ADESTE’S RIVETING VISIONS

Awork of art screams of many things. It is a connection with one’s faith, a longing for unrestricted liberty to express oneself and a welcoming of varying sorts of ideas which can spark a conversation and later on turn it into a revolution. This principle holds true for Adeste Deguilmo, as he paints celebrations of cultures and ideologies in his own way without restraint. His works, showcased in the exhibit entitled “Distortus” (which means Distortion), show how art connects to the human mind in a spiritual context.

“Life inspires me to create art. The earliest paintings that we had were inside caves made 25,000 to 30,000 years ago and writing was invented only 6,000 years ago. So we were painting before we were writing,” said Adeste. “Those were not meant for decoration. They were meant to strengthen hope and faith. Religion and art simultaneously came out. Painting was never meant for decoration. It is a language that touches your soul,” said the artist.

“Adeste” in Latin means “Come” like in the Christmas song “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The song is also known as Adeste Fideles with “Fideles” meaning faithful. The artist figured it would be fitting to name his solo exhibit in Latin.

The series of works for “Distortus” features characters created by the artist with seemingly distorted forms: heads eagerly stretched with elongated muscular necks. In his exhibit, he features his works “Potentia et Fidem” and “Flore et Fidem” mixing varying mediums such as watercolor, pen and ink and coffee painted on a page torn off a sketch book. In these works, he shows these distorted characters carrying huge blocks of cement and flowers in front of varying churches in the Philippines. These seemingly pop-art expressionist works stand out in plainly painted walls looking multi-dimensional.

“When I started this, I already had a plan on how to finish the work and how they will be displayed. That’s why I chose this white frame. They seem to look as if the artworks are floating, I want the shadows to be part of the artwork so the artwork itself is multi-dimensional.”

For his painting process, Adeste shared that he often creates a few studies of the subjects he wishes to paint. And when he perfects the studies, he proceeds to painting it on the canvas. However, there’s this one piece in the exhibit which never went through the same process and it’s the artwork that grabs a lot of attention.

The head-turner in this exhibit is the piece he calls “Madonna on the Run” which features a mother running while carrying her child. “This piece came out from my sub-conscious. I was just holding the pencil just drawing and I didn’t know what would come out but this is the thing that came out from the sketchpad. This is a mother that’s running holding the baby. As I pondered on the subject, it came to me that it’s a universal thing, especially for those whose mothers are already gone. When I lost my mom, I longed for her; for her warmness, for her embrace. That was the time I felt that I wanted to hold her but I coulf not. Yet I feel that up to the present time she’s carrying me although I cannot touch her,” said Adeste.

The painting features a mother with two different energies spooling around her. Her face looks calm and relaxed yet her hair is up with the wind, while she is seen running.

“Distortus” by Adeste Deguilmo is displayed in Qube Gallery located in Crossroads, Banilad, Cebu City and will run until Oct. 10.