FOUR one-man shows comprise the latest exhibition lineup of Art Elaan, featuring artists who have distinguished themselves in their own artistic expressions. The foursome of solos opened on Friday and are on view until the end of the month.
‘Better Days’ by Meneline Wong, MD
THERE is palpable tension in the fluid art of Meneline Wong. Frozen in mid-flow but somehow more animated in stillness, her waves of colors display the dichotomic duel between the ideas of chaos and control, of power and surrender. However, in the artist’s new solo exhibition, titled Brighter Days, there exists only harmony.
Wong, a practicing medical doctor, expresses a message of inspiration that despite the overriding sense of dread brought about by the global health crisis, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Brighter Days serves as a sequel to the artist’s previous solo, In Moments Like These, which ran a week after the end of the world’s longest and strictest Covid-19 lockdown last year.
From attempting to process on the canvas the emotions that dominated that disconcerting stretch, the artist now aims to instill a sense of assurance through pieces that feature Pantone’s Color of the Year 2021, gray and yellow. Pantone 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating are billed as “a marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.”
The theme is on full display in Better Days #1, where Wong lulls the audience to a state of calm, allaying fears and fostering hope. Meanwhile, On Eagle’s Wings exhibits more action with striking hues, but the message remains the same: We have to keep on looking forward to brighter days.
‘Transformation’ by Sal Ponce Enrile
IN her new solo exhibition, titled Transformation, Sal Ponce Enrile introspects about her artistic journey.
She discovered her touch at a young age and drew everything to her heart’s content. After serving two full terms in public office, Enrile returned to painting full-time and had her artworks exhibited all over the world.
The artist expresses herself through different genres, building a rich oeuvre that continues to evolve. In Transformation, Enrile showcases her growth by presenting pieces created over the years. Such is the case in Conflict and Plummet, where, juxtaposed to one another, the time that separates the two pieces outline a picture of maturity.
The featured artworks vary in style but are united in the use of jazzy colors. It’s as if to advance the idea that in spite of any transformation we take, something, somehow within us will always remain the same.
‘Alluminate’ by AADA (Ali Alejandro)
AADA challenges the manner by which the human mind comprehends subjects in Alluminate.
We almost always arrive at apperception by breaking down subjects into rudiments. But once these are skewed or altered in any way, shape, or form, will these identifiers still be distinguishable? Or will the subject transcend to a more abstract form devoid of representation?
The foil series showcased in the exhibition represent a balancing act between consonance and dissonance. The artworks dances along the demarcation of the two ideas by playing with refraction. AADA captures the effect by painting foil onto a suggested object, such as in Cup, or by its crumpled lonesome, such as in Refraction.
‘Earth & Sky’ by Aner Sebastian
THE church of Aner Sebastian opens anew for his new solo, Earth & Sky. It’s an apt title for an exhibition of an artist who has distinguished himself with kaleidoscopic paintings that seem to bridge the two realms.
Through his signature fragmented abstraction, Sebastian’s artworks call to mind stained glass windows of significant religious structures in past centuries, combining modern flair and a stunning play of angles and details.
Presented in the show are the artist’s reimagination of sceneries (Mid-day Skyscape) and abstractions (Déjà vu).
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