Exhibitions

For “The Essential Condition”, visual artist Norberto Carating chooses to distill his representations of the world to their basic vertical and horizontal elements, representing the two essential opposing forces: the positive and the negative, the dynamic and the static, the masculine and the feminine. The dynamic balance of his compositions reflects what he sees as the universal balance of these forces, breaking them down to their essential conditions, or Si·ne Qua Non.

Carating radically simplifies the elements of his paintings to reflect what he sees as a spiritual order underlying the visible world, creating a clear, universal aesthetic language within his canvases. His paintings evolve in a logical manner, and clearly convey the influence of various modern art movements such as Luminism, Impressionism, and most importantly, Cubism.

The artist reduces his shapes to lines and his palette to fundamental basics pushing past references to the outside world toward pure abstraction. Norberto Carating’s use of balance and a simplified pictorial vocabulary continuously remains crucial in the development of his art, as his abstract works remain influential in design and familiar in popular culture to this day.

Norberto “Lito” Carating is an exponential presence in the world of Philippine non-representational Art, a distinction he enjoys for more than four decades now. He officially started his career as an exhibiting artist with his first solo exhibition of works in 1974. Under the country’s foremost abstract expressionist Jose Joya, Norberto Carating obtained his bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines in 1971. A consistent winner in practically all the national art competitions, including the 13 Artist Award in 1990 from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Carating time and again has represented the country in many international art events in China, Cuba, and the United States. He has extensively exhibited his works coast to coast in the USA and Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore. His works can be found in the private homes of the country’s 400. Considered one of the masters of abstract modernism, Carating’s metallic abstractions, in particular, are favorites of Manila’s collectors because of their colors, texture and meditative quality.

“The Essential Condition” by Norberto Carating will be on view from February 24 to March 5, 2021. Galerie Joaquin U.P. Town Center is located at 2/F Phase 2 U.P. Town Center, Katipunan Ave., Diliman, Quezon City. For more information, contact (+63)2 8247 1109 or email galeriejoaquin@gmail.com.