A tribute exhibit for Perfecto Mercado at Metropolitan Museum

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

KAPAMPANGAN artist Perfecto Mercado will be given a tribute exhibit by family and friends that is set to open on October 5, 3 p.m. at The White Cube Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

The exhibit, “Dreamscapes of Perfecto Mercado”, features the fantastic and eerie landscapes created within the last 10 years by the late artist from Capas, Tarlac.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

The Dreamscapes, as the series of landscapes with embedded or camouflaged faces and figures is called, represents the apogee of his evolution as image-maker. It’s otherworldly yet seemingly familiar terrain, barren yet replete with meaning and color at the same time, is the culmination of the artist’s 40 years of art-making.  

A self-taught artist, Mercado is one of the Kapampangan region’s most innovative artists whose distinct and shifting styles have made him one of the region’s most unpredictable. 

His zeal to perfect his craft has brought him some local as well as international patronage and recognition. He represents the regional and self-taught artist who strives for greater recognition and appreciation of his art.   

He also represents the tradition of excellence in the Kapampangan heartland, which has produced some of the country’s best visual artists such as Simon Flores, Galo Ocampo and Vicente Manansala.

The exhibit’s opening will be simultaneous with the launching of the book on Mercado’s life and art, “Dreamscapes: The Art of Perfecto Mercado”. The book chronicles Mercado’s interesting life, his struggles and the marked styles of his art.

The book, penned by cultural worker Gari Apolonio and edited by UP Professor Armand Burgos, is a celebration of his life – his devotion to his craft, his family, and his Creator.

The Dreamscapes of Perfecto Mercado will run at the White Cube Gallery until November 5, 2011.

The White Cube Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila is open Mondays to Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Museum is located at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.