AN INSTRUCTIVE survey of the breadth and scale of modern Southeast Asian sculpture was showcased in the exhibit, Site and Space: Modernist Directions in Sculpture, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Bulwagang Juan Luna (Main Gallery) and Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino which ran from March 14 to May 19.
Showcased were sculptures from the CCP Visual Arts collection and the Liwasang ASEAN. Aside from Filipino artists, exhibited were works by Bro. Joseph McNally from Singapore, Redza Piyadasa from Malaysia, Gregorius Sidharta Soegijo from Indonesia and Awang bin Sitai from Brunei Dassalam.
Ramon Orlina’s “Oneness” is a metal and glass sculpture of doves perched atop a foundation bejeweled with emeralds. The six doves burst from their cage, all a distinct unit separately but are intertwined to form a union.
National Artist for Visual Arts J. Elizalde Navarro’s “Constellation” is a jangle of steel on a concrete pedestal. The piece is a mismatch of metal bound together to create a form that symbolizes the connection of stars in the sky, forming different shapes from various connectors.
Meanwhile, Roberto Chabet, the first CCP Museum director, is represented by “Hurdling” made of steel and painted with acrylic. It has 12 square panels done in bright shades of orange and yellow.
Eduardo Castrillo’s welded steel sculpture titled “Freudian Sun” is a bronze piece with small metal pieces protruding from the middle.
Roberto Villanueva’s “Ani” is a wooden piece which featured the bulul, the rice God of the Ifugaos, sitting atop a tall vertical pole. Sitting in a low squat, the bulul is poised for hours of watching and waiting as it guards over the fields.
Julie Lluch’s “Jose Garcia Villa” is a bust of the pioneer modernist Filipino poet done in terra cotta and acrylic. According to Jollico Cudra, Lluch created this piece without meeting the poet, but drawing inspiration from stories and old magazine pictures of Villa. The bust leaves a lasting impression as one is drawn to the unicorn horn perched on his head, symbolizing Villa’s poetic genius.
Other works on exhibit are by National Artists Napoleon Abueva and Arturo Luz, Rey Paz Contreras, Alan Cosio, Edgar Doctor, Lao Lianben, Pablo Mahinay, Nelfa Querubin, Paz Abad-Santos, Solomon Saprid and Francisco Verano. ROMINA LOUISE C. CUNANAN and CHRISTOPHER B. ENRIQUEZ
