Wave of mutilation

MANILA, Philippines - According to Ruel Caasi, project director and design consultant of Ronald Ventura Studio, the Met takes part in this year’s Art Fair Philippines by setting up an off-site exhibition of Ventura’s works, and being one of the museums in Manila featured in Art Fair 2017’s daily-guided tours.

The off-site exhibition consists of two installations included in Ventura’s solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Taipei last year, titled “Project: Finding Home.” The first work, “Waves,” is a large sculpture of two people on a boat, each one placed on one end so they appear to be heading towards opposite directions. A video of sea waves is projected on the sculpture, which is to be viewed from a window-like opening.

The other installation is an untitled work composed of fragments and pieces from a broken sculpture of a winged horse.

Caasi explains, “The Taipei exhibition revolves around the theme of journey and searching for a home, so the installations present two powerful imageries reflecting on the theme. One is about maritime navigation, while the other speaks of flight. The boat deals with a state of confusion or being subjected to opposing forces, while the broken pieces allude to failure and fallen aspirations.”

In addition to the installations, new prints are displayed in lightboxes. He shares, “These prints show some of the key subjects explored by Ventura in his artistic practice, including the intersections of human and animals, and the stylistic traditions in depicting the human form, from classical realism to cubist fragmentation.”