But it all began with Malang. His desire to keep painting for decades is the reason we are now looking back fondly at the depth of the talent of this man. Featured in this exhibit are his works on paper, including early pencil sketches while others were done in gouache and oil. Each work demonstrates the artist’s keen observation of everyday life around him, emphasizing not the poverty but the resilience of each barong-barong dweller in vivid color and solid lines. His optimism radiates in his pieces, and eventually moves viewers to watch in wonder.

Malang’s foray into the visual arts nearly five decades ago was not planned. He dropped out of the University of the Philippines’ School of Fine Arts after half a semester to start working as an illustrator and layout designer for The Sunday Chronicle. There, he learned the ropes from National Artist H.R. Ocampo, who was then his boss at the paper. As destiny would have it, Malang’s teachers would not come from art schools but from the people he met outside the confines of the classroom. Even when he was already established as an artist decades later, he would continually seek the advice of colleagues, keeping an open mind toward techniques and approaches he has not yet explored.

Malang continued to paint for as long as he could, keeping his faith on his Creator, who provided him the gift to illustrate and show viewers new ways of seeing their surroundings. Barong-Barong takes us back to the different artistic phases and learning curves Malang went through over the course of his lengthy and productive career.

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Soler admits that at this stage of his career, he wants to explore as many artistic directions as possible without drastically moving away from familiar subjects. So, in the works on view at West Gallery beginning January 21 through February 13, we still see distinctly Soler markings as well as experimental gestures to present a broader palette and a wider visual perspective. There remain hints of leaves and tree branches amid collages in which he draws photo-based images or adds grid patterns.

Soler says it is in continuing to mix things up that keeps him creative and open to endless artistic permutations without completely alienating followers of his works. He knows he has gone full circle in putting nature in the spotlight in his earlier canvases. Now, he possesses the technical mastery and the confidence to step out of that comfort zone. This ongoing search for a fresh approach in every exhibit motivates him to keep looking and to keep trying until all the elements spontaneously fall into place, as they do in Soler’s new collection.

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While his still life works highlight his keen eye for detail, as every line, form, and color is carefully chosen to match his vision, his landscapes, vividly rendered in watercolor, reveals the artist’s penchant for spotting patterns and structure in an otherwise chaotic setting. One of the sprawling settlements that caught his eye is that of the houses on the highlands of Baguio. To many local residents and visitors passing by, these burgeoning landscapes are seemingly ordinary, and, perhaps, even eyesores amid the disappearing greenery in the popular tourist destination. On Stevesantos’s canvas, they are transformed into genuine works of art. By using brighter colors, he instantly erases negative perceptions and turns them into postcard-perfect locations. It’s not that he wants to ignore the deep-seated problems brought by rapid urban development. It’s just that he chooses to see them differently, focusing on the painterly possibilities of his subjects.

That is why he does not get tired of visiting and revisiting these places. He knows there is always something new to discover when he returns.

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In this year’s Blooms, which is on view at West Gallery’s Gallery 4 through February 13, Mona bravely welcomes a new element in her repertoire – which is to add a human figure side-by-side with her signature blossoms. She has long wanted to introduce change, but carefully took her time until she was ready to take on the challenge. She chose to do it slowly, limiting it to one of the three large works on display, as if testing the waters to see if it is something she is willing to continue to do in the future.

Surely, Mona’s flowers remain as easy on the eyes at first glance as they are on the soul upon longer introspection. There is something relaxing and comforting in getting lost in such a virtual, oversized flower garden. The newly added human face, albeit largely covered, gives it another dimension, another mystery for the viewer to unravel it himself.

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It has been a year since he started working intimately with models in his studio, allowing him to produce a body of work that solely revolved around his sitters, a collection of chairs, and the surrounding interiors. He treats Missives to the Ocean, This Time Last Year as a recollection of those thoughts, fragmented memories, loose conversations, and shared stories, thus, “forming a psychological drama that depicts basic human desires and emotions.”

Sanchez could not have produced these new works without building such a relationship through presumably multiple sittings, as he needed it to “intuitively immerse his own thoughts” and create a double portraiture: a portrayal of the sitters as well as a self-portrait.

The relationship then goes beyond casual acquaintance, and extends to that which now becomes tense, intimate, and complicated. Sanchez utilizes it to depict extreme physical and emotional decay and isolation in his works. Somehow, he is able to connect his own anxieties with those of his subjects, who eventually become symbols of man’s deepest fears and desires.

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Sausa lifted his subjects from old low-resolution, cell phone camera photos of his niece’s “whimsical, bizarre, and robot-inspired designs” out of building blocks, Lego’s, and geometric toys. To him, they presented a visual array of pop culture markers that he could trace back to his growing-up years. “They bring together some fond memories and recollections of the things past, or re-examination of childhood fantasies to be brought forth again in my adulthood,” notes Sausa. “Some of these works are sort of connections with my own personal/sacred sites, and emblazoned these with objects in different shapes taken from various toys and games that tested our IQ.”

As one observes closer, it becomes imminent this exhibit is not just about playfully recalling childhood artifacts. Sausa portrays in his latest pieces “a xenophile, with wretched and traumatic secrets from the past, trying to arise from the unknown grave of remorse to fulfill a somewhat perennial happiness.”

Aiming to bring the popular game, “Brain Twister,” to the gallery through photo-documentation and installation, Sausa knows the transition in contexts will bring forth multiple meanings as the viewing audience’s personal history/perspective come into play. Discovering “Something Greater than the Sum of Its Parts” then becomes unique to the viewer.

