354 layers of Pancho Francisco

As one of the most fervent 3D collagists and painters of his generation, Pancho Francisco once again commits to the aggregate of layers and their possible outcomes—354 in total—to achieve 14 new dioramic objects that are visually stunning in their illusory depth. This commitment to seeking profound ways to convey three-dimensionality using the flatness of cut-outs, paint and paper establishes Francisco as a process-informed artist, closely monitoring and assembling an almost incomprehensible amount of layering with clear resin to construct each object.

For his exihibit “Three Hundred Fifty Four,” the stockpiling of layers transforms the cut-outs and collages into seemingly glass-encased objects. The viewer’s perception is reeled in by their three-dimensionality, achieved by the different planes and surfaces combined where each cut-out is placed. Francisco likens the experience to viewing aquariums and terrariums, a source of childhood amazement—like “looking at an entirely different world” where familiar objects and organisms become part of something else: a world removed from ours, situated in a small, confined space.

Using his enduring theme of flora and nature, Francisco employs a variety of used books and prints to give new life to soon-to-be-discarded media. His new resin-encased worlds offer a resuscitation—like preserved and terraformed gardens. 

His flora works demonstrate a botanist’s propensity for experimentation. The rearrangement and fusion of plant species, hand-cut from different sources, are the mark of a collagist turned botanist. The new “arrangements” are then anchored onto a dragon stone, where everything is pulled together. For Francisco, the hand-cut flora signifies the inner workings of terrariums, enclosed within an ecosystem, ready to exist or survive again.

The artists also explores the combination of cloud layers, bringing about a three-dimensional form. In some pieces, he combines them with grains of aquarium sand, while the diptych “Oh Adam” is a throwback to previous placing of images and characters from old paintings.