VETERAN visual artist Ross Capili just had about enough with the inanities of today’s world. He craves for substance, hungers for color and knows the sentiment isn’t solely his.
Capili attempts to fill the void with beaming optimism—or turn-away escapism, whichever way you look at it—in his ongoing exhibit at Gallery C in Conrad Manila, titled Tales & Trails, the 11th installment of the property’s Of Art and Wine series. The exhibition is on view until January 2.
“This is a show of beautiful images from my past, present and dreams,” Capili said.
The 60-year-old artist ran deep in his experiences, passions and travels, to create his vision of a purified world, one that is unshackled by the pressing realities of the version we have. The search led him to a rich collection of symbols of all things good or, at least, the objects that remind him the idea of it, from butterflies that he used to catch in the fields as a child, to the flowers and seashells that also remind him of those uncomplicated times.
The result is a 38-piece show that is bright in aesthetic, diverse in medium and personal in subject.
In Levitate, for example, Capili portrays in acrylic on canvas his leaves, butterflies and flowers as unbound by gravity as his dreams. Meanwhile, the 15-inch, laser-cut, stainless steel sculpture, titled Eternal Flame, shows a woman embracing a blooming tree, which pays reference to the birth of Capili’s first grandchild.
“My works are layers upon layers upon layers,” the artist said. “What I do is give myself time to rest, so I can continue working on my piece with fresh eyes.”
The process has served Capili well over the years. The artist has garnered more than 55 awards and distinctions over his career in the fields of painting, photography and digital art. These include the Juror’s Choice in the 1994 Philip Morris Asean Art Awards, the Pamana ng Lahi Award in San Francisco in 2001, the 2008 PATA Gold Award for Travel Photo Journalism in India, and the 2009 Ani ng Dangal Presidential Award.
Since his first solo exhibit in 1981, Capili has mounted over 30 solo shows in Manila, as well as in Paris and the United States. He has also participated in more than 35 group exhibitions across the world.
The ongoing Tales & Trails exhibit is Capili’s second for the year with Conrad Manila, which was recently recognized in the Conde Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards as one of the 2019 Best Hotels in the World. In time for National Arts Month in February, Capili curated an edition of the Of Art and Wine exhibit, titled Art Harvest, which featured 32 local artists and 64 works.