MANILA, Philippines - Rustom Cleofe “Ombok” Villamor’s most recent oeuvre is characterized by fascinating abstractions of life forms. The resulting paintings are organic narratives that bring out the rich dynamism and energy of life. This is keeping with the artist’s own explorations of nature — particularly his experience living on the shores of his native Samar. The ethereal paintings are most reminiscent of sea life, a direct link to the artist’s roots, but they also celebrate the delights of other life forms. In many cases, his paintings take on an almost spiritual essence: looking like they are floating, life-nurturing galaxies in the middle of the vacuum of space.
Ombok Villamor’s his fifth solo exhibition titled “Vivere” opens on Jan. 22 at Galerie Joaquin’s Ground Floor Centre Gallery. Spanish for “to live,” the exhibition features works that are a testament to the passion that Ombok has to life in all its forms.
There is an aesthetic line that can be drawn between Ombok’s work and the practice of Modernist stalwart Raul Isidro, specifically their use empty spaces to contrast dynamic abstract forms. Isidro, who is also a native of Samar, served as a mentor to the younger Ombok.
“Vivere,” on view until Feb. 5, is part of a double show alongside Juvenal Sanso’s “Fields Abloom” at the upstairs Main Gallery.
Showcasing the Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee’s floral and landscape works on paper, the two exhibits complement each other in the way they celebrate life. Sanso’s exhibition is also a precursor to his yearlong retrospective, “Timeless Sanso: 70 Years in Art,” with important exhibits in Museo Sanso, UP Vargas Museum, Ayala Museum, Ateneo Art Gallery, Lopez Museum, and the Kalaw Ledesma Foundation.
Galerie Joaquin is at 371 P. Guevarra Street corner Montessori Lane in San Juan City. For information, call 723-9418 or visit www.galeriejoaquin.com.