THERE is no limit to the range of emotions that enfold an artist in the face of a major solo exhibition. For Kenneth Montegrande, who’s set to present at ManilArt next month, there is only an overwhelming sense of gratitude and excitement.
Following his successful international debut exhibition in New York in May, Montegrande stars in a one-man exhibit with Galleria Nicolas at ManilArt, running from October 19 to 23. The exhibition, titled Love Beyond Words and curated by Ricky Francisco, marks the culmination of an eventful year-long anniversary celebration of his first 10 years as a visual artist.
“Thankful ako sa naging part ng journey ko so far, including the collectors, gallery owners and staff, my team, and friends and family, especially my daughters Cassandra Ysabelle and Claire Denise,” Montegrande said. “I’m looking forward to this show. In fact, I have finished the artworks to be featured a couple of months in advance.”
Montegrande kicked off the 10th-year festivities with a sold-out solo exhibition with Galerie Joaquin BGC. Part of the celebrations as well was his New York showcase, aptly titled Expanding Horizons. He also helped out-of-school youth by donating close to half a million pesos to Escuela Taller de Filipinas Foundation Inc., a project in partnership with Art Lounge Manila.
The series of events serves as a fitting snapshot of Montegrande’s first decade in the industry. There are elements of artistic showcases, ardent evolution, and giving back to the community.
The artist credits 2012 as his year of birth in the Philippine visual arts scene. He was working then for a government committee, handling an arts event project. Montegrande remembers laying his eyes on the featured abstract pieces and instantly falling in love with them.
“Even without knowing much, nung una akong hinila ng art, sabi ko hindi ako pwedeng hindi mag-paint,” Montegrande told me a few years back. “And so I paint, paint and paint.”
The most that he painted prior to that point was in high school, for poster-making contests. Inspired by the pieces he saw at that fateful exhibit, the artist grabbed art materials from a bookstore and went on to create his own pieces. What followed was a remarkable rise in Philippine contemporary art.
Montegrande went from self-taught to sought-after over the past 10 years. Inspired by the likes of Jackson Pollock, JMW Turner and Willem de Kooning, his abstract expressionist depictions of poetic cloudscapes captured the imagination of galleries and collectors alike. Today, his pieces are collected by noted Japanese art collector Yusaku Maezawa and hang in Malacañang.
In his upcoming solo showcase at ManilArt, Montegrande presents the full scale of his artistic evolution. Love Beyond Words speaks of the persistent and transcendent affection not only evoked by his artworks, but of the one he holds for God and the people he values most.
To be presented are 21 artworks: 15 from his cloudscape and seascapes series, while six are abstract pieces.
In Pillars of a Great Journey, we see Montegrande’s signature trinity of clouds, sea and land, glowing in earthy tones with a message of hope. Meanwhile, Surrender to the Night is a dynamic abstraction of vigorous strokes. The artist also juggles a balancing act with a couple of pieces bathed in daylight, including the sprawling fields in Morning Light’s Blessing and the spectacular yet subdued golden hour in State of Romanticism.
Montegrande maintains that as with his God-centered artworks, his routine prayer remains unchanged from when he was starting out. “It’s still, ‘I know You still have blessings for me, ‘di ko alam ‘to, pero excited ako,” he said. “That’s still my prayer until now.”
The artist is in high spirit about what’s ahead, including those set for next year. A new solo exhibition at Galerie Joaquin is slated for the next quarter 2023. Galerie Joaquin will also publish Montegrande’s first book that will feature his life, art career and artworks, including those to be exhibited in the art space. Also lined up is the sequel to Montegrande’s collaboration with Fundacion Sanso, along with another overseas exhibit and several other group shows.
Montegrande still has many things on his bucket list as an artist. The biggest among which is leaving a lasting legacy in the art scene that will serve as an inspiration for everyone.
“Through me and my works, I only want to glorify His name,” Montegrande said. “I believe that we need Him more than anything else—God in our heart, God in our life. We are nothing without Him.”