Added Aug 3, 2006
Cebu’s prolific artist outdoes himself again in the exhibition Foto+Abstac|SIO|n 3. Taking inspiration from thirty images found in different Bluewater Resorts in Maribago, Sumilon, and Panglao, Sio Montera uses the camera as a medium to capture the essence of an abstract image. His photographs are an ode to the elements of visual art.
In viewing the exhibition, Montera trains his viewers to look beyond the literal subject of the photograph. Instead, he wants them to dissect it into lines, shapes, colors, forms, and textures. Pointing to 90°, at first sight, is a rock commonly found in Cebu, but it is transformed into a rough, vaguely triangular surface in a negative space if it is seen the Montera way.
Another important highlight of the exhibition are his photographs printed on art canvas that seem to remind his viewers of the classic Sio done in acrylic and bitumen on canvas. Either a pure coincidence or, perhaps, a welcoming prophecy of success in the new medium, Rising Surface Tension is one of those pieces look like a signature Montera painting at a distance. However, a closer look reveals its pure photographic nature derived from layers of paint on a peeling wall. Other pieces in Foto+Abstac|SIO|n 3 are a perfect blend of photography and painting. Montera’s perfection of technique can be found in pieces like Crossing the Shadow Lines, Phallus, and A Cascade of Cantilevered Planes.
His experimenting on different techniques and approaches to art is a testament to the diversity of contemporary art in Cebu. The constant evolution of Montera’s art reflects a highly developed taste and well-informed knowledge on the art scene outside the confines of his hometown. After all, Sio has won prestigious awards including the Philipp Morris Art Prize and the GSIS Art Competition. Currently, he is also the Vice-Chair for the National Committee on Visual Arts of NCCA. Most importantly, Sio Montera is one of the most influential living artists of his generation.
Foto+Abstac|SIO|n 3 is more than just an exhibition. It is a lecture on art, on abstract photography, and on aesthetics as Montera trains the eye to see objects in a different light.
JV Castro is the Director and Chief Curator of the Sugbu Chinese Heritage Museum. Prior to his recent directorship in Cebu, he served as a curator and art consultant for Hafnia Foundation in Xiamen, China. He is one of the few graduates of the Art Management course at the Ateneo de Manila University. He is currently one of the leading authorities on contemporary Cebuano art.