OBSKVRA
New Works by PINGGOT ZULUETA
9-30 March 2024
Art Cube Gallery Makati City, Philippines
“In the dark times, will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing.
About the dark times.” -Bertolt Brecht
In a world cloaked in darkness, the artist Pinggot Zulueta wields his ink
pen as both a lamentation and invocation. In his solo exhibition of new works, Obskvra,
the artist presents ten artworks that resonate with a powerful blend of
artistic vision, social critique, and exhortation.
Obskvra is the fifth in a series of artworks by Pinggot
Zulueta, which focuses on the existentiality of the human condition, his philosophical
contemplations, and our infinite potential for survival. In 2016, his
exhibition ‘Incepto’ had provided entry into the sublime thoughts of the
artist’s soul. A year later, in ‘Ka.thar.sis’, his thoughtful reflection on
alienation and solitude within unfamiliar environments was the central theme. In
2020, ‘Melankolia’ delved on understanding the inner self to achieve a sense of
connection and harmony with one’s past. In 2022, ‘Infinitum’ accentuated an
intense awareness of mortality, while urging viewers to make deliberate choices
on what is truly important.
The artist has excelled in various forms of art and within his works
there is a wide range of genres and styles. His art dignifies his experience
and universalizes it through a medium that dives deeply under the surface. The
artist combines surrealistic elements and visually stunning images where black
predominates over all colors. His use of symbols combined with intricate
details and textures has produced artworks that are both haunting and
beautiful. The choice of a more dispassionate and sober mode of expression,
using ink pen and paper, is not unrelated to his inner struggle in the service
of which his artworks are made.
“My artistic process is characterized by the balance between a visual
expression of what I see as well as personal influences. As an approach,
repetitive layering using ink pen on paper continues until I feel a sense of
harmony exists between the physical components and the evocative aspects of my
artworks. I generate ideas through the artistic process itself. The
unpredictable nature of layering – each step is a reaction to the one before -
is a constant building up of an image and tearing it down. The more layers are
added, the more thought-provoking the artwork becomes. This artistic process is
also a metaphor for how I have been shaped by what I have experienced. “
The artist’s works tend to be dark and almost monochrome save for the
use of dramatic highlights – and present their subjects as fundamentally
ungraspable and, inevitably, remain out of reach. His art is not about creating
beautiful or enjoyable objects, nor is it about producing a pleasurable
experience to delight the viewers. His artworks are designed to do quite the
opposite – to cause us discomfort, to make us uneasy, or to make us feel the
anguish and burden of existence.
In Obskvra, the tension between the artist’s imagination and the
overriding obligation to present the truth characterizes his works. His
artworks convey darkness, mystery, and chaos. These are an extension of the
artist’s subconscious which reveals what we already intimately know. He uses
surreal symbols to depict the ideas and institutions, or temples of humanism,
that our future has been invested in. The icons from which we drew our
strengths now appear as esoteric characters, atrophied from within and turned
into empty shells. His artworks have become an archival tool for resistance, a
survival kit of imagination to retrieve and reclaim what has been lost.
The exhibition is packed with artistic explorations – the central
showcase, a four-panel piece, displays the artist’s skillful use of ink to
produce detailed and intricate images that convey a sense of unease and
psychological tension.
Hereditas (Legacy)’ presents the ‘weight
of the world’ which is symbolized by a colossal stone eclipsing the innocent
visage of Infanta Margarita, echoing Velasquez's timeless portrayal. The black
backdrop signifies the present, enveloped in the shadow of our choices. Amidst
the decay of Earth, the artwork challenges viewers to confront the legacy we
bequeath to future generations – a poignant reflection on the responsibility to
unveil a sustainable and hopeful future for our grandchildren and the next generation.
The artist brings to our attention images that invoke a sense of
urgency, if not in content, then invariably, in context. Faced with the
fragmented and haunting elements of our past and present, how then do we
construct a future?
‘Allegory of Rupture’ captures a poignant moment
where an angel statue, symbolizing divine presence, rests against a dark
foreground. The looming cumulus clouds suggest an impending event, or an
imminent divine presence. This juxtaposition of celestial and sombre elements symbolizes
the delicate juncture between the ephemeral and eternal.
This artwork delves into the transient nature of humanity and
contemplates questions surrounding our finite existence. In it, the dark
landscape looms, as so often, a visual image truly speaks louder than words.
Art invokes something in the human spirit that bolsters the soul in the
toughest times and gives some sense of peace and purpose. The artist incorporates
this idea into his work. He challenges viewers to consider other possibilities
and to make alternatives happen. He invokes viewers to see the world
differently and to adapt to wider perspectives beyond their own fears and
anxieties.
Bertolt Brecht put it powerfully: Art is not a mirror held up to
society, but a hammer with which to shape it. In the darkest of times, art
is not an indulgence. It is a mark of our deepest humanity and is essential. It
is a way of undermining constrained perspectives, restoring hope, forging a
sense of resilience, and asserting our humanity.
The darkness of the world may not be our fault, but to light up the
world is our existential duty. To cure the ills of society is too much to ask
for any art or artist. But when a body of work – because it comes from a place
of truth and universality – can reflect the horrors of the moment we live in,
then it is incumbent upon us to give it serious attention. We cannot afford to
overlook an ‘oeuvre’ as timely as this.
The exhibition runs from 9 to 30 March 2024 at the Art Cube Gallery, OPVI Centre, 2295 Chino
Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City.
