Tuesday, April 10, 2007 High fives By Ritchie Landis Doner Quijano
The K Gallery along Don Gil Garcia St. is owned and managed by painter Boy Kiamko. For its debut show, a select five artists, namely: Celso Pepito, Pronnie Cerna, Jun Impas, Jet Florendo and Kiamko are launching the art space with their most recent works in an exhibition entitled First Five. Mostly small works are included in the show that retains each artist’s individual style. Wood-bound Jet Florendo is the only sculptor in the group amidst painters.
His pieces appear soft in their curvaceous forms. Often, the wood’s internal qualities are exposed by the sculptor.
Genre painters Cerna and Impas show canvas that’s true-to-life and close to nature, works in need of a living room. Both artists adhere to the realistic wing that practices conservatism. Pepito and Kiamko are both inclined towards modernist works despite their conservative training. Kiamko demonstrates the pendulum syndrome as he presents two opposite styles of painting. His figurative abstractions have exploited the many ways a mother and child can be geometrically composed.
As a realist, Kiamko is an adept landscape painter. This pendulum effect is what the late Abellana theorized that art moves back and forth in two different directions. The two opposing poles are the dynamic forces that fuels movement and prevent homogeneity. Pepito, on the other hand, proves prolific as a neo-realist painter of figures.
The chosen subjects of his paintings are often figural studies of people in their daily labors. Since all of them are already seniors in the art community, with countless exhibits to their credit, I have become very familiar with their work and can identify them even without their signatures on it. Upon viewing the show, I am hard pressed to find something new . In totality, the body of works on show represent the over-all style they have followed in their many years in the profession.
