In four weeks

Monday, November 14, 2011

IN THE past three years, the best thing that happened in the local art scene is the establishment of the Alternative Contemporary Art Studio (Acas) within the sacred grounds of the Sacred Heart Parish.

That is because the gallery is making focus in the exhibition of contemporary art thereby the said art is no longer an alien thing in the midst of Cebuano conservatism.

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Contemporary Cebuano art has finally a home, a development that has long been awaited for years. The art landscape in Cebu is now seeing changes. At this art space, exhibits are presented with a concept and are curated by those in the know.

The recently concluded exhibit entitled “Four Weeks” is one fine example of how a curated show is staged. It featured some of the permanent collections of the parish selected by curators Joel de Leon and Jason Dy, SJ. The artworks chosen were those that qualified to the show’s theme on the “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.”

According the curators these are artworks that are inspired by, or expressed directly or indirectly, the themes of unconditional love, vocation, paschal mystery and resurrection. The exhibit begins with the first week of exercises with artworks that manifest the condition of the fallen nature of humanity and then the divine mercy.

First week features the works of artists Sio Montera, Rene Javellana, SJ, Russ Ligtas, Vidal Alcosebe Jr., Eva Misa, Jeffrey Sisican and Jason Dy, SJ. Then the show moves on to the second week of exercises.

This time the artworks that explore the encounter of Christ, his standard of the cross, which opposes the way of the world. Here two-dimensional works by Koki Miano, Runyel Compra and Ramon Escario tackles the wordly woes of man while the3D works of Bobby Gonzales on wood offers the alternative of following God.

The third week of exercises reorients

the faithful to the varied landscapes and interpretations of the passion of Christ.

Classic and modern genre paintings of Luther Galicano, Sonia Moras and this writer as well as the rarely seen sculpture of Kenneth Cobonpue and the graffiti inspired works of Junks Collective are represented.

The last and fourth week of exercises conclude with the resurrection as a faith conviction not just a fate resignation. The paintings of Karl Roque and Tito Cuevas cap the exploration and contemplation of the Ignatian spirituality and art.

Designed like the dynamics of a spiritual retreat, the fruitfulness of the encounter resides in how the retreatant/viewer grows and transforms after the retreat/exhibit.

And this is called the fifth week.