Thomasian artists upheld the enduring and timeless quality of art in an exhibition titled “Thomasian Legato: The Flow of Time and Legacy,” on Feb. 6 at the Manila Clock Tower Museum.
Patrick Naval, a graduate of the defunct College of Architecture and Fine Arts (CAFA) and organizer, said the exhibit sought to portray how Thomasian artists’ legacy span multiple decades.
“Even though we come from different eras… [When] you put on a show like this, you [will] see the pieces that show they’re still timelessly united,” Naval said.
Naval’s piece, a 15x7x10-in sculpture titled “Rainbow’s End,” is made of reclaimed and recycled BI iron, brass, and slag glass with a molave base, featuring birds.
“Ayoko na maka-dagdag sa aking carbon footprint… you see the consciousness of the artist [regarding] his carbon footprint,” Naval told the Varsitarian.
Raul Isidro, also a CAFA alumnus, highlights his affinity for the colors blue, orange and ochre in “Blue Formation,” a 16” x 16” oil on wood painting. Isidro’s 12×12-in oil on wood painting, titled “Highlight,” plays to his cultivation of identity.
For Isidro, it is important to establish an artistic identity that will be recognizable to the audience.
“What’s important is for others to remember you. That’s your legacy. Your identity is important,” Isidro said.
Richard Buxani, an architecture alumnus, depicts the time-worn nature of bonsai in his 14×12.5×12-in sculptures, titled “Dreams of Winter” and “Wise Master.”
For the past three years, Buxani has been dedicated to creating multiple perspectives on tree sculptures.
“When you do a series, you sort of explore one type of subject and portray it in as many possible ways that you can,” Buxani told the Varsitarian. “As long as you keep to your stories, your experiences, all of those things that you see, you feel, it will eventually come out in your artworks.”
The exhibition features works by the following Thomasian artists: Manuel Baldemor, Richard Buxani, Benjamin Torrado Cabrera, Dante Castillo, Nelson Castillo, Salvador J. Ching, Joe Datuin, Fil Delacruz, Janos Delacruz, Juno Galang, Romeo Gutierrez, Raul Isidro, Roderick Macutay, Noli Principe Manalang, Nemi MIranda, Milo Naval, Patrick Naval, Nestor Perez Ong, Dominic Rubio, Augusto Ortega Santiago Jr., Edgar Santiago, and Lydia Velasco.
“Thomasian Legato: The Flow of Time and Legacy” runs from February to March. David Nigel C. Co
