Richard Tuason
June 22 – July 3, 2021
Art Underground
814 Balagtas St., Barangay Addition Hills, 1550 Mandaluyong
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The exhibit, according to visual artist Richard Tuason, is about Christianity and its belief system and conventions.
Growing up with a religious background, Tuason admittedly became impressionable with the Catholic practices. Visually, he is fascinated with the architectures, murals, emblematic icons, and relics; together with the ritual activities, behavior, and imposed beliefs.
The exhibition’s objective is to implore on the audience to seek for answers, rather than exposing wrongdoings of the system. The visual delineation speaks about a singular identity and identifying one’s self – where, and if, they should belong with regards to values and morality. Topics relating to religion is commonly taboo, as it results to a never-ending discussion without any conclusion –besides to agree to disagree. Art, however, is a language that can communicate religious values as well as transcend religious differences.
“The Allegory Between the Church and Religion” examines the influence of physical architecture with spiritual perception. “Our concept of God is only based on what we read, hear and feel in our natural senses,” the artist narrates. “My goal is not only to keep looking for signs, wonders and miracles, but to acknowledge satisfaction from our daily experiences.”
[Text by Grace Ng]
About the Artist
Richard John Tuason (b. 1976) is a multidisciplinary artist whose oeuvre spans many forms, including drawing, painting, assemblage, installation, and sound sculpture. He has participated in numerous group shows around the metro and has mounted well-received solo exhibitions.
Tuason’s aesthetic engagements move through a consistent habit: the minimal strokes of straight, parallel, and perpendicular lines. His works and compositions form assembled elements that reflect the depth of his attention to detail. Instead of using his art to explicitly communicate a message, Richard Tuason uses his work as a tool for social experimentation. The artist hopes to gauge if his work posits how individuals value art: whether through the meanings it communicates or through the meanings that can be inferred from them.
