2012 Ateneo Art Awards: Shortlisted artists
The cut-up artists: Working with collage and pastiche
Zean Cabangis
MANILA, Philippines - Cabangis’ works in the exhibition "Shade my Eyes and I Can See You" have a dream like quality about them. According to the artist, they are remembered scenes reconstructed from found images. Like fragments of nocturnal visions, identifiable yet incongruous. In “Skipping Town,” a pair of men’s shod feet, a building turned on its side, and a snippet of fabric all lying on a bed of hay, are brought into focus by a round canvas, clues waiting to be pieced together to reveal a story. His titles “I Don’t Mind Waiting” and “Knowing Won’t Make Any Difference,” have an air of resignation that echo the melancholic feel of the work. His great strength is his compositional instinct, objects of varied planar orientations are combined in a single work to very interesting effect.
Take Kirsten Dunst’s cue. In this Band of Outsiders look book, she shows flirty flair in what could be office-appropriate outfits. Dina Gadia
Gadia likewise juxtaposes disparate images but to a completely different effect. They grab you with their bright colors and pop art references. Composed of cutouts from children’s books, old magazines and comics; her works are at once familiar and disconcerting. The initial recognition of illustrations is replaced by uneasiness from seeing them in disturbing pairings. In “The Natives are Restless (Ignorance of Black)” a giant human seems to be drowning in a river beside a medieval looking town; behind it is a black pyramid rising out of nowhere and on hovering on top is the word “itim.” "Regal Discomfort," the title of the exhibition fittingly describes both the situations that the characters and the viewers find themselves in. You feel that there is a joke somewhere that you are not totally getting but the strength of the paintings and collages hold your attention inviting you to make what you will of them.
