Modeka Art is pleased to announce their latest Group Exhibitions entitled, “you were there from the beginning” and “Tenses”. It will run until August 3, 2024, at Warehouse 20A La Fuerza 1 2241, Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati.
Photo: Modeka Art
you were there from the beginning
Jan Balquin
Lesley-Anne Cao
Jed Gregorio
Lou Lim
Neo Maestro
Veronica Peralejo
Issay Rodriguez
Jel Suarez
Miguel Lorenzo Uy
Curated by Gary-Ross Pastrana
Photo: Modeka Art
An imprint of a previous movement. The offcuts by the wayside. A resuscitated body or an unpaused play. The markings in the margins. Bound beginnings, A transcript of hearsay, the diary of ghosts. When you’re allowed to hear the echo, (and only the echo) but never the rebel’s true voice: use a larger sieve, retrace your steps, weigh and measure twice. Not for precision but to loosen the noose. Then we could share this basic set of eyes, momentarily. Fragments drafted for a sudden assembly. Rushed, but finally agreeing on what has always been here: a gesture, its shadow, this gathering.
Tenses
Eugene Dominguez
Jerline Sunga
John Loyd Benz De Leon
Photo: Modeka Art
Tense is an expression of time in a sentence, usually through action words called verbs.
Like this show, Tenses is a break away from the textbook definition of a tense. A structure to showcase the past, present, and future in the process of art making. To examine what it’s like to do art full-time in an unpredictable world.
The PAST represented by John Loyd – is the depiction of gathering resources, whether physical such as wood, paint, etc., and the mental preparations of gathering ideas, and making up studies. With this, Loyd presents a portraiture of the wild as prep work for the physical and mental capacities required in art making.
The PRESENT portrayed by Eugene – Is the actual work put into practice. to carve out imaginations and transform them into reality. To pick up the brush, to carve the wood, or chisel the stone. Here lies the hard work of doing and visualizing.
Photo: Modeka Art
And the FUTURE rendered by Jerline – is the end of the journey, when the actual product is finished and showcased. It is then that we ponder on the outcomes of our work and our relation with the product, the buyer, and ourselves as the artist.
Tenses are also composed of what we call a ‘root word’ i.e. run, jump, hold, walk. In this regard, what binds these artists’ works is in the literal sense of a root. “Pinagmulan”. Their ties to the province of Rizal, graduating from the same university, and being members of the same artist group, KUTA. This is their bind, their root word in this context.
Of course, there is more to the construction of a word or the evolution of an action word. It does not end with a past, present, and future tense. and whether what language you use, these words could still evolve into different forms and even transform into other words like nouns, adjectives, etc. This is where we lay our hope to see past what they could evolve and what their art could be.
