Occurrence

RC Camarines, Rhoss Gadiana, Rhichelle Kirk, and Andres Catig

May 18, 2019 | Saturday | 6 PM

Art Underground Manila
814 Balagtas St., Barangay Addition Hills, 1550 Mandaluyong City

Art Underground presents a four-man exhibition featuring RC Camarines, Rhoss John Gadiana, Rhichelle Kirk, and Andres Catig. “Occurrence” inspects fleeting moments which have left lasting impressions on the four artists. The narratives behind the works presented in this exhibition are entwined with vivid memories. Memories that each artist tell best by painting fragments from each occurrence.

Rhoss John Gadiana’s work look at opposing forces such as life and death and good and evil, so to speak. Gadiana gravitates to illustrating occurrences that happen at a subconscious level. This exploration came about from Gadiana’s religious spiritual awakening. In effect, he uses his personal inquisitiveness into contrasting ideas as it would prime the audiences to see the rest of the works through an empathetic lens.

The five stages of grief are explored in RC Camarines’ works. His series “Flee from Misery” which is based on his personal journey through the stages of grief having lost an uncle who is close to him. Camarines’ work chronicles each stage of grief through a feminine figure who appears to be griping with her will to live.

Another examination into occurrence provided by Rhichelle Kirk’s “Stand By Me” series draws from his memory of the monsoon rains. He specifically recalls a night he stayed up late along with his father. Both men anticipating the worse: be it flood or drippings from the ceiling. “Stand By Me” unromanticizes rain as the artist associates the memory of the roaring sound of rain, the drippings from the roof that would leave some of his works drenched as a passing episode of distraught. Rhichelle Kirk chooses to immortalize this occurrence using vibrant colors that appear to obscure figures that allude to family members who shared the experience with him.

Last but not least is Andres Catig’s “110 Wattz Kubang TV” series that is based on imported television sets that was considered the cutting-edge technology of the late 90s’. This is augmented by Catig’s pieces that are based on local television shows that were aired the same time these TV sets were a fixture in most Filipino households. Catig presents a deeper association behind these iconic TV sets to relief and coping. The artists looks back at a time when he would watch television series like Encantadia or Darna from his neighbor’s television. This habit of shared television viewing begun after a traumatic experience where he had miraculously saved his mother from the rising flood of Typhoon Ondoy. Being only 11 at the time, Catig recalls salvaging pirated DVDs in the muddied aftermath of his home and watching them on a 90s’ TV Set, one that his father sent from abroad.

The occurrences tackled in these works are vast and varied. As the exhibition captures atypical personal narratives, they remain relatable and open to the onlooker’s interpretation.

text by Marz Aglipay

For more information call us at 721 0745 or 09175237463. Email artundergroundmanila@gmail.com