Richard Tuason
May 9, 2017
Art Underground
814 Balagtas St., Barangay Addition Hills, 1550 Mandaluyong
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Multifarious Reflections
“The great corrupter of public man is the ego. Looking at the mirror distracts one’s attention from the problem”
— Dean Acheson
Richard Tuason’s “Objects in the Mirror appear closer than they appear” is an exploration into the superficialities that mirrors unlock. The exhibit takes its title from a common print warning often found on car side mirrors, a reminder that despite serving as aides to motorists caution should be exercised when looking at them. Using canvas and stainless steel as his primary medium, Tuason’s avant-garde interpretation aim resonates with the way people interact with mirrors.
In this show, Tuason classifies his works into four series. One is “Portals” which is a collection of large-scale pieces designed to appear as portals into another dimension. Tuason is motivated by the possibility of a mirror world that lies behind the mirror.
The second series entitled “The Disillusionment of Space” medium-sized-pieces which depict renditions of assembled figures framed in steel. These works will have a replica of the assembled figures painted on canvas to augment his steel-framed pieces.
He also has two small-scale series titled “A space in the mirror”, an interplay between structural forms much like an imitation game between the mediums. His frames are designed to mimic the assembled image painted on canvas that can also be interpreted the other way around. Last but not least is his “Existentialism” series where Tuason seamlessly combines canvas and steel. His canvas purposefully makes use of its reflection on the steel sculpture it is embedded into.
For “Objects in the mirror appear closer than they appear” Tuason’s works take viewers into an exploration into existentialism through a compendium of tangible examples. Seeing the works come together is a contrivance of geometric forms that interchange between canvas and frame. Much like how we use mirrors, a confounded event where we appear to be checking our appearance but in reality, we measure ourselves to meet the standards set by society.
Text by Marz Aglipay
