Roughly painted head busts, massive fragmented concrete, obscured mountains and hills, a collage of scattered anatomical parts, familiar objects, and indiscernible words seemingly forming dreamscapes devoid of any conscious narrative. These are various images portrayed in Ian Quirante’s solo exhibition, Pneuma II, which is on view at BenCab Museum’s Gallery Indigo until Dec. 6.
Gathering diverse stimuli culled up from his immediate surroundings and personal history, Quirante presents distinct imageries that are reminiscent of the meanderings of the human mind, a vast and limitless vault of thoughts and memories where nothing is virtually impossible to happen.
Working with “psychic automatism” as his ground, whipping out this painting unaware of the result, adapting succeeding images from the outcome of the previous while relying on stocks of iconographies, the introduction of value and depth creates contrast to Quirante’s past usual linear compositions, reinforcing his inclination to the fusion of drawing and painting techniques.
In this exhibition, Quirante explores a scenario on the fragility of the human mind and body, hanging on the edge of the knife, just trying to survive through the pandemic.
An artist acting as a catalyst in the hopes of creating a change through art, holding on, being resilient and at the same time revealing the workings of his own (sub)consciousness, Quirante holds degrees in International Studies from Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, and Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines Diliman.
He received various awards from the Philip Morris Art Awards, Metrobank Art Competition, and Shell National Student Art Competition and has held numerous solo and group shows in the Philippines and abroad.
He teaches painting techniques at University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts Diliman and figure, still life, and perspective drawing, as well as oil, acrylic, watercolor painting at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts. – Press release
