QUILANTANG HOLDS 1st SOLO SHOW IN SINGAPORE

Up-and-coming Filipina artist Celeste Quilantang debuts with her first solo exhibition in Singapore, “Even a cat may look at a king,” at Pinta Contemporary Art Space on September 30 to October 30, 2018.

The show is part of the 12th edition of Philippine Art Trek, an annual art festival celebrating Filipino artistry in Singapore, sponsored by the Philippine Embassy.

Pinta Contemporary, a Filipino artist space joins the festival also in its maiden year.

“Even a cat may look at a king” features nine large scale canvases that depict different expressions of feline gaze and sleep.

With this series, Quilantang takes note of the seemingly universal fascination with cats as subject of amusement and companionship, as attested to its popularity in social media and in online video streaming sites. Their online presence looming large, Quilantang represents them in her work as larger-than-life portraits that take up the space of the canvases in a confrontational stance.

The portrayal presents the artist’s own pet kittens, even as they dominate the pictorial space of her works as well as her domicile.

The artist celebrates her personality as a cat person, as she takes solace in their companionship and occasional quirks. The theme of “Even a cat may look at a king” refers to the cat’s seeming independence from human care, and inherent defiance while presenting themselves as vulnerable.

Quilantang is a self-taught artist who took a number of painting lessons from her artist friends. Her body of works to date have all been large-scale portraits of both humans and animals. She lives and works in Antipolo City, Rizal.

“Even a cat may look at a king” opens on September 30, 2018 with the Philippine Embassy in Singapore taking the lead in the ceremonies.

Pinta Contemporary Art Space is at B1-10 Excelsior Shopping Center, Singapore.