A loaded juxtaposition between two one-artist exhibitions is on view until February 19 at Art Elaan.
Self-taught visual artist Rishab Tibon conjures a world of his creation, escaping absolute truths and retreating to a set of his own in Alternative Reality. Opposite it is a presentation about fusing components to create a new one altogether in Golden Joinery (Kintsugi) by cubist/realist painter Gabo Valenzuela.
Tibon is an interdisciplinary artist born in Aklan in 1960. His works characterized by vibrant energy and surreal elements have been showcased around the country and all over the world, including at the Symphonie De Couleurs in Venice, Italy, in 2019.
In his latest solo exhibition, the artist reaches deep into his subconscious to cull stories that create a different world, a substitute realm. Tibon presents “the alternative world of artistic aesthetics.”
We see in Mickey’s Balloons, for example, a pimped-up version of the signature character Disney character wearing a Banksy Flower Thrower shirt and a gold dollar sign necklace. The subject also holds like balloons the Pokémon Piplup on one hand, and a KAWS skull on the other.
The amalgamation of icons and ideas is Tibon’s way of inviting viewers to reflect on their own stories and escape to their alternate realities.
Meanwhile, if Tibon breaks away in his show, Gabo Valenzuela breaks down artistic styles and mends them to create something entirely new.
The 28-year-old cites the likes of Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and Ronald Ventura as his artistic inspirations. The confession shows in his style and this show, Golden Joinery (Kintsugi), which combines the sharp dimensions of cubism with the realistic renditions of pop culture icons.
In It’s Bean a While, featuring the famous character Mr. Bean, half of the taciturn comedian’s face bulges out in live-action texture and details, while the other half peaks as the cartoon version, looking in the opposite direction. All the while his body contours in edges, directed by knifing lines that slice through the head of his trusted companion, Teddy.
More of the same can be seen in Angry Dead, with Homer Simpson choking his son Bart, rattling through dimensions; and in Best Friend, where Sylvester takes his chase of Tweety Bird to another level—perhaps another plane?
More information about these ongoing exhibitions is available on Art Elaan’s social-media pages, and via 027-7286577 or inquiry.artelaan@gmail.com.