Added Aug 3, 2006
One word descriptives of resorts usually run from the extremes of hot to cool. Normally, both are taken as compliments depending on how the resort positions itself, with anything in between being almost literally the equivalent of the purgatorial afterlife. Limbo, in other words.
But some resorts, more ambitious than others and, more importantly willing to put their wallets – fat, hopefully -- where their ambitious mouths are, try for the both hot and cool at the same time. An instance where, in a twist to the law of physics about opposites attracting, opposites join together to become an even bigger attraction.
While Victor Vergara, 43, is no stranger to physics, even if industrial engineering, his professional affiliation, might have less to do with physics than its other co-curricular courses, it is aesthetics and, frankly, business – after all aesthetics is big business -- together with some helpful egging on from some friends that have encouraged him to push for the hot and cool together in their resort.
With some space to spare and an ambitious expansion and refitting project in the works, Vergara took the plunge in December of last year with the inaugural show of Negregosanon poster boy for local art making it big in the international art scene, Nunelucio Alvarado.
Still, at that time, there was some hesitation. It wasn't until after that show that the Maribago Bluewater Gallery was established with the small but important exigent of making the name official, emblazoned discreetly yet firmly and tastefully in the show window of the main gallery room.
Four exhibits later, the gallery currently hosts its first show of abstracts by Dennis 'Sio' Montera, titled, 'AbstractSIOns,' that will run until November 17.
Cool change
Since his return from Manila in where he earned his masters degree in studio arts -- with honors -- from the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Montera has established himself as the leading 'cool', formalist abstractionist artist in Cebu.
This sets him off, though not necessarily in opposition, to the other established abstractionist of Cebu, Tito Cuevas, whose immediately palpable emotional, 'hot' expressionism belies an affinity to Pollock's 'action painting' as contrasted with the 'cool' impersonality of Rothko's atmospherics that Montera employs.
Actually, Montera pays homage to both moderns along with his own unique contributions, mostly in the area of materials use and application techniques, especially as far its acceptability with and utilization among local artists. The drip elements of Pollock is immediately apparent but the compositional color field approach of Rothko is somewhat hinted at with its color juxtapositioning though with harder, more defined edges.
Unlike his comeback show at the SM Art Center in February 2004, where the spotlight was on the newly incorporated industrial materials that Montera had been experimenting with – industrial resin and with teams of workers using industrial tools, -- this show steps back to his rawer, more immediate instincts that shows texture without the seeming denial of texturality by the encasing or laminating process and effect evident in that earlier show.
Also, with the exception of the main piece, measuring 12ft. by 4ft. dominating the main exhibit room, the works in this show have been reduced down to not only human scale, but, more importantly, mobile scale; the scale at which things are easy to travel with, especially as either carry-on or check-in luggage on the passenger plane.
Small change
Yet, Montera says that this is only inadvertent. “I was actually making many of the smaller pieces for my show at SM for next year, when I received word from my manager, Jude Bacalso, that this show was pushing through. So, why not show the pieces that were ready?.”
Just the same, he says that the largeness of a work doesn't seem to deter serious collectors from buying. “Two of my 4ft by 4ft works were bought by Manila-based locals. They simply had it packed for check-in baggage on the plane.” he said.
Still, for his part, Vergara, who currently acts as both curator and gallery manager, assures potential collectors, especially resort guests, that the gallery will assist in the shipment of the works worldwide, through whatever preferred means, and ensure that the works are properly packed to withstand the rigors of shipping.
“When we decided to set up the gallery, we made sure that we were ready to make available this service to collectors who would buy the works since part of the joy of collecting is having access to the collected itema at the time and place where it they are to be enjoyed.” Vergara adds.
“Of course,” Montera concurs, “artists will always appreciate galleries who take care of such details. We artists cannot or should not be bothered with such details.”
It is clear which details Montera can and takes care be bothered with. His works are take both control and abandon, both of which take unimaginable details to master in its proper mix, balance and, ultimately, impact.