MANILA, Philippines - Rom Villaseran holds a solo exhibition at the prestigious Kashima Arts in the trendy Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan from Nov. 14 to Nov. 28. Titled “Garden in the Pond,” the exhibit will feature 30 new canvas paintings and lightboxes that the artist created specifically for the exhibit.
Those already familiar with Villaseran’s work are acquainted with the artist’s fantasy landscapes and underground aesthetic sensibilities. What is new is the translation of this aesthetic into lightboxes, illuminating the minutiae of Villaseran’s rich fantasy environments.
Rom Villaseran’s fascination with the themes of time and possibility are rendered in his works that fuse scientific data with the imaginary. His works in graphite and acrylic render chimaeras and other composite organisms with the attention to detail, function and process of a scientist and the creative imaginary of a surrealist. Latching on to organisms that survive in unlikely and extreme environments, Villaseran creates imaginary animals that thrive in the staged sea of the exhibit that point to the tenacity of life, and how far our awareness is so far from the plight of what we do not see.
The underlying basis of Rom Villaseran’s practice draws upon his fertile imagination to create rich fantasy landscapes. As an artist, his experience as a graphics designer throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, has contributed to the development of his oeuvre, creating some of the most haunting album covers in the country for a variety of OPM acts, from indie band Kjwan to hard rockers Wolfgang and Greyhoundz.
Kashima Arts is at 3-3-2 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. This exhibition is done in partnership with Galerie Stephanie in Libis, Quezon City. For information, call 709-1488, email info@galeriestephanie.com, or info@kashima-arts.co.jp.