9 ARTISTS EXPLORE NATIVE AND BORROWED COUNTRIES IN ‘IN THE NEAR DISTANCE’
Six artists explore identity and sense of place in both their original as well as borrowed countries in the exhibition “In the Near Distance,” set to open today, March 25 at León Gallery International in Corinthian Plaza, Makati.
“In the Near Distance” is a joint project of León Gallery with the DF Art Agency and Geoff de Boissieu. It is curated by Lisa Guerrero Nakpil. It will run until April 8.
Artists are Ian Anderson, Olivia d’Aboville, Henri Lamy, Leeroy New, Mark Nicdao, and Enzo Razon. Their works use various mediums, old and new, from figurative and abstract painting to mixed media; they combine sculpture, installation, and photography.
Anderson first came to public notice when he was commissioned to create a six-story mural for an American TV company in 2016. He has since exhibited in Tokyo, integrating puzzles, mazes and games into his whimsical works.
D’Aboville is one of the most dynamic (if unconventional) artists in textiles in the country today, which reflects a commitment to use Filipino natural fibers as well recycled/ upcycled materials as a demonstration of her environmental activism. She created the monumental piece “Everything, Everywhere, and Everyone” which focused on the degradation of our seas by pollution.
Lamy is best known as a painter who combines his practice with capoeira and dance.
New combines concepts of installation and performance art to create works of magnificent scale and meaning. He will soon be featured at the Palais de Tokyo contemporary museum of Paris.
Nicdao is equally global, capturing with his lens, both Filipino and international artists, models, and celebrities for various international media and corporations. He has worked on numerous locations, from Paris to Portugal, Morocco to Greece, Iceland to New Zealand, Germany to Italy, to name a very few.
Razon is the co-founder of a photography gallery and creative content agency specializing in documentary short films. Working in video, installation, photo and ink drawings, he said he explores “specificity and universality within the contexts of both childhood and the Filipino home.”