Solo exhibition by Lui Manaig
March 7-19, 2021
Opening
March 7 | 2 PM – 6 PM
Secret Fresh | Gallery C
Ronac Art Center, Ortigas Ave, 1502 San Juan, Philippines
The home for many is viewed as a place of warmth and affection, a site where one develops a sense of belonging. It forms part of a person’s identity as the environment where networks and social relationships take root and memories accrue. An address or residence is usually a required component of identification in the conduct of contemporary living. Amid the current pandemic, the home has also merged with other spaces where time is mostly spent—like work and school—and thus almost becoming the sole location of everyday existence.
In this solo exhibition by Lui Manaig, he takes us into his journey of frequently changing the place he calls home. Driven by personal circumstances as well as events like natural calamities, the artist has settled in different places over the years, constantly relocating and adjusting to new people and unfamiliar neighborhoods from time to time. In No Permanent Home, Manaig recalls his previous addresses and crafts compositions that express how this ever-shifting sense of home inflected sentiments and memories associated with these places. The pieces reveal a set of vividly colored, richly patterned forms and views of houses, some canvases taking the recognizable silhouette of a house. Yet, each piece bears a similar crowding of plant growth that obscures its distinction from the rest, suggesting how his recollections of these households—while not necessarily fading from memory—have accumulated into complex tapestries of places and personalities.
A graduate of the Technological University of the Philippines, Lui Manaig has been exhibiting in groups and solo shows, developing a pop-surrealist style that draws heavily from personal and autobiographical explorations of themes like gender identity and human behavior.
This show is curated by Ryan Francis Reyes, in collaboration with The Working Animals Art Projects (TWA)
