RODOLFO GAN EXPLORES GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTIONS IN ‘PRISM 2’
BY DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ
AS an art form, the use of geometric abstractions is not common. Airbrush is Rodolfo Gan’s signature method for his square abstract paintings, which feature pure geometric lines and forms.
Prism 2 is Gan’s second solo art exhibition since 2014. Ongoing until February 11 at the Upstairs Gallery of Finale Art File, La Fuerza Compound, the exhibit is a collection of 11 paintings that explore cubism and geometrism.
Geometric abstraction is a style that uses shapes based on simple geometry. These shapes include straight lines, circles, squares and rectangles. Gan uses Earth tones for his paintings.
“I am inspired by the works of the local masters, like Fernando Zobel, Lee Aguinaldo and Roberto Chabet, who is considered the father of conceptual art here,” said Gan, who graduated from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) with a degree in Fine Arts, major in Advertising.
Chabet was the one who encouraged and inspired Gan to be an artist while the latter was a teacher at UST. As a young artist in the 1970s, Gan won a number of local and national art competitions. He also exhibited his works at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and had his first solo exhibit at the Luz Gallery in 1972.
That year, Gan was named one of the CCP’s Thirteen Artists. Throughout the 1970s, he was an active artist who took part in exhibitions here and abroad, the most notable of which was representing the Philippines in the 7th Paris Biennale and the Asean collection exhibitions in Israel, Jakarta and Hong Kong.
The family’s printing business became a priority for Gan after a while, but he came back in 2014 with Prism.
Gan describes his works as “timeless and dynamic, critical and introspective, but always forwardlooking,” reflecting on the traditions of modernism.
Finale Art File is at Warehouse 17, La Fuerza Compound (Gate 1), 2241 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City, Philippines.