Jeffrey Augustine Songco
Society of 23’s Conservatory
January 2 – March 7, 2025

Society of 23’s Conservatory is an immersive, site-specific installation that combines photography, video, and sculpture in a multisensory experience. Jeffrey Augustine Songco captures the look and feel of a conservatory meets greenhouse during the sun-drenched days of summer, as he invites visitors to explore themes such as friendship, perfection, non-native, and exoticism. The greenhouse becomes a backdrop to Songco's camp exploration of a complicated relationship between his identity as an American of Filipino ethnicity and the colonial American behavior of conspicuously collecting “exotic” plants during the US rule over the Philippines from 1898-1946. Through the scope of florals and bouquet arrangements, Songco "plants" visual clues and non-verbal messages throughout the space, inviting viewers to reflect on their own personal and cultural origin stories and consider the constructs we create and dismantle for ourselves.

For the last fifteen years, Songco has continued to make artwork based on the Society of 23 — a fictional brotherhood of 23 mysterious gentlemen all portrayed by the artist himself. His artwork examines the construction of his personal identities and their relationships to the actual society in which he exists.

Gallery Hours: Tue-Fri: 9-5, Sat: 10-4. Reservations required