THE CRUX OF THINGS

West Wing & Lobby Galleries (First Floor)
UP VARGAS MUSEUM
June 17 – July 17, 2014

The Crux of Things unravels into an all-encompassing exhibition, submerging both space and viewers into a larger-than-life critique of the contemporary art world. By expanding further from his previous work, Ernest Concepcion leaps from contained, hand-carry dimensions into an uncontained, monumental scale. This not only marks a momentous return home for the artist but also serves as the ultimate real-life experience of an organized, aesthetic clash that appears as a painterly starburst throughout the expanse of this exhibition.

The exhibition connects with the nature of pseudo religions and myths. Colors are permanent as they shift to a series of more lucid, runny lines. Much like the art world, the material appears wet even when it is dry—illusory yet dynamic. Concepcion returns to enamel, his medium of study, in order to explore the random, fortuitous dripped surface over one that is placid and composed. These reflect different notions of “the light” that are all liquescent in a majestic detonation of religion, transparency, chrome and gloss. (Jill Conner)

THE CRUX OF THINGS was made possbile in cooperation with Light & Space Contemporary.

Transient Manila:Project Glocal

Project Glocal is a social experiment at involves artists from four different cities – Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore. The idea is to subject these artists in situations or circumstances where they are to interact with and in their respective cities and participating cities with other Project Glocal artists. Interactions were in form of conversations (dubbed in this project as Small Talk, which connotes that in this conversation the agenda is to dissect “small” issues of artists in and with cities and not to create grand narratives), exhibit that featured existing works that correlate to other Project Glocal artists’ work or create new collaborative works, and a publication that catalogues experiences in engaging in and with arts, artists, cities, people, and all three of them together or separately. The main agenda is for the city artists to find interest in each other, to nurture a sense of kinship and to encourage them to form a lasting bond beyond their geopolitical boundaries. Project Glocal was conceptualized and spearheaded in 2011 by independent curator Dayang Yraola.

untitled : enamel on industrial plastic, 216 x 360 in. 2014 (installed at the Peterson building along Escolta corner Tomas Pinpin St., Manila)