UNQUALIFIED SAINTS

The Sigwada Art Gallery opens to the public the Fifth Solo Exhibit of Jcrisanto Martinez. Titled “Unqualified Saints,” this is the last segment of a trilogy of exhibits this year by the artist which focuses on the central dilemma of faith and worship. The final installment is a cumulative iconographic exposition that showcases mixed-media sculptures defining the thin line between a genuine doctrine and idolatry.

In the initial outing The Graven Images, Martinez made representations of the seven deadly sins as figures and naming them as saints collectively verbalizing a statement and a warning, reminding us not to be misled by false idols and rethinking what really drives us in our earthbound lives. Martinez defined hero-worship by revealing the ominous visage of human worship as he shows us the archetypes of "God" as conceived by man; those that we adore much and exalt to a degree that is even beyond gods in The Godmakers.

Unqualified Saints becomes Martinez’s final platform to pick out the heresies from the true doctrine; dividing the good from the bad and discovering a remarkable picture of faith and belief as it is being struggled to be understood by man who, without question, cared deeply about it. Here, the artist continued to create mixed-media sculptures utilizing a mix of resin, gold-plated brass, carved plate and old wood rendered with acrylic and enamel paint, fashioning these into tangible icons. Martinez reflects back to his primary premise, that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The concluding piece in this exhibition is “Risen,” a small piece of mixed-media assemblage on burlap featuring an antique cross which bears the imprints of one previously nailed on it. The message implied actually has a thunderous inference to the artist’s basic assertion; that the one to rely faith upon has risen and is unseen.

As a précis to his expression, Martinez concludes that those whom God ordains so solely and exclusively as to be infallible in every distinct testimony are very infrequent; most celebrated saints have made their fair share of blunders. Hominids are, after all, imperfect mortals. If we can fathom the roots of the differences between sinner and saint, maybe more of us can move into the latter group.

Unqualified Saints opens on 03 July 2010 and shall run until 16 July 2010 at the Sigwada Art Gallery located at 1921 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila, Philippines. For inquiries please contact (632)7435873 or email cil_pagaduan@yahoo.com.

Image: JCrisanto Martinez, “If My People Pray,” Mixed Media / Assemblage on Burlap, 2010

Texts: JCrisanto Martinez, “Unqualified Saints”

BLACKENED WHITE

Sigwada Gallery mounted its latest exhibit entitled "Blackened White" which opened last June 19,2010. The exhibit features the works of Marius Black and Tad Pagaduan in which as the title suggests they commit the act of staining the stainless and polluting the pure. In a more philosophical or theological dimension, they deliberately pour iniquity onto heaven. The idea could be viewed the other way around. "Blackened White" could be translated to "Whitened black", an image of cleansing. By mere word play, the original idea gives birth to its opposite: polishing the stained, purifying the polluted and salvaging sin from hell. The truth is that the show, like life, is caught in the center of virtue and sin wherein neither one stands eternally nor absolutely dominant.

Tad Pagaduan tackles the "Blackened White” concept. His fresh innovative vision, heretofore unseen, is replete with dialectics: black versus white, realism versus abstractionism, figurativism versus cubism, impasto versus sketching, expressionism versus impressionism, God versus Devil and virtue versus sin. But this does not at all mean a confused and directionless explosion of images. On the contrary, what one sees is a subdued, muted restrained and zen-like vision that overlies the paradoxes beneath. The titles convey such interesting juxtapositions: "Vulture Chirp;" "Ari nga Taraken" (King Adopted); "Dagsen ti Nailangitan"(Burden of Heaven); "Dispensarem kuna ti Diablo" (Excuse me Says the Devil).

Marius Black on the other hand grapples with the Whitened Black idea. From a background of black, Marius skillfully creates light, color and movement. Amidst darkness, he paints the dawn of light (Malayo pa ba ang Mamaya?), the leap of faith (Masakit Magdasal ang Makasalanan), the struggle against angst (Gutom at Uhaw), and waiting for salvation (Pangtawid Usok). His artworks convey the message of hope beyond despair, of liberation from suffering.

The two artists thus complement by presenting clashing ideas and images that challenge and jar static assumptions. For it is only by daily and constantly reminding us of the ephemeral and vague state of life do we move towards true virtue and genuine personhood. For do not the scientists say that in black and white reside all the colors of the rainbow?

"Blackened White" is on view until June 29, 2010 at Sigwada Gallery-1921 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz. Manila. For inquiries please call (02)7435873 or e-mail at sigwadagallery@yahoo.com.