Fearful Symmetries, Ronald Achacoso’s latest one-man exhibit at the West Gallery in SM Megamall, features familiar yet fascinating forms, as each pair of eyes tends to see them differently. Such artistic exercise gives Achacoso anxious moments, but motivates him at the same time to continue painting. The exhibit opens on June 7 and runs until June 19.
Painting can be both absolute and obsolete at the same time, notes Achacoso, knowing what seems to work for him now may be a thing of the past for some people. Still, he likes handling pigments, grinding them and eventually turning them into the vital pieces of the puzzle that form his paintings. To him, it is like turning lead into gold, a form of alchemy, so to speak, seeing the final product as the result of putting together seemingly unrelated elements, and turning both the audience and the artist as willing victims in the suspension of disbelief. Achacoso, a recipient of the CCP Thirteen Artista Award in 2000, says he still tends to be romantic toward art, leaving it behind for a while only to come back to doing what he has always enjoyed.
Fearful Symmetries marks Achacoso’s return to exploring design and mysticism. One piece, titled, “Recombinant Painting,” reminds one of the double helix that hint of the levels of seriousness the artist takes in choosing forms that represent his ideas. “Painting is an action word,” says Achacoso, noting that it is not a dead medium. The works eventually come alive to give meaning to what the artist has intended to do, even as the artists risk being misunderstood. It’s a reality Achacoso knows all too well, as he has seen his works over-interpreted and under-interpreted. “I regard painting as visual language that can be grasped by looking and not by what has been said or written about it. I can get involved in it discourse, but a successful painting is certainly bigger than words. Even a few beautiful phrases can diminish it.”
Away from the saturated images around us, Achacoso chooses to be reductivist in style and tone. His interest in literature, philosophy and science remain, but now appears to choose simpler forms to express his ideas. To him, painting deals with illusion, reality, and representation. As he tries to go deeper into realizing why he needs to continue painting, he discovers that more than just connecting with his audience, he must also paint in his own terms. “Try not to think too much whether your work is valid or not. Set your own parameters, but still find a way to challenge yourself.”
While Achacoso admits detaching himself from painting and focuses on other activities, he always finds himself going back to painting. “I like the idea…of unearthing secrets.”
Documentation
