Joe Datuin at Agora Gallery, New York
MANILA, Philippines - Joe Datuin showcased his sculptures and mixed-media pieces inspired by his childhood in Manila to the global stage in a group show titled, “In Reverie of Form,” which was held recently at Agora Gallery, 530 West 25th St., New York.
Formalist in approach, his fusion paintings interpret Filipino traits of being ambisyoso (ambitious), madasalin (prayerful), tapat (straightforward) and matalas (sharp)in geometric blocks of intersecting primary colors.
The show also featured works by 10 other visual artists from North America and Europe.
Joe, who considers National Artists Arturo Luz and Elizalde J. Navarro his mentors, saw his career rise when he won grand prize in the International Olympic Committee Sport and Art Contest of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, besting artists from 35 countries.
In December 2014, Joe was invited by Agora Gallery director and art connisseur Angela di Bello to join a collective show featuring international artists. The invitation came after a rigorous screening process of art portfolios submitted by hundreds of artists from different parts of the globe.
For the show, Joe chose Filipino values as theme for a new set of paintings and sculptures carrying his new-found style — “Fusion.”
“Fusion” is a combination of his signature geometric abstraction style and sculptural rings on canvas or sculpture inspired by the formalist art of modern artists such as Piet Mondrian, Mark Rothko and Joan Miro.
