THOMASIAN artist Wilfredo Offemaria Jr. combined religious iconography and popular culture in the art exhibit, “Abstraction | Obstruction: A Discourse on Faith,” mounted in celebration of National Heritage Month at the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Gallery in Intramuros.
Jacinto Robillos, who wrote the exhibit notes, said that through the various paintings, sculptures and installations, Offemaria seemed to question the relevance of faith in today’s era of materialism and technological advancements.
The inquiry is evident in the circular painting, “First Byte: The Fall of Man.” In the work, which was inspired by Hendrik Goltzius’ “The Fall of Man,” taking the place of the forbidden fruit to which the first man and woman were drawn and inevitably fell into temptation is the Apple computer logo, so that the forbidden knowledge becomes science and technology.
“Hear Me,” inspired by Jan van Eyck’s “Head of Christ,” shows what appears to be lines covering the image of Christ. The lines take an the appearance of a pedestrian lane or bars of a jail cell. The work appears to questions faith – is it a guiding force or a delimiting of man’s freedom?
(Photos by Genielyn Rosario M. Soriano/ The Varsitarian)
A standout is “Scutum Fidei – Shield of the Trinity,” which shows the three persons of the Holy Trinity with lines of yellow, red and blue cascading down the image.
(Photos by Genielyn Rosario M. Soriano/ The Varsitarian)
The piece takes a more open approach to the question lingering behind the theme of the exhibit, suggesting that the idea of faith is not limited to the confines of religion but can be seen in other aspects of life and of humanity.
Some of Offemaria’s pieces from his “Visita” exhibit at the 2018 ManilArt were also on display.
“Abstraction | Obstruction: A Discourse on Faith” ran until May 31.
