For artists, identity is the quintessence of existence: they create art to essentially create themselves.
A group of talented artists is mounting an exhibition billed as “Identity,” which is on view from Aug. 1 to 15 at the Robinsons Land ARTablado in Level 3 of Robinsons Galleria. For the members, each brushstroke, color, form, shape, composition or style is a component of self-definition. “Whether the public agrees or not,” according to their exhibition statement, “a work that reveals the artist’s identity is still art in its purest form.” To achieve this, the artists do not feel bound to adhere to certain market trends or forces; creativity is king. This is consistent with ARTablado’s “Boundless” theme for 2022: art is limitless, regards no boundaries.
Ethel Dimacuha defines her identity by juxtaposing subjects in terms of positive and negative spaces rendered in spontaneous, carefree gestures.
Anne Margaret Villanueva paints women and botanical elements in vibrant colors and patterns.
Camille Dela Rosa veered away from impressionist garden paintings to bravely explore the surreal, the morbid, the mechanical and the unknown — her works dominated by symbolic leitmotifs.
Erbil Escano Jr. is fascinated by the interplay of shapes, colors and forms. He finishes each painting with thick black lines to add a stained glass, cubist feel to each work.
Giovanni Dela Rosa has explored realist, surrealist, abstract as well as whimsical art. His goal is to reach “the sea of perfection as an artist and as a person.”
Some of Khristina Manansala’s works focus on religious subjects, reminiscences of her childhood as she ran through hallways filled with images of the Crucifixion as well as the Madonna and Child.
Lito Milan is a member of the Saturday Group of Artists and the Art Association of the Philippines. He has done murals for Rustan’s and Starbucks.
Malaya Ligaya’s signature style centers on surrealistic, symbolic, eccentric, out-of-this-world imagery.
Although Norman Cristobal went from the cubism of his early work to a more modern, textured style, the sense of grace and realism is still there.
For Al Vargas, nature has always been a constant inspiration, depicting landscape, seascape and snapshots of people in a natural setting.
Rey Asturias has worked as a book-cover painter and comics illustrator. He now channels those skills in creating oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings.
Roy Espinosa reinvents himself time and time again in his quest to push artistic boundaries: from realism to abstract impressionism to surreal landscapes.
For Vanessa Joy Panaga, every part of her painting has a meaning and it always represents her mental state. Her influences vary from anime to Western animated TV shows.
Viel Samaniego loves the impasto technique, lushness of texture, as well as broad expansive and expressive strokes.
Wilson Galano considers the space between dreams and reality as something that can be bridged. His goal is to compress “time, motion, space, object, subject, pencil, brush, canvas, paper, ink into one symphony.”
Identity in essence, especially for these artists, is fluid, free and — yes — utterly boundless.
ARTablado, a portmanteau of “art” and “entablado” is Robinsons Land’s very own stage in showcasing Filipino ingenuity and creativity. This platform allows emerging artists to freely express themselves through art and paves the way to greater recognition of their talent and hard work.
ADVT
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