What connects these three artists with three varying art practices? One is intrigued by how different colors interact on a neutral surface, the way each instrument in a jazz or a classical music ensemble navigates space. The other likes to figure out how things move with simple mechanisms and movements that make art both interactive and beautiful. The third one is obsessed with how poetically designed cars and scooters are, each component being essential in creating a sort of poetry in motion.
Abstractionist Julius Sanvictores, conceptual artist Marco Ortiga and painter Michael Sagaran have found common ground in the urge to express their individual perspectives in an experimental, non-representational way. Thematically and methodically exploring the imagistic terrain situated between the gestures involving the human hand and the prompts acted upon by machines.
Sanvictores improvises with form, color and space to create a trio, quartet or quintet of shapes and strokes bebopping across the canvas. His art invites viewers to engage with the intangible and the unknown.
Ortiga is obsessed with mechanical systems, creating everything from a tabletop sound instrument to a contraption of 50 custom-built rainsticks to recreate the sound of rain. He also makes kaleidoscopes and drawing machines. He perceives art as something that should transcend stasis, and is to be imbued with perpetual change and energy.
Sagaran considers the form and contours of vehicles, interpreting vehicles as diverse as commercially available BMWs and Vespas, to re-imagined Batmobiles of the DC universe. In one of his recent exhibits, he regarded automobiles as metaphors that will allow us to “move forward” — past the grimness and uncertainties during the pandemic.
Ortiga, Sanvictores and Sagaran are featured in a three-man show, on view from March 1 to 15, at Robinsons Land ARTablado in Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas. The exhibition, billed as “The Speed of Abstract,” mines the intersection of the three artists’ diverse approaches.
“As the boundaries between different art forms continue to blur, this show stands as a testament to the boundless potential of artistic expression in the modern age,” explains Sanvictores. He stresses how there is motion in harmony as well as harmony in motion in the interplay among abstract, automotive and kinetic art.
Sanvictores shares why they chose ARTablado in mounting “The Speed of Abstracts.”
“The ARTablado space is a playground that allows artists to throw caution to the wind and express themselves freely. These artworks may not easily be commodifiable — unlike in recent art fairs or bazaars — but ARTablado allows us artists to engage in interdisciplinary undertakings, in the cross-pollination of ideas and skills that can lead to diverse artistic epiphanies. For us, ARTablado serves as a sanctuary for artistic exploration and experimentation.” The people behind Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) believe in the ingenuity and artistry of Filipinos. RLC has allocated spaces at Robinsons malls in Antipolo and Ortigas to hold exhibitions for art practitioners who deserve to showcase their hard work, grit and perseverance. ARTablado’s impact has been instantaneous for members of the art community who have been pining for a platform where every artist — from abstractionists to automotive and kinetic artists — gets the chance to shine.
