Mapping Souls at Avellana Art Gallery
Jonathan Castro and Arden Mopera confront the idea of displacement, absence, and the intertwining concept of love and hate in relationships.
Words Donavil Angeles
Photos courtesy of Avellana Art Gallery, Arden Mopera, and Jonathan Castro
October 08, 2025
Avellana Art Gallery presents two compelling exhibitions from Jonathan Castro and Arden Mopera, beckoning the public to join them in the ruminative realm of self-contemplation and realizations through Castro’s “Umalis Ng Walang Paalam,” and Mopera’s “Love Hate Love.”
Castro and Mopera, who previously shared the gallery in 2023 for their group show ‘Mula,’ now return to the space with their own exhibits, ultimately marking a significant moment in their continued evolution as artists.
The Art of Finding Your Place
In Jonathan Castro’s ‘Umalis Ng Walang Paalam,’ there is a question that lingers beneath his canvases–hidden beneath his various geometric cuts crafted from used clothing, and layers upon layers of paint: “Ako ba ay nasa tamang lugar na dapat kong kalagyan?”
What began as his simple search for a missing object bloomed into a philosophical, existential question: perhaps misplaced objects and, in extension, people never truly go ‘missing’ unless they’re already where they belong.
The Artist - Jonathan CASTRO
Where exactly is the right place for our minuscule self, in a vast place such as the universe?
Prompting viewers to question faith and uncover the values placed on happiness, success, and self-fulfillment, Castro delineates his work as a “sanctuary against the maelstrom of life.”
Delving into life’s most complex questions of figuring out if you were already in your rightful place, his eighth solo exhibit probes into the depths of being a small human in the larger scheme of things, and dives into a phrase that he deeply resonates with: Who left? Where? Why? Was it departure, abandonment, or liberation?
Jonathan Castro’s ‘Lamig ng Olo’
Engaging in self-reflection, Castro ultimately touches upon his understanding of what it means to seek for your place in the world with ‘Umalis Ng Walang Paalam’: “Minsan kailangan mo ring umalis nang walang paalam [para] magawa mo ‘yung gusto mo to discover [at] magawa ‘yung gusto mong subukan.”
The Art of Emotional Contrasts
Love and hate are two of the strongest and most volatile emotions to exist within human connections. There is merely a thin line between these two feelings, and sometimes, hate manages to creep even into the strongest of relationships, threatening to wither the foundations of a seemingly impenetrable connection.
The Artist - Arden MOPERA
In Mopera’s ‘Love Hate Love,’ his signature style of bold colors and thick textures invades the canvas, forming an audacious display of abstract artworks that speak about the emotional rollercoaster that exists in relationships.
Inspired by his personal journey, Mopera seeks to map out the inner workings of love and hate, along with the unpredictability of feelings. That even in the presence of love, hate can still fester in the most unexpected of ways.
Arden Mopera’s ‘Still’
Mopera aims to show the very human cycle of loving, breaking, and eventually learning to love again: the act of surviving, a fallout after hate, and thereafter emerging from it with acceptance, understanding, and reconciliation.
‘Love Hate Love’ is not only profoundly personal, but an active representation that underneath our differences, we are all bonded by the same feelings and experiences.
Arden Mopera’s ‘Language of Love’
“One cannot emerge unscathed; but to endure is to grow, to shed old selves and emerge more vulnerable, and to discover what it means to be fully alive.”
A Space For Contemplation
Castro and Mopera’s exhibits dare the audience to embark on a back-to-back journey of self-examination and reflection, and encourage them to peek into the artists’ very own, courageous baring of their souls on canvas.
They emphasize that by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, we gain the strength to discover our place in the world, as well as face the complex mix of love and hate that envelops some of our connections with other people, and therefore grow as a person.
‘Umalis ng Walang Paalam’ and ‘Love Hate Love’ will be on view from September until mid-October 2025, at the Avellana Art Gallery, 2680 F.B. Harrison St., Pasay City, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays to Saturdays.
