Montera’s Introspections
The definitive driving force that scores the aesthetic sensibilities of Cebuano abstract expressionist Dennis “Sio” Montera yields compelling visuals that bear undertones of euphoria and ennui.
A forerunner in the development of contemporary abstraction in Cebu, Montera opened his 20th solo show on August 10 in Qube Gallery at The Crossroads in Banilad with pieces that tell a story without need for a storyline.
The show, titled “A State of Introspection,” takes its theme from Montera’s forays in the creative arts field in the last two decades, within which he built and continues to build his creative oeuvre.
A graduate of the Fine Arts Program of the University of the Philippines Cebu, he is currently finishing his Doctorate in Creative Industries Design in the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. The two places confront Montera with creative parallels, as Tainan City in Taiwan and Cebu City in the Philippines share certain similarities in terms of economic roles, historical background, and a number of developing creative communities.
What the artist has “seen” in Cebu and in Tainan parts brought forth the introspections that he brings to this show, captured on canvas. Montera uses combinations of texturizing, stippling and etching techniques in the pieces in the exhibit, which runs until the first week of September.
With the process-overcontent ethos that embodies abstract expressionism, the artist noticeably treads on creative spontaneity in creating the works, in capturing what otherwise only intuition and emotion can perceive.
ground ended there. She was as carefree as her California upbringing would suggest, and her disposition was wellsuited to her career in theater. Brian, on the other hand, embodied the expectation of the East Coast elite. He preferred time inside, alone, left to his writing.
Their dreams were also at odds: Harpham always expected she would someday become a mother, but Brian had no interest in being a dad.
When Harpham learns she’s pregnant, that news appears to end the relationship. She flees New York, heartbroken but determined to raise their
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daughter alone. But within hours of Gracie’s birth, doctors realize something is wrong with the infant’s blood.
Gracie’s doctors are unable to pinpoint precisely what is wrong, but frequent blood transfusions help. Harpham doesn’t know what Brian wants, even when he meets their daughter six months after her birth.
“Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After” tracks Harpham’s unexpected pregnancy and all that follows. It is filled with both pain and beauty, and she shares a clear-eyed
view of messy relationships and the journey toward something that resembles joy. Harpham’s powerful memoir is the tale of two people struggling to save their daughter while trying to discern what their relationship to one another is all about.
“We find happiness, if we find it at all, on accident,” Harpham writes. “We trip over it on our way somewhere else.” And by sharing her own experience, Harpham provides light for others’ paths.