Text by Maia San Diego; photos courtesy of Nova Gallery.
Bryan Pollero’s “Stoic” series is a fresh representation of ephemerality.
From the exhibition notes written by Taco Borja, “The word week has its origins from terms meaning succession and change”. Indeed, these ideas were evident in the series of works by up and coming artist Bryan Pollero.
In the recently opened group exhibition at NOVA Gallery, “At The End Of The–In No Time At All”, Pollero depicts his take on the subject of ephemerality. His “Stoic” series, with its subtle and gradual decomposition, resides quietly inside the confines of the gallery.
As he finishes his undergraduate painting degree at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, Pollero has been active in taking his practice within the gallery setting. He describes his overall practice as illustrating the mind. Pollero’s works often revolve around the illustration of sentiments towards current happenings and how they affect him as part of society. His works may sometimes dwell on themes of social media exposure, daily personal issues, and anxiety.
Though often drawn to creating illustrations, Pollero does not limit himself in terms of material. For this group exhibition, Pollero showcases his ephemeral “Stoic” series, wherein the artist has exceeded his boundaries by experimenting with materials different from his usual illustration tools.
After several experimentations, he has arrived at using clay, marigold seeds, mung beans, and flour. Slabs of clay with impressions of text are laid out with several rows of seeds and beans that have sprouted from within, providing a fresh take on the representation of clay, ephemeral art, and sculpture.
The artist exhibits adaptability in terms of choice of material. He is practical without sacrificing quality when it comes to art production. Also, Pollero says it’s more practical for him to create multiple small works than to create big works because of space constraints.
At 22 years old, it can be said that Pollero has developed somewhat of a “growth” mindset, so to speak, wherein he believes in trial and error as a way to move forward, an idea he links to the concept of ephemerality. He says that seeing everything as impermanent helps beat the anxiety of striving for perfection and stability. In this group exhibition, he illustrates reflections on the self, in terms of one’s vulnerability and, most especially, one’s pain brought by growth.
The seeds and beans currently withering at NOVA Gallery do not merely represent decay but, ironically, they represent the growth of inspired innovation. As Pollero prepares for more upcoming exhibitions, he will, no doubt, deliver more fruitful pieces to the table.