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Inspired from kids’ toys that build abstract reasoning skills such as blocks, Lego’s, geometric toys, or other building and problem solving toys or other mind games that everyone’s grew up with. Several years ago, my niece often created whimsical, bizarre and robot-inspired designs that she always asked me to take a shot using my cellphone camera and became habitual to document her creations and ideas. Basing from these low-res photos I interpreted them in my paintings.

There were also a visual array of pop culture that was related to my growing up years and bring together some fond memories and recollections of the things past, or re-examination of childhood fantasies to be brought forth again in my adulthood. Some of these works are sort of connections with my own personal/sacred sites and emblazoned these with stuffs with different shapes taken from various IQ testing toys and games. More often, it was also like a xenophile with wretched and traumatic secrets of the past who is trying to arise from the unknown grave of remorse to fulfill a somewhat perennial happiness. A combination of shapes and art practice were done sequentially to achieve a common jargon lifted from these ordinary stuffs.

The idea of photo-documentation and installation is a thought-process that I wanted to bring the “Brain Twister” game in the outside world which of course is another thing to establish with multifarious meanings once taken to the gallery space. Geometric shapes can be persistent with my recent works but most importantly, serious play is my real concern with this exhibit.

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On view at the gallery are 10 framed pieces, whose references Santos found online. He says he just stumbled upon them when he was searching for images related to medical anatomy. He was fascinated with how the skulls looked similar, yet subtly different from each other upon closer inspection. Whether or not such nuances were caused by internal or external forces is not important. Santos chose the reference images based on the positioning of the skull and its traumatized parts, depicting details as he saw them fit.

In a way, he treats this collection of traumatized skulls as “specimens,” representing the common stories that led to their present forms. Painting them on wood, with all its texture and grain distinctions, highlights the subtle disparities among the skulls, adding to the visual effect Santos is aiming for.

Santos admits that, for a long time, he was merely an observer, viewing other artists’ exhibits. But since taking up painting seriously in the past year, he has appreciated and understood the way artists prepare for a show as he is now going through it himself, including single-mindedly focusing on painting and minding every little detail that becomes part of the exhibit. It can be quite time-consuming, he adds, from selecting the images down to the execution of the undertones and the contrasts, but he is willing to go through every learning experience.

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Inspired by the collages of Robert Rauschenberg and Marcel Duchamp’s “Box in a Valise,” Santos puts individual objects together to create pieces that evoke entirely different meanings. “I want to create art that speaks about me as an artist, but also tells stories that nobody else can tell,” shares Santos. “I want it to be representative of me.”

And Santos made these deconstructive books and collages for the viewer to fill in the untold stories.

Displayed in box frames, much like Joseph Cornell’s work, describes Santos, the books have been destructed and put back together with other objects to recreate scenarios, injecting new purposes and meanings as more objects are used. It is as if there was a survey for the last remaining artifacts from the end of the world, and an outsider is piecing them back together like a puzzle – “in a way… that still works despite its ‘wrongness’.”

Santos says she enjoyed the process of selecting and putting together all these objects to create new contexts and perspectives both for her and the casual viewer. If she would change anything, she would probably use more paint to make it look more dynamic, to explore other materials to enrich her pieces. She adds that she would love to focus on tactile objects in her future shows, but is open to adding other mediums into the mix.

It is, after all, her first exhibit, but Santos picks up things quickly and acknowledges she still has a lot to learn. For starters, she recognizes the importance of choosing a main theme or idea to tie up all the elements of the story she wants to tell: “Sometimes, you need to let everything just fall into place, but it helps if you form connections between the pieces along the way.”

Santos has succinctly connected the creative dots so far: “I’m only learning what my voice and vision as an artist truly are,” she reveals, as she vows to continue discovering her personal aesthetic and style.

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Viewers familiar with Ventura’s works will not see the subjects that have earlier established his stature in the art scene. Gone are the playful, almost life-like images that burst into his canvases in full color. Black Light White Shadow is stripped down to focus on people’s faces, as seen in different perspectives. There are recognizable faces, from Jesus to Marilyn Monroe and Pablo Picasso, as well as unknown figures, rendered in both positive and negative (reverse) light, as if inviting viewers to guess who they are, or if the images reminded them of people they knew.

When asked about his techniques, Ventura simply reveals they are all part of his growth as an artist, as he gradually masters his materials, namely, graphite, acrylics, and oils within and outside the confines of his studio. And then he gets a little help from technology, giving him and observers alike the opportunity to discover new ways of seeing and interpreting such stimulating images.

Igan D’Bayan writes, “Skin takes on a lively dead color. Hair shimmers with an eerie blue. The colors are unnatural yet very real. The composition is literally ‘in-your-face.’ It’s as if Olan Ventura is telling all of us there is still so much to plunder with portraiture. There is still a new way of seeing old forms, or new methods in presenting old ways.”

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Unafraid to step out of his comfort zone and alter the compositions in his canvas, he believes the manner in which artists can express their ideas should be limitless. Seeing no creative boundaries, such perspective allows Barrioquinto to keep working, to continue surprising his audience: “I take some ideas from my past shows that I modify to create something new. That’s why if you look through my old and new paintings, you’ll find some concepts that I’ve done before. However, there are some instances wherein I decide to create something new which I haven’t done before, leading me to generate a wide array of styles throughout my artistic career.”

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