CONTEMPORARY artist Gig de Pio, Sr. departs from his usual portraits and revisits abstracts in Rustan鈥檚 For the Arts鈥 first exhibition this year.
Born in Cebu in 1951, Mr. De Pio is best known for his portraits. He holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts in Diliman where he was a Jose Joya scholar and later served as a professor. In 2011, Mr. De Pio received the Araw ng Manila award from former Manila City mayor Alfredo Lim.
鈥淸This collection] is a break (from portraiture),鈥 Mr. De Pio told 大象传媒 at the exhibition launch on Jan. 30.
鈥淚n high school, I saw an exhibit by [National Artist for Visual Arts] Jose Joya in our province in Cebu. Abstraction blew my mind. Ever since, I really wanted to do that,鈥 he added.
In this collection, 20 paintings reflect the artist鈥檚 view of the world through the Theory of Entropy.
鈥淥ne accident is just an accident. Another accident overlaps it, and there is an event. The third one is that there is a personality that is created,鈥 Mr. De Pio explained. 鈥淵ou can see that in my work.鈥
The canvases come in various shapes that use warm earth colors.
鈥淣ot like some abstractions where elements just crisscross, it is the inside where they meet which is my subject,鈥 he said.
The Rustan鈥檚 For The Arts series has previously featured collections by Filipino artists such as National Artists Benedicto 鈥淏enCab鈥 Cabrera, Fernando Amorsolo, Arturo Luz, and Anita Magsaysay-Ho.
The collection is on view at Rustan鈥檚 Makati until March 31 and will move to Rustan鈥檚 Shangri-La in April. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
