Catering to an emerging niche of younger collectors, this eclectic collection within a themed sale is in marked contrast to the more hushed, museum-like preview exhibitions of parent Salcedo Auctions. In the past, Gavel&Block collectors have journeyed back through time with its pan-Asian inspired installations and a reimagination of the popular Bridgerton Netflix series, or ogled the special vignettes by top interior decorators and curators such as sisters Cynthia and Ivy Almario and Stephanie Frondoso.
Its year-ender sale is another fresh disruption. “Objects as Convergence” brings together five artists who were invited to respond to this special theme for the art+design auction by creating object-based art.
“I Will Make You Uncomfortable in Heaven,” Robert Langenegger, 2022.
Robert Langenegger meditates on his own spirituality, using an object associated with cushy comfort to ask uncomfortable and sometimes innocent (and funny) questions: “Personally, when I use religious imagery or characters it isn’t an act of blasphemy or a sophomoric attempt at generating critical thinking. I would rather think of it as a way of trying, in my own limited means as a sinner, to have a dialogue with God. I have been practicing the act of praying since a young lad and whenever I have an unanswered prayer I try to deduce where I must have gone wrong. Did I hit the proper spots when I did the sign of the Cross? Did I say thank you the last time I prayed and my prayer was granted? Was my back straight and my hand perfectly aligned when I prayed? Did I talk to God in a demanding way rather than a humble way? Should I leave my eyes open when I pray? There are so many questions and no answers to the act of praying, thus I have evolved to pray in my own way which is now through painting.”
“Hanggang Saan Ang Liwanag,” Doktor Karayom, 2022
Using wood remnants and candles, Doktor Karayom creates a shrine to forgiveness, expressing his thoughts in a poem.
Walang maisip na gawin ang may-likha, kaya ikaw na lang ang ginawa Mula sa tinabas na retaso at punong natumba, ikaw ay tinayo …
Hindi niya alam ang ibig sabihin ng pangit kaya ikaw ay pinaganda …
Paalala ng apoy ang kanyang ginamit Para malaman kung malapit na bang dumilim ang parte ng iyong pagkatao …
Doon nya malalaman kung hanggang saan na lang ang iyong liwanag …
At mula sa abo ng iyong pagkasunog Ito ay mapupunta sa noo ng taong makasalanan …
Na humihingi ng kapatawaran.
*Sculptures from the series titled “Birth/Unearth” (left) and “Daughter of Dirt” *
Marionne Contreras’ soft sculptures, the Birth/Unearth and the Daughter of Dirt series, bear semblance to the traditional crafts she borrowed from – basket weaving and rug-making – combined with 3D printing. Using the different techniques, Contreras crafted narratives of the human experience and painted “images of texture.”
Juan Alcazaren’s “Monobloc Swan” (left), Garapata’s “GaraBBQ.”
Looking at Juan Alcazaren’s submissions for the auction, you can hardly recognize the artist’s source form – the ubiquitous monobloc chairs that have defined the socially-distanced queues of our pandemic past. The artist dismantled the piece to create a swan, discarding its previous connotations in the process to form new meanings. “The swan,” he says, “is a creature of beauty, and the black swan is used as a symbol of improbable events. I use the swan as a symbol of transformation – from the ugliness created by our own poor stewardship of the earth to a less ugly, responsible nurturing of nature, and an open eye to the beauty of the improbable.”
On the other hand, it’s easy to spot Garapata’s inspiration for his sculpture titled GaraBBQ. Six resin Garapata figures are skewered on a giant version of the metal and cement barricade posts commonly found in Manila’s streets. It brings to mind popular street food, like fish balls, banana cue, beta max, etc. A closer look reveals the weathered skin, cueing the viewer to a difficult past. Unable to wriggle free from the post, the figures await an impending fate. As stated by the artist: * “Anim na garapata natuhog ng pagkakataon, para sama-samang kainin ng higanteng gutom na aso.”*
The Gavel&Block ‘art+design: Object as Convergence’ auction will take place online on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 11AM. Click here to view the catalogue. Those wishing to preview the lots in person and bid online at the same time can drop by Salcedo Auctions (NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City) on auction day for ‘art+design meets gin+tonic’ – a first-of-its-kind ‘bidding party’ in partnership with Hendrick’s Gin. Preview is ongoing. For inquiries, email [email protected] or phone +632 8 8230956 | +63 917 591 2191. Follow @salcedoauctions @gavelandblock on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
