THE TRAGEDY of the Philippines is that its history is peppered with incidents of Filipinos fighting Filipinos to the benefit of external enemies. The film “Heneral Luna” summed it up succinctly: we are often our own worst enemy.

What drives artist Juanito Torres, then, is the need for Filipinos to confront their past. Torres uses historical events as springboards to parse out the truths from the constructed “histories” we are taught in school.

Torres’ work exhibits his flair for drama and eye for cinematic action. This is certainly not surprising considering that the artist worked in the film industry after graduating from the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines.

A new series of Torres’ works will be exhibited at Galerie Joaquin starting Dec. 3, 6 p.m. Show runs until Dec. 17.

On exhibit is the seminal Torres artwork, “Icons and Superheroes.”

Titled “Icons and Superheroes,” the exhibition is Torres’ third one-man show and should reaffirm his status as a foremost historical painter in the country.

Galerie Joaquin is at 371 P. Guevarra St. , Addition Hills, San Juan. For more information, call 7239418, or visit www.galeriejoaquin.com.