ABOUT THE WORK

One of the most acclaimed artists in Southeast Asia, Ronald Ventura is considered an auction star. His painting Grayground was a record-setting work at Sotheby’s, and he continues to set buzz in various auction houses and shows in the country and abroad. The contemporary artist is known for combining elements of hyperrealism, cartoons, illustrations, Pop Art symbols, and animals, especially dogs. The contemporary artist is considered an auction star. In these works, viewers sense dramatic tensions in the process of image making, as Ventura deals with dualisms and posthumanism. His Zoomanities and Beastiality series, for example, display a focus on animals. Ventura challenges notions on identity and the human condition with his works of complexity and depth, presenting aesthetic and theoretical influences. This particular piece shows Ventura’s penchant for fusing humans and animals as well as his incredible draftsmanship and attention to detail. He situates humanness in the contemporary context with his depiction of a flawless body rendered hyper-realistically. Ventura also tackles power structures and the stand that the human race is superior to other species, presenting the interchangeability of human and animal nature.