Augusto “Gus” Albor melds installation pieces with his non-figurative paintings in his latest one-man exhibit, Remind. The exhibit is concurrently held at West Gallery and at Finale Art Gallery in SM Megamall until June 27.
Albor chose the title not only to play on double or multiple meanings, but also to keep in mind to continue trying something that he has not done before. “I want to avoid the problem in doing the same things,” says Albor, on striking a balance between art and commercial viability. On the other hand, he also wants his audience to see something new, instead of expecting to see what they have seen before. Albor, while trained in the figurative approach, elects to use non-figurative elements in expressing further what he feels is beyond the familiar, everyday objects we see. Such are what the lines and textures evoke in his works—conveying meanings and emotional states that abstract art brings to fore. There is still so much to explore, says Albor on his style, which he tries to keep fresh every time. He adds that his works also reflect his personality, especially in relentlessly pursuing what is still out there, ideas that are waiting to be tapped.
The artist also uses space in a way he hasn’t done in previous exhibits. Instead of trying to fill two galleries with as many works, Albor allows the element of space to play a crucial role, leaving gaps here and there but at the same time allowing the floor, the wall, and even the ceiling to become a major setting for the different pieces, which include installation works, some of them motorized objects. “I try not to be confined with the same idea. For me, this is a playful exhibition, in terms of how I chose to present the objects.”
It is with this continuing passion to let his creative drive push artistic boundaries that Albor manages to stay away from the lure of commercialism. It helps that besides purely visual references, Albor, too, draws inspiration from music. He is learning to play the guitar and the bamboo flute. Maybe this explains why his works also have a sense of rhythm, repeated lines and textures seeming like regular beats, calling us all to listen deeply and probe further. “Times change, and with it comes more freedom, more sources of inspiration, including technology, scientific breakthroughs, and contemporary life.”
Albor, a CCP 13 Artists Awardee in 1977, majored in painting at the University of the East School of Music and Fine Arts.
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