Thus, when artist and patron of the arts Rachy Cuna had a joint exhibit with his nephew, potter Hadrian Mendoza (both are from the Mendoza clan), at the ArtSpace of Glorietta 4 recently, the affair was indeed a reunion of sorts for it was graced by their friends and loved ones.
At the said reunion, err, exhibit, Cuna provided balance while Mendoza, form. The former showcased his 30 sculpted masterpieces, the latter, 60 pottery items. So in demand were their art pieces that many had been sold days before the official opening of the exhibit. The ceremonial ribbon-cutting was spearheaded by the artists’ mothers – Patsy Zamora-Cuna and Rica Zamora.
The crowd that night was amazed at Mendoza’s interpretation of the basic square that took the shape of a box, a chess board, a flower vase, a house, among other things that were, well, four-sided in form.
Cuna literally and figuratively lent balance in the show with his artworks of colorful metal figures in balancing acts. Those sculpted figures, whose feet are firmly planted on kamagong planks, ubiquitously carry with them crystal globes to render an air of equilibrium. This same sense of steadiness has propelled Cuna, dubbed by the international press as the floral architect of the Philippines, to keep on rediscovering himself, let alone his many talents. – Büm D. Tenorio, Jr.