March 4 to April 3, 2017
A RT D I R E C T O R
Silvana Ancellotti-Diaz
EXHIBITION TEAM
Johanna Labitoria Thess Ponce Mayet Taluban Ulysis Francisco Jose Jeoffrey Baba
Bing Francisco Roy Abrenica Edgar Bautista Gabriel Abalos
EXHIBITION NOTES
Lec Cruz
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Anna Rafanan
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Moments
of
/de Creation
WORDS BY LEC CRUZ
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O
u r p r e s e n t -day i n du s t r i ali z e d w orld has compounded our sight with landscapes defined by the rigor of geometry and structures of towering heights, marring the natural beauty that surrounds us. Human nature always finds its way to seek solace in the natural elements surrounding us; in the fluidity of the sea; the grandeur of mountains; and the limitless boundaries of the skies. In Moments of Creation, Sacha Cotture engages with abstraction to capture the visceral components of nature and recreate the layers of their spirits through his ink wash paintings. His gestural strokes transcend the bounds of the physical composition and designs of his subjects as it emulates temperament rather than arrangement. His works tries to capture the unseen, conceived through introspection and self-realization. In Moments of Creation, each piece is balanced through intuition and every image is defined through the immeasurable expression drawn from Cotture’s vision. Cotture’s Heights, Crevice, and Upfall can take the viewer to an exhilarating moment of seeing and experiencing a waterfall. Our eyes draw us to the sensual movement of the water down pouring from the top. The abstracted images transports us to an instance when our eyes are virtually covered with water and we feel relieved in its occurrence. They also serve as an imprint that echoes the passion liberated by the artist through his chosen medium. In Strata, a semblance of a looming cloud subjects us into stillness and Elevation brings us to a vivid state of awe upon seeing the skies in its moment of transformation. Their monumental scale exudes Cotture’s control over the spontaneity of the Chinese ink while retaining its essential quality of liveliness.
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The ecstatic feeling of submerging into the deep blue sea can easily be felt in Sea Call, where the light and dark tones of aquamarine blue with a hint of purple acrylic paint emulate a transitory motion of diving into the water. Thermocline allows us to immerse into the gradual change of temperature, embracing our perception with the colder depths of the sea. Cotture’s Aquamarine series (1 & 2) fossilizes the ecstatic pleasure of seeing the collision of waves to the ground. Cotture’s mastery of technique also grants him to communicate impressions of events and memories that can neither be replicated physically or mechanically. In Moments of Creation, he reimagines the inviting scent felt after the rain sprinkled through a drying land; and encapsulates the metaphysical manifestation of light that brings calm and energy at the same time. In his hands, concepts become tangible, taking their dynamic forms through the guidance of his brush. Cotture synergizes the mind, the body and the world, permitting a collective experience inside the walls of the gallery. In Moments of Creation, boundaries can only be defined by the viewer’s willingness to submit or to immerse to the sensations of each stroke, shade and vitality that each piece has to offer.
MICHAEL JOHN ‘LEC’ CRUZ LIVES AND WORKS IN Q. C.. CRUZ IS A GRADUATE OF BA PHILOSOPHY AND STUDIED FINE ARTS MAJOR IN STUDIO ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMAN. HE IS ALSO AN ACTIVE ART WRITER SINCE 2015 FOR ARTIST EXHIBITIONS IN MULTIPLE GALLERIES AND IN THE HONG KONG ART BIENNALE.
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SACHA COTTURE BIOGRAPHY
At 40, Swiss architect Sacha Cotture found a discipline towards self-discovery through painting. After garnering a wide range of experience practicing the strict and rigid discipline of architecture from around the globe, here in the Philippines he found painting as antidote to restraint. The spontaneity of painting allows him to channel into an inner point of view – a non-intellectual process where introspection can happen. This spontaneity merges fluidly with his choice of media. In his series of works, the expressivity of Chinese ink reveals a fresh handling of a centuries-old tradition through his hands. It seems as if the painter and the medium intertwine to create unexpected narrations of inner consciousness rooting from the holism of day-to-day life. Delving into a discipline that allows him total freedom – Sacha Cotture continues to explore the depths of his consciousness expressed through the dynamism of his media directed by pure, honest impulse. Sacha Cotture is a Swiss painter and architect now living in Manila in the Philippines where he is Principal of Atelier Sacha Cotture.
INDEX
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Amber 1, 2015 Acrylic and Chinese ink on paper
10
119 × 84 CM / 46.89 × 33.10 IN
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Dusted, 2015 Chinese ink on paper
119 × 84 CM / 46.89 × 33.10 IN
11
59 × 84 CM / 23.25 × 33.10 IN
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Aquamarine 1, 2015 Acrylic on paper
Dawn, 2015 Chinese ink on paper
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Petrichor, 2015 Acrylic and Chinese ink on canvas
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Ascent, 2015 Chinese ink on paper
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Elevation, 2016 Chinese ink on paper
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Crevice, 2016 Chinese ink on paper
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Upfall, 2016 Chinese ink on paper 210 × 130 CM / 82.74 × 51.22 IN
Awareness, 2016 Chinese ink on paper 210 × 130 CM / 82.74 × 51.22 IN
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210 × 130 CM / 82.74 × 51.22 IN
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Heights, 2016 Chinese ink on paper 210 × 130 CM / 82.74 × 51.22 IN
130 × 210 CM / 51.22 × 82.74 IN
08
Amber 2, 2015 Acrylic and Chinese ink on paper 119 × 84 CM / 46.89 × 33.10 IN
119 × 84 CM / 46.89 × 33.10 IN
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Strata, 2016 Chinese ink on paper 130 × 210 CM / 51.22 × 82.74 IN
223 × 91 CM / 87.80 × 35.83 IN
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Thermocline, 2016 Acrylic on canvas 150 × 220 CM / 59.10 × 86.68 IN
59 × 84 CM / 23.25 × 33.10 IN
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Summits 2, 2015 Chinese ink on paper 119 × 84 CM / 46.89 × 33.10 IN
84 × 119 CM / 33.10 × 46.89 IN
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Summits 1, 2015 Chinese ink on paper
Sea Call, 2016 Acrylic on canvas 350 × 240 CM / 137.90 × 94.56 IN
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Aquamarine 2, 2015 Acrylic on paper 119 × 84 CM / 46.89 × 33.10 IN
g al l e r ia duem ila was established in 1975 by Italian born Silvana Ancellotti-Diaz. Duemila means “twentieth century”, and it was this vision that inspired Duemila’s advocacy in promoting and preserving Philippine contemporary art. To date, it is the longest running commercial art gallery in the Philippines maintaining a strong international profile. With the vision to expose its artists locally and within the ASEAN region, Duemila complements its exhibits with performances, readings and musical events in its custom-built gallery in Pasay City, Manila. Galleria Duemila takes pride in being the only local gallery to publish and mount retrospectives of artists as part of its advocacy in pursuing art historical research and scholarship. With the collaboration of institutions, Duemila has mounted the retrospectives of Roberto M.A. Robles (Ateneo Art Gallery, 2011), Duddley Diaz (Vargas Museum, 2009), Julie Lluch Dalena (Cultural Center of the Philippines, 2008). It has also published a book on Diosdado Magno Lorenzo (National Library of the Philippines, 2009) and produced a major Pacita Abad exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, 2004. The gallery maintains close ties with museums throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States. Its futurist vision keeps it at the cutting-edge of Philippine art, making and archiving history as it happens.
s erv ice s: co n se rv at i o n an d r e s t or at i on of paintings, cons u ltan cy se rv i c e s , c ommi s s i on s an d i n s t allation