Prompted: Exhibitions in June 2024
Words Amanda Juico Dela Cruz
June 24, 2024
What prompts artists in their practice? The show curated by James Clar was put up to refresh one’s memory as well as to reflect on the journey of ten established artists. Romulo Olazo’s sketches of the female nude were evoked by his passion for the human figure. Norberto Roldan’s artistic practice was precipitated by the Marcos regime during his formative years as an artist. Art history persuaded Salvador J. Ching as well as Arvi Fetalvero. Curiosity motivated Jon Cuyson, Lizza May David, and and Kat Medina. Something always has to start from a point, pushed further by anything that urges artists to do so.
Romulo Olazo, Nude, Charcoal & Conte crayon on paper, 1977, 48x63.5cm
Olazo Nudes: The Secret Body of Abstraction by Romulo Olazo at BenCab Museum
Known for the artist’s grand artistic pursuit in his large-scale abstractions, the most known of which are the series of Diaphanous and of Permutation, the posthumous exhibition reveals his mastery as well in the representational form. Works from his treasure chest of nude sketches of the female figure are put up. More than their sensual characteristics, the works boast the artist’s deep appreciation for the human figure. And more than the materiality of the human flesh, the artist sought the spiritual connection in mimetically rendering the body on to a sheet of paper using crayon, charcoal, pen, ink, and pencil.
Norberto Roldan, How Not to Win a Revolution
How Not to Win a Revolution by Norberto Roldan at Silverlens Galleries
Instead of weaving the past and the present, the artist untangles the two time periods because only then will new narratives be formed. This is not to forget what should not be forgotten, but to recontextualize the “was” and the “is” to come up with a genuine synthesis through his assemblages, installations, and embroideries. Preoccupied by social, political, and cultural situations in his homeland, the artist turns to warfare and religion as well as to mass media as his conceptual materials. He tests the possibilities in found objects, imageries, and texts together with unearthed fabrics, liturgical vestments, and personal mementos.
Timelines 3
Time Crossing by Salvador J. Ching at Altro Mondo Arte Contemporanea
World-renowned masterpieces meet the women of Malolos. Visual art-making meets historical revisitation. Narratives meet passing time. The works in the exhibition cross from one story to another, from one idea to another, and from one temporal reality to another. It transcends from categories so it could spark a dialogue, one that cuts across cultures and eras. Yet, it is a dialogue that can be understood as it is spoken in the universal language of visuality, of art. Despite miles and miles of differences, the elements are put together on to a canvas. It is indeed a time-traveling and thought-provoking adventure.
Alee Garibay Lullabye 4 OC 8inx10in 2024
Counting the tears that water the earth by Alee Garibay, Ally H. Publico, Carla Gamalinda, Christine Chung, Eunice Sanchez, Hannah Nantes, Isha Naguiat, Jan Sunday, Joanne Cesario, Julieanne Ng, Katarina Estrada, Lui Gonzales, Margaux Blas, Rufa Lapeña, Sarah Conanan, Tisha Paculba, and Zeelah Aquilizan, and curated by Arvi Fetalvero at Vintage Contemporary
Motivated by “A Study on Herstory,” an ongoing research project by Arvi Fetalvero, the works came from different directions, but ultimately found an intersection at the artists’ lived experiences as a woman. With the steady rise of feminist art since the 70s, the show was curated to meditate on the parallels, the diversions, and of course, the intersections in the narratives of women artists in the contemporary era. How are the issues of women today different from the issues of those from, let’s say, the 70s? What problems persist? What kind of battles should women prepare for in the future?
Encounters of Disbelief by Jon Cuyson, Lizza May David, and Kat Medina, and curated by Jon Cuyson at Galleria Duemila
Three artists come together to challenge what is known about, and to test the possibilities of and in painting, sculpture, and installation. Prompted by Gilles Deleuze’s idea of becoming, the objective of the group show is to provoke thinking when the viewer encounters the works of art. What occurs during one’s encounter? For the artists, art production is more of something akin to a meeting or a collision between or among acquaintances or even lovers. Passing, but definitely life-changing. The end product is one that explores, queers, the color, the texture, the materiality, the structure, and the space it occupies.
