Art, strangely and skillfully, finds a way of seeping into people’s lives.

Think this over. In the case of a few members of this art group who were fine arts graduates from the College of Holy Spirit, their art inclinations used to be dormant since they were busy being professionals in their chosen fields or raising a family. But when the pandemic hit, these individuals needed something to cope with the bleakness of the situation, and art was there all along. They decided to take up painting again and become part of an art group formed in the first half of 2020 called ARTfinity which has two ongoing exhibitions.

One is billed as “Perpetual Flux,” which is on view until Sept 30 at ARTablado, Level 3 of Robinsons Galleria. It features around 66 works of the 13 members of ARTfinity. Each piece shows their individualism and spontaneity.

The other exhibit is on view until the end of October at Café Summit Ridge in Tagaytay titled “ARTfinity: Unfiltered.”

Valerie Teng had her first solo show at ARTablado from June 16 to 30 of this year. Val’s works — whimsical, light, dreamlike — are characterized by simple and clean lines, taking inspiration from nature and translating them via her soft, cool and soothing palette.

Aina Marcaida is focused mainly on abstract impressionism — with subjects such as Mother and Child, the Tree of Prosperity, and fields of flowers.

Andrei Solmirano’s works revolve around sunsets, landscapes and flowers. She also does paintings of beloved pets, abstracts and portraits.

Jonathan Astrid Anabo is a storyteller. Through his intense neon lights and circuit-cable-packed vibrant paintings, he is able to conjure a sci-fi world featuring cats and assorted fauna.

Gabriel Xavier Valenzuela’s style is a combination of realism and cubism.

Bulacan-based Jayvee Del Rosario is a versatile art practitioner who is currently focused on realistic imagery.

Kwin Chi was a tattoo artist first before becoming a full-time painter, making the transition from drawing on skin to rendering on canvas — a leap in terms of the epidermal surface’s rigidity, coarseness, elasticity and spatial considerations.

For Mark Anthony Janoya, art is his “source of life, euphoria, charm, luck and self-expression.”

Marie Ann Paredes’ works, which are mostly acrylic on canvas, feature various types of flora and human forms in motion. She believes that “making art is the new meditation.”

Multimedia personality Mr. Fu has ventured into painting, creating a series of abstracts and mixed media pieces.

Phil Salazar, who hails from Mindoro, paints figures as realistically as possible by focusing on details that he believes “immortalize the subjects.”

Scifi Wasabi creates art mostly on old or discarded pieces of wood, regarding found objects most interesting to work with as they present unique challenges in terms of unusual surface and textures.

Zarah Eugenie Cabangon’s works are characterized by textures and cheerful colors that create a feeling of positivity and optimism. She is also one of the founders of Smittens, a group of artist-moms who teach art to children during summer.

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.

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