SILVERLENS GALLERY, SLAB AND 20SQUARE SEPTEMBER 1 SHOWS

Silverlens Gallery, SLab and 20SQUARE Septemeber 1 Shows
September 1, 2010, Wednesday

This September, Silverlens/Slab/20SQUARE present shows by a fashion designer, a painter marking her return to the Philippine art scene, and a young artist known her pop art and rock-roll inspired collages.

Celebrating his 20th year in fashion, Rhett Eala wanted to explore another medium of his creative expression. In his show entitled Divides, he explores his fascination with the Philippine map through painting. On black and white paintings, Eala reveals the iconic Philippine map like never seen before, at the same time, showcasing the many facets of his artistry.

In SLab, we have another painting show, this time by Chati Coronel who returns to the Philippine art scene after many years living in the States. Her show, entitled An Hour in a Glass Balloon reveals a whimsical and magical world, which she explains as a world that "usually doesn’t get celebrated in art." Coronel uses the woman as her focal point, revealing the duality of their strength and softness with bulbous, organic shapes - as a parachute, a cape, a headdress - and vibrant colors. Allowing life to explode on the canvas, Coronel paints these images to activate the sense that "infinite possibilities exist inside all of us".

Dina Gadia rounds up the September series with her first solo show in 20SQUARE called Contra-Affair. Known for her collages, Gadia enjoys mixing pop art rock and roll inspired images, and puts them together to create an entirely new context. In Contra-Affair, Gadia uses three mediums: painting, collage and sculpture to explore "affairs of ideas/images that go against each other" - from a muscle man in a graveyard to a children’s textbook illustration with punk graphics. Indeed Gadia makes art fun as she "cracks the images to open the possibilities of new meaning".

All three shows open on September 1,2010 Wednesday 6-9pm, and run until September 25,2010.

For inquiries, contact Silverlens Gallery at 2/F YMC Bldg. II, 2320 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati, 816-0044, 0917-5874011, or manage@silverlensphoto.com. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 10am–7pm and Saturdays 1–6pm. www.silverlensphoto.com / slab.silverlensphoto.com.

Words: Bea Davila; Image: Rhett Eala, Oblation (left), 2010; Chati Coronel, A New Buddha Head (middle), 2010; Dina Gadia, Mamaw (right), 2010