Artist Milmar Onal’s abstracted landscapes retain the vitality of representational landscapes, as evident in his new exhibition, “Greater Heights,” which will have an artist’s reception today (Aug. 3, 2017), at 6 p.m., at the second-level atrium, The Podium, Mandaluyong, Manila.
On Aug. 6, the exhibit will be transferred to Galerie Joaquin at Unit B12-B13, lower ground floor.
A painting graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, Onal uses the vitality of life as a reference point for his work—often comparing his approach to that of the controlled randomness of electrical currents. “Life needs connections, link, support, power, strength, and energy,” he explained.
Onal uses the abstracted forms of technology and electrical flow and molds them into fascinating landscapes that show his ability to control the random nature of electricity. These landscapes and forms are then set against static backgrounds to highlight the contrast between energy and stasis.
The titular piece of the exhibition, “Greater Heights,” is a good example of this approach. The artist imagines a jagged mountain range against a blood-red sky—ostensibly depicting a sunset. A range of geometric and angular mountains in the foreground serves as an illuminating abstract vision that is given dynamism by the electrical currents that placed within the range’s shape. The very form of the mountain range is in itself highly reminiscent of an electrical current, albeit set in a highly geometric arrangement.
For more information, call 6347954; e-mail podium.galeriejoaquin@gmail.com.