UST College of Fine Arts alumni opened an exhibit highlighting collaboration and dialogue in September at the Art Gallery District in Escolta, Manila.
Ces Eugenio, one of the organizers of the event, titled “+,” said the exhibit served as a venue to discuss the state of Philippine art and a crossroads with fellow UST artists.
“This event is also a good chance to start conversations about the state of art today [and] also serves as a collection of contemporary artists of our time,” Eugenio told the Varsitarian.
The 36 works featured in “+” ranged from sculptures to paintings and photography.
Eugenio’s “Growing Around the Absence,” a 25×19-in. hand-molded epoxy piece, is inspired by the idea of death not as an end but as a reset that allows new beginnings to take root.
(Photo by Precious Kae A. Andaya / The Varsitarian)
“‘Yong death para sa akin, hindi siya agad [katapusan], parang simula siya ng panibagong buhay or reset,” Eugenio said.
Jaime Pacena II, a UST advertising arts alumnus and renowned filmmaker, was also featured in the exhibit and served as its curator.
Pacena’s work, “Monochrome,” a 36×24-in. acrylic on canvas, is composed of folded papers and layered fragments arranged into box-like structures that symbolize preserved memories.
He said the concept was drawn from a filmmaking experience where actors revisit personal memories to fuel their performances, but are then taught to mentally store those memories somewhere to avoid being overwhelmed.
“My mentor was talking about this idea [that] you can actually put [memories] in a box or put it somewhere, keep it somewhere inside you,” Pacena told the Varsitarian.
“Actually kaya siya box, made up of folded paper, tagpi-tagping mga memory or ideas na gusto kong balikan or gusto kong isipin,” he added.
Also among the artists was Wesley Valenzuela, an alumnus of the old UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts. The college split into two 25 years ago.
Valenzuela’s “Horoscope,” a 36×24-in. acrylic and serigraph on canvas, drew from his observations of urban Manila.
“Ang nag-inspire sa’kin diyan, mga bagay-bagay na nakikita ko around Manila. ‘Yong mga nasa Quiapo, ‘yong mga manghuhula, ‘yong mga nagbebenta ng anting-anting. [‘Yong nasa] Recto, ‘yong mga tattoos, ‘yong mga [graffiti] shirt… pinaghalo-halo ko sa artwork,” he said.
Another featured fine arts alumnus was Nolan Fabular with his single-channel video titled, “Loop,” where he combines motifs of Spanish, American, and Japanese colonial influence to reflect on how Filipinos engage with their past.
In “Loop,” the game of rock-paper-scissors is arranged in a deliberate cycle, where frames on the right signify wins, those on the left losses, and the top and bottom, draws.
“[I]t kind of represents a cycle, that’s why I called my piece ‘Loop,’” Fabular said.
Tracy Santuyo’s work, “Quiet Unbinding,” a 36×24-in. acrylic on canvas, depicts liberation restrained by tradition, represented by a bound red ribbon against grayscale imagery.
“‘Yong dove symbolizes freedom. There’s this freedom that you feel you have inside you, but then again, there’s something restraining you,” Santuyo said.
Citing her Catholic upbringing, she described the work as a “subtle rebellion.”
Donna Grimm’s work, “Dandelion,” a 18×24-in. oil on canvas, captures the life cycle of the flower as a metaphor for human influence and legacy.
Grimm said “Dandelion” compares the life cycle of the flower to human development, from early growth to death.
For her, it reflects how individuals can leave a lasting impact during their lifetime.
“If you were a dandelion, how are you gonna influence others?” Grimm said.
The group exhibition marked the second year of the initiative, following its 2024 debut at Kalawakan Spacetime in Quezon City.
The exhibit “+” runs from Sept. 13 to Oct. 11. With reports from Sofia Gabrielle G. Rosario
