Ka.Thar.Sis

Ka.thar.sis by Pinggot Zulueta at The Saturday Group Gallery, ShangriLa Plaza

Purgation and purification – Catharsis, in its original Greek form, denotes a release of emotions. A metaphor coined by Aristotle, pertained to in the Poetics, Katharsis emerged following a comparison on the “tragedy on the mind of a spectator to the effect of a cathartic on the body”. Pinggot Zulueta further expanded on this idea in his latest exhibit, Ka.thar.sis,, through his thoughtful reflections on alienation, solitude and loss of identity.

Ka.thar.sis essentially presents itself a visual dialogue, wherein the artist, in a candid and refreshing manner, shares feelings of vulnerability particular to those who have ventured into new environments. Drawing from his experience moving back to Australia, Zulueta channelled his personal epiphanies on the existential crisis that comes with being far removed from the favoured and familiar, and the disquiet it triggers within one’s soul.

While the collection is distinct in its merit, the show serves as a sequel to his last show, “Incepto”. As the last collection touched upon his internal struggles, Zulueta further expanded on this concept and moved towards a more holistic and philosophical discussion on alienation and identity through the physical vehicle, the face.

Zulueta is no stranger to portraits being a seasoned photographer with a colorful career documenting the evolution of the Philippine art scene, however, in his paintings his approach towards portraits take in a more intimate dimension. Instead of zeroing in on his own representation of himself, he shares his reimagining’s of other people, to further build upon these themes.

In the pieces set to be exhibited, Zulueta shares a fascinating discourse on the capacities of the face. Through the silhouettes of the figure, the seductive chaos of colour and lines alludes to the inner turmoil within the subject. In removing traditional features of the face, he delved into the soul, sometimes in a mood of despondency but always looking at life with equal parts seriousness and absurdity. Furthermore, he elevated the face as a vehicle for communication and a reflection of physical, spiritual and artistic disposition. In ka.thar.sis., Zulueta highlights the duality of the face as he elevates its ability to both reveal and conceal.

In homage to the endless enchantment associated with the face and to further voice out the sophisticated angst within his works, he turned to the words of luminaries such as George Bernard Shaw, William Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, among other personalities that are similarly reflected on the complexities of life, to title his works, adding another aspect to the thought process within each piece and the ubiquitous quality of such ideas.

Above this, however, it is important to note that remaining true to the original concept of Catharsis, the ultimate aim of this emotional and spiritual purge is towards renewal and restoration. In Zulueta’s decision to bare the most personal and private battles, he serves as a mouthpiece for these universal struggles, highlighting that one must  embrace the dark night of the soul in order to summon rebirth.

The exhibit runs until  December 30, 2017 at The Saturday Group Gallery 4th level, East Wing, Shangri-la Plaza, EDSA, Mandaluyong City.

Aligned 2: Imperfect Balance, Abstractions and Assemblages

About the Exhibition

Aligned 2: Imperfect Balance, Abstractions and Assemblages

Opening Reception – 8 November 2016, Tuesday, 6PM

Exhibition runs until November 21, 2016

In Aligned 2:Imperfect Balance, Pinggot Zulueta and Demosthenes Campos explore themes of attachments, junctures, growth and expansion, with abstractions that rework images of mundane objects,reshaping them for visual expressions brought about by personal association and significance.

Zulueta draws from his recent experiences abroad and the memories triggered by going back to his childhood home as he seemingly recreates parts of a new sanctuary made easier for relocation. His pieces may be imagined as movable walls that suit his transient lifestyle as he shuttles between Manila and Sydney after living in Cambodia. Assemblages made with concrete mix, sand, old wood, and found objects are encased under portable recollections that may be flat-packed and shipped, to serve as repositories of one’s history elsewhere.

A fishing basket’s round bamboo cover, hand-made by the artist's father,is transformed into a native dream catcher. An old violin has played its Last Melody and is now embedded with discarded wood into cement and petrified for eternity.The artist’s own jacket is embellished with artificial flowers and a nest of dried twigs, breathed new life as Bird’s Sanctuary, while Keeping Faith bears religious objects such as rosaries and scapulars in coconut husks combined with mud from the earth, worked by man to appeal to the heavens.

An old carved chair back is presented as The King’s Throne as a testimony to power, authority and strength, balanced by the graceful swirls of a piece of crocheted fabric and the hardy, textured weave of a jute sack, bound together by abaca string. Flattened strips of canvas painted black serve as ground, which may be likened to an art practice or nameless vocation receding from one’s vision in reverence. As Zulueta fashions snippets of a past life with found objects he transforms function and meaning through his calculated compositions, advancing stories that he has introduced in his previous exhibitions.

Campos, meanwhile, uses acid-bathed metal cuttings, juxtaposing them with fibers secured with tin, textured panels, grassy carpets, and bunches of cut wire that evince hope blossoming and persistent growth overcoming odds amid today's harsh social and political climate.

His Sibol series have wire cables opened up to resemble blooms with fine filaments installed above fleecy white clouds, the stuff of dreams, maybe even products of snow, smoke or a floating hydroponic garden. As artificial materials bring forth and nourish practically indestructible metal and plastic, he creates glimpses of a better and stronger future.

Suburban Life, a verdigris-tinted piece, has more of Campos' wire flowers, sparse yet still showing signs of life despite the confinement simulated by vertical bars. His other mixed media works such as Antigen echo these elements as well, combining them with plastic ties and plush carpet pieces evoking synthetic forests with shifting colors, this time in bloody red. Shrubbery comes not just in the expected shades of green, but in various permutations of hues associated with the different seasons.

With subtle elegance and restraint, the artist's multilayered applications of peeling and textured paints are offset by the painstakingly hand-effloresced metal foliage. One work, Pointing to Success, stands out, however, as it is crafted with just the minimal rendering of an arrow that points onward, with faith bearing the anticipation of better things to come. Compared to the other pieces, it might appear understated and basic, yet it speaks just as loudly with the artist's voice.

For Zulueta and Campos, imperfect balance might seem enough for now as they constantly seek alignment in their art practice by using their skills to manipulate materials to bring light to concepts rarely brought to the fore by other noble professions. In seeking equilibrium between one's duties to family and country, and the sometimes thankless undertaking of the artist's life -- that of bringing beauty and dignity to society with their utmost capacity -- their relentless pursuit of the artist's odyssey to bring balance and harmony through works of art remains to be unceasing.