Artists convey a message or pose a question through art. Their artworks are also a preservation of ideas that are creatively visualized; each with a story that resonates with the viewers.
Artist Ronyel Compra does this exceptionally, creatively visualizing a range of images that not only show the best and most prominent parts of Cebu but also bring forth the obscure bits of the Queen City of the South.
Compra, an award-winning Cebuano visual artist, aims to let his viewers question the concept of boundaries and territories through his art pieces in his solo exhibit titled, “and floaters” which was on display in Qube Gallery.
The exhibit theme centers on the artist’s investigation of the contradictions and complexities of presence and impermanence through the characteristics of the Kalachuchi flower. As a prominent symbol for this exhibit, the flower is known for its association with the metaphysical realm and as a secondary Mohon marker for a boundary.
With over 20 art installations, Compra showcases his unique and varying approach towards his subject, reflecting on the relationship between external space and identity, physical and psychological territories.
Compra creatively explores the instability of these concepts through this exhibit in the hopes that the Cebuano public will be able to gain insight from his works and, in their unique way, respond to the issues of our society.
“I am indirectly responding to situations and to current human and societal conditions,” Compra stated. “What I’m doing somewhat falls as a personal pursuit but at the same time, I am a part of the thread.”
Art truly speaks and resonates especially when it imposes change and thought-provoking subjects whether it is intentional or not as Compra said: “I’m trying to form a political voice through this poetic gesture.”
In a world that is constantly moving, pressured to erase its borders, and making sense of what is and what isn’t, Compra’s works remind Cebuanos of their own vulnerability in a world that is constantly turning and changing. They also tell the viewers to actively respond, in a way that they know best, to what is happening around us and actively participate in a system that we are all a part of.
The “and floaters” exhibit was held in Qube Gallery on A.S. Fortuna St. in Mandaue City. It opens from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.