In Moments Like These

Solo Exhibition by Meneline Wong M.D.

Opening
Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 7 PM – 10 PM

Arte Bettina 
Greenbelt 5, Makati

Arte Bettina proudly presents recent works of Dr. Meneline Wong in In Moments Like These, opening the online exhibition on June 16, Tuesday.

The soothing visual flow of paint on Wong’s canvas, which won her second place in the prestigious 2018 GSIS National Art Competition and a finalist slot in the same tilt the following year out of more than a thousand entrants, along with a first place accolade in the 2018 Robinson’s Land National Art Competition, serve as complex conformations of beauty that intrigue and please in these troubled times.

Surprising mixtures of pigments – made of different materials with varying weights and density, depending on their composition and ingredients in creating each hue: metals, resins, minerals or plants – are suspended in similar fluid medium, creating pools of color that seemingly come alive. Pushing and pulling against each other, with denser paint resting on top while other, less dense tints settle nearer the canvas surface, these pigments create chromatic textures that may be likened to layers of foliation in metamorphic rock, ocean waves and foam, or even cross sections of prismatic crystals. It is perhaps this perfect fusion of science and art: Wong’s well-thought out color choices, the alchemy involved in pouring out correct amounts of paint, and the oftentimes unanticipated behavior of the pigments’ viscosity, that impels the artist to make a commitment to her production, and the public’s favorable reception of her works.

In Wong’s paintings, even the selection of background colors matter. A golden glow expresses new beginnings, cycles and the positive, life-giving light of the sun. Brilliant white serves as a stage for the chaotic dances that paint performs on a flat surface, highlighting the beauty of happenstances. Dark backdrops offer the depths of the void to ensure that the luminescence and fluorescence pop out. The fluid pigments themselves are chosen to create their own narrative. Layers and shades of auburn, jade, plum, wine, azure, teal, ochre and crimson play, bleed and contrast with earth and metallic tones, creating waves upon waves of potent energy. While the paint streams and splashes captivate the eye and may be associated by the mind through their resemblances to stone, or surf, or blooms, they also tell numerous, wondrous tales of each particle’s journey, and their significance to the here and now.

-Kaye Oyek

In Moments Like These is Wong’s second solo exhibition. To view the paintings in the show, please browse the Arte Bettina Facebook page and check @artebettina on Instagram. The gallery is located at the 3rd Level of Greenbelt 5, Legaspi Street, Legaspi Village, Ayala Center, Makati City. For inquiries, please contact 0916 647 4984, artebettinagallery@gmail.com or check www.artebettina.com.

#ArtPH #MenelineWong #OneWomanShow #AbstractArt #NonRepresentationalArt #Art #StaySafe #SoloExhibition