Superstars in the making: Wyndelle Remonde and Lhee Isabel Taneo

CEBU, Philippines - Wyndelle Remonde and Lhee Isabel Taneo are all the rage in Cebu’s visual arts scene this month, with the ongoing run of the artists’ solo visual presentations for their Fine Arts degrees.

Respectively entitled Workspace and Kissing Shores, the two exhibits, while different from each other, are dynamic, effectively expressing the artists’ potentials as on-the-rise talents worthy of everyone’s attention.

Finalists of the recently celebrated 37th Jose T. Joya Awards, Remonde’s Workspace and Taneo’s Kissing Shores stand out as tangible markers, which easily dub Remonde and Taneo as superstars-in-the-making.

Remonde’s Workspace

Presented by Cebu’s Qube Gallery, Workspace collects nine masterfully crafted artworks by Wyndelle Remonde, with his background in graphic design evidently steering him in the creation of pop art-inspired pieces that are more than just eye candy.

Combining the core elements of balance and composition in traditional representational styles with the thought provoking playfulness inherent in expressionist views, Workspace easily archives and presents where Remonde intends to go with his art, with a care and concern that isn’t easily found in the inner workings in styles of Remonde’s caliber.

Distinct in his utilization of space, Remonde’s works illustrate the myriad of ways people engage the space in between each other, capturing a temporal semblance of meaning without the use of words.

Meaningful in its statements and purposeful in capturing beauty, Workspace clearly illustrates Remonde’s fine control of the brush, his masterful skill in crafting forms in utilizing color, and his keen eye for detail.

But beyond implementation and creation techniques, Workspace intently identifies Remonde’s overall potential as an artist, with his artistic views amalgamating the ideals of classic illustrations and representations with the piqued interests raised by contemporary sights.

Taneo’s Kissing Shores

Presented by the Bluewater Gallery in the Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort, the larger-than-life shell mosaics by Lhee Isabel Taneo are the centerpieces of Kissing Shores.

Featuring seven large-scale shell mosaic portraits, Taneo’s works are a notable exploration in the use of visual art as a storytelling medium, with Taneo’s storytelling prowess expressed in the presentation of captured emotions and sentiments using a not-often-encountered medium.

Born and raised in Olango Island, Taneo’s pieces are deeply rooted on the manipulation of tonal values, hues, and shapes using shells mounted on wood panels.

Distinct in her creation of figurative compositions, Taneo tells wondrous stories in Kissing Shores, metaphorically bridging the gap between urban lifestyles with the day-to-day undertakings experienced by the residents of Olango Island.

Utilizing natural earth-tone “pigments”, Kissing Shores is energetic in its overall appeal, at the same time nostalgic in capturing its featured subjects’ expressions.

Identifying the different ways individuals are known to define themselves, Kissing Shores effectively recants the interactions of different people, not by the use of representational actions but by the effectively capturing individual traits in achieving its artistic value and scope.