How far can you push sculpture?
The medium is heavily reliant on the nuances of volume and material, needing immense technical aptitude to execute even the most minute detail. Thus, only one material is often used. And when working with metal, it is invariably soft and malleable brass or bronze.
Sculptor Jinggoy Salcedo takes his practice a step further, crafting his works with glass and the difficult medium of stainless steel. Even more challenging, he uses these cold materials to sculpt works that are decidedly organic, paradoxically recreating impermanence with the permanent.
The result is a truly one-of-a-kind oeuvre.
Accordingly, given that using the twin media of steel and glass is technically demanding for a sculptor, it is surprising that Salcedo will only now be having his first one-man show, “Breaking Through,” at Galerie Francesca in SM Megamall. It will open on Dec. 19.
The wonderful thing about Salcedo’s oeuvre is the calming aura each piece brings. He favors trees and leaves as a figurative anchor, with water-like curves as the formative motif. His “Tree of Bounty,” for instance, uses the steel to form the trunk of the tree while smoothened green glass are leaves. Likewise, “Handle with Care” takes a detail of a tree branch and forms the hard medium with a decidedly soft touch.
His oeuvre is all the more breathtaking when viewed from the prism of the artist’s process. Salcedo does all the forming and polishing himself, without the use of assistants. His experience working for his family glass business gave him the technical know-how to form hard substances into works of art, and his conceptual acumen came from his training as an interior designer.
His decision to leave the family business to pursue visual art was a breakthrough in his life—hence the title of the show. Already with a fan base of collectors, Salcedo’s first one-man show is eagerly anticipated within the art community.
“Breaking Through” is not only a milestone in Salcedo’s professional artistic practice, it also represents a turning point for an artist who very often had to struggle to achieve the level of success he now enjoys.
Galerie Francesca is at 4/F, SM Megamall Bldg. A, Mandaluyong City. Call 5709495; e-mail galeriefrancesca.mega@gmail.com or galeriefrancesca001@yahoo.com.ph; visit www.galeriefrancesca.com.