A dance of drama, movement and expression take centerstage at Art Elaan this month.
Three solo exhibitions by artists with vastly varying styles explore the concept of motion as a force allowed or arrested. The new shows will open tomorrow, June 9, and run until July 3 at the gallery’s space in Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.
‘Selfie * ish’, Janos Delacruz
Surrealist painter Janos Delacruz is known for his profound social commentaries and intense introspections. In his latest one-man show, Delacruz deals with the idea of a candid shot.
What if, aside from capturing a person mid-blink, a stolen photo actually reveals a lot more? Is it in these moments of unpreparedness that people are at their most authentic selves? To its core, is self-consciousness a form defense mechanism?
These are the questions that Selfie * ish attempts to raise. The exhibit also displays the characters of Delacruz in a different light. What is shown is their humanity, their emotions, and not their places in society. The artist paints them in portraits rather than depictions, executed in his stunning style that plays on depth and texture all the same.
“I wanted to portray different aspects and archetypes of people that I have met, or emotions that I have felt,” Delacruz says. “Some paintings tackle love. Some, social reality. But each one represents a portion or moment in time.”
In Kisses From Heaven, for instance, a drained soul drenched in the rain makes his way home. Meanwhile, an unperturbed duo wade through onlookers of all shapes and forms in Amidst Wandering Eyes.
‘Emovere (Emotions in Motion),’ Raeche Dacanay
While Delacruz’s exhibition focuses on moments paused, Raeche Dacanay’s new exhibit comes alive in vibrant choreography—twisting, turning and twirling.
Dacanay’s familiar dancers return for her third solo, titled Emovere (Emotions in Motion). As the exhibit’s name attempts to relay, what is presented in the show is more than paintings of bodies moving. We are shown how feelings take over performers, and how the textured dress or detailed hair becomes part of the show.
Dacanay paints in a way that suggests dramatic movement, as she also dances and gets lost in the music and rhythm of her artistry as part of her creative process. The intensity is felt in a solo act such as River Moving in You, or a duet in Grace to Grace.
“Full of vibrance, full of emotions, full of passion,” the artist says of her works.
‘Will-O’-The Wisp,’ Ella Hipolito
Ella Hipolito’s new exhibit involves the concept of movement as well, but it does not serve as its central idea.
The artist says she has always had a penchant for the magical and the mystical. For her latest show, Hipolito shares the story of the Will-O’-The Wisp, or the ghostly light seen by travelers at night. According to legend, the Will-O’-The Wisp initially appears harmless or even playful to wanderers, before luring them off the beaten path and into danger.
In Hipolito’s version, there is no malicious intent. She presents the Will-O’-The Wisp, the namesake of her exhibition, as an ambassador of hope. A representative of opportunity amid adversity.
The artist also revised the look of the ghostly light into flowing, vibrant strands, whose movements are inspired by that of betta fish that are known for their graceful fins.
“They are therapeutic to look at,” Hipolito says. “I think of them in my wisp’s every curve.”
See the execution in the artist’s Sirens of Pandora and Sea Nymphs of the Blue Water.
For more information about the shows, visit www.artelaan.com, or contact 027-7286577, info@artelaan.com or inquiry.artelaan@gmail.com. Follow the gallery on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArtElaanGallery and on Instagram at @artelaan.