Visual artist and U.P. professor Dennis “Sio” Montera unveiled his latest collection of paintings at the Art Center of SM City Cebu last August 15. “Eight for Eight” as the show’s title would suggest, is the artist’s eighth solo exhibition of contemporary abstract art. The show will run until August 30.
Montera is among a few Cebuano artists who mount solo exhibits here and in Manila on a regular basis. Montera has made it a point to constantly explore the different possibilities that his materials, tools, and techniques present to him in the artistic process. The artist, despite being trained in the classical style of painting, has since evolved and found his calling in the non-figurative approach to art. Montera finds the creation of non-objective forms a complicated mental and physical process wherein every piece of work is a personal struggle for one’s creativity to come out.
In this latest exhibition, Montera uses his works as mirrors of society. Each work reflects the artist’s sentiments of what is happening around him. In a current situation where the high cost of basic commodities has dampened the cheerful spirit of the people, the artist has found solace in his art by depicting life’s daily struggles as well as the simple joys it brings.
Montera is currently a member of the Executive Council of the Committee on Visual Arts of the National Commission for Culture and Arts. He is both an officer of the Tuslob-Buwa Artists Group and Pusod, The Open Organization of Cebu Visual Artists Inc. He is also a full-time Fine Arts faculty of U.P. Cebu and is the research director and author of the book “The Jose Joya Awards 1977-2006: The U.P. Cebu Permanent Art Collection.” The artist was recently awarded the Chancellor’s Award for most outstanding achievement in creative work by the University of the Philippines Visayas.
Sio Montera’s eighth solo-exhibition is open to the general public daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Art Center (beside VECO) of SM City Cebu. For information, contact 2319851or log on to www.siomontera.com