Exhibitions
View Framed Gallery
Integration and Meta Art
by Duffie Hufana Osental
At the North Court of Rockwell Center from July 17 - 23, with an artist reception on Sunday, July 19 at 4pm, is a unique exhibition entitled "Framed," where renowned sculptor Michael Cacnio integrates original works by National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee Juvenal Sanso, and Masters Dominic Rubio and Angel Cacnio.
The origin of the word integrate can be traced to the Latin word integer, meaning "whole." The verb integrare is the act of making whole. It assumes that one part only becomes complete when combined with another. Hegelian dynamics refers to integration, in the guise of synthesis, as a step towards absolute knowledge. By taking two disparate ideas and linking them together, one is able to produce a stronger, more compelling idea. The British Labour party put it best in their defence of Scottish integration within the United Kingdom, with the slogan "better together."
Herein at this junction, this exhibit examines the idea of integration between two visual art practices. The dominant practice is that of sculptor Michael Cacnio, a genre artist who has been gaining a following for his organically-posed figures of traditional Philippine "slice-of-life." scenes. Having had over 50 sold-out solo exhibitions in the US, Europe, and Asia, Cacnio’s candid depictions of tableaux scenes of Philippine genre has been noted by critics as representing the best of genre in sculptural form. The artist has achieved a fair measure of awards in his 26 years of sculpture, including the 2006 The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM). A product of the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, Michael Cacnio is also the first – and so far only – Filipino artist to exhibit at the Berlaymont in Brussels.
This exhibition, entitled "Framed," represents a new direction for Michael Cacnio. In this exhibition, Cacnio has created 12 new pieces that have integrated the works of other renowned visual artists. These original works - from late National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee Juvenal Sanso, and Masters Angel Cacnio and Dominic Rubio - were created separately, and in some cases were done within completely different contexts. But Cacnio utilizes their works them in meta sculptures, as figures of artists, movers, and other genre occupations interact with these integrated works.
These meta works are both self-referential and self-aware as artworks depicting artworks--like a poem about poetry, or a movie within a movie. Integration allows the main artist to explore the conceptual possibilities of this approach, while allowing the secondary artist to repurpose existing works. "Framed" is thus both a one-man exhibition and a group show, expanding the individual capabilities of the artists involved and bringing them together in synthesis.
by Duffie Hufana Osental
At the North Court of Rockwell Center from July 17 - 23, with an artist reception on Sunday, July 19 at 4pm, is a unique exhibition entitled "Framed," where renowned sculptor Michael Cacnio integrates original works by National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee Juvenal Sanso, and Masters Dominic Rubio and Angel Cacnio.
The origin of the word integrate can be traced to the Latin word integer, meaning "whole." The verb integrare is the act of making whole. It assumes that one part only becomes complete when combined with another. Hegelian dynamics refers to integration, in the guise of synthesis, as a step towards absolute knowledge. By taking two disparate ideas and linking them together, one is able to produce a stronger, more compelling idea. The British Labour party put it best in their defence of Scottish integration within the United Kingdom, with the slogan "better together."
Herein at this junction, this exhibit examines the idea of integration between two visual art practices. The dominant practice is that of sculptor Michael Cacnio, a genre artist who has been gaining a following for his organically-posed figures of traditional Philippine "slice-of-life." scenes. Having had over 50 sold-out solo exhibitions in the US, Europe, and Asia, Cacnio’s candid depictions of tableaux scenes of Philippine genre has been noted by critics as representing the best of genre in sculptural form. The artist has achieved a fair measure of awards in his 26 years of sculpture, including the 2006 The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM). A product of the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, Michael Cacnio is also the first – and so far only – Filipino artist to exhibit at the Berlaymont in Brussels.
This exhibition, entitled "Framed," represents a new direction for Michael Cacnio. In this exhibition, Cacnio has created 12 new pieces that have integrated the works of other renowned visual artists. These original works - from late National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee Juvenal Sanso, and Masters Angel Cacnio and Dominic Rubio - were created separately, and in some cases were done within completely different contexts. But Cacnio utilizes their works them in meta sculptures, as figures of artists, movers, and other genre occupations interact with these integrated works.
These meta works are both self-referential and self-aware as artworks depicting artworks--like a poem about poetry, or a movie within a movie. Integration allows the main artist to explore the conceptual possibilities of this approach, while allowing the secondary artist to repurpose existing works. "Framed" is thus both a one-man exhibition and a group show, expanding the individual capabilities of the artists involved and bringing them together in synthesis.