Gig de Pio’s
contemporary abstracts ‘flourish’ in new exhibit
AFTER highlighting the collections of worldclass Filipino artists Ben Cabrera, Al Perez, Paulina Luz Sotto, Fernando Amorsolo, Arturo Luz and Anita Magsaysay Ho, the Rustan’s for the Arts series puts the spotlight on the contemporary works of abstract artist Gig de Pio.
Officially its first exhibit for 2020, Rustan’s recently organized an event to launch “Flourishing,” a celebration of creativity featuring De Pio’s latest works, where several pieces were created specifically for the Rustan’s For The Arts.
The collection is a movable visual feast, which can be viewed at Rustan’s Makati until March 31 and will move to Rustan’s Shangri-La in April. The paintings reflect the award-winning artist’s view of the world that makes order out of chaos. De Pio, who made his studies from materials that society has deemed as disposable, describes his collection as an appreciative view of the universe. “It is a matter of perception and where point of reference is; just a matter of finding gestalt in the random of things and events around the perceiver,” De Pio shared.
His abstracts on display, which includes an “installation painting” piece, illustrates the randomness of occurrences and encounters at intersections, which may happen repeatedly to become events. Among his mentors were National Artist Napoleon Abueva who was his professor for sculpture, National Artist Vicente Manansala whom he assisted for the mural at the Coconut Planters Bank building, and Jose Joya whom he assisted for the mural at the Philippine International Convention Center ( PICC). De Pio has mounted several successful shows including a solo at The Crucible. In attendance to the gathering were Cid Reyes, Gus Albor, Junyee, Al Perez, Dante Silverio, Heber Bartolome, Louie Locsin, Lior Liechtenstein, Lyn Gamboa, Celia Molano, Malee Bigornia, Richie Macapinlac, and Ross Capili, to name a few.