in the area. The works that result from these collaborative art-making processes often also deal with adaptation and coping with environmental crises.
Photo: Cherry Sulad
Geraldine Javier: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Void, 2024. Helsinki Biennial 8.6.–21.9.2025, Esplanade Park. Photo: HAM / Helsinki Biennial / Henni Hyvärinen
Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Void, 2024
Artwork location: Esplanade Park
Javier’s community-based installation in Esplanade Park, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Void, combines tree-protecting talismans, plants and recycled materials. The cloth-wrapped talismans bent from iron wire into the shape of symbols depicting nature in Finnish and Philippine culture, were created in workshops with Helsinki primary school children and local people. The fabrics and discarded metal cans, in which the seedlings of other local plants are planted, are given new life in the artwork. The installation shows the passage of time, as rust gradually stains the fabrics and plants sprawl along the structures.
Geraldine Javier: Witness, 2025, detail. Helsinki Biennial 8.6.–21.9.2025, Vallisaari Island. Photo: HAM / Helsinki Biennial / Maija Toivanen
Witness, 2025
Artwork location: Vallisaari Island
In her recent work, Javier has made extensive use of eco-printing, a technique of transferring the natural pigments of leaves and flowers onto fabric by means of steaming. Witness is a textile installation of five eco-printed fabric columns resembling trees. Displayed in one of Vallisaari’s former gunpowder magazines, it is an imagined vision of different futures with and without humans. The fabric trees stand as silent witnesses of climate change, but they also offer a comforting reminder of nature’s ability to heal.