Accompanied by a certificate issued by Alexander John Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot

Provenance: Provenance: Luz Gallery Private Collection, Australia

ABOUT THE WORK

Critics, academics, and curators alike have often claimed that Joya spearheaded the birth, interest, and development of abstract expressionism in the Philippines. Though Abstract Expressionism was not a novel concept in the art world, most of the works produced at the time were heavily influenced by Western and European schools of thought. Thus, Joya’s art was critically lauded for its refreshing take on the medium that synthesized the core tenets of abstraction and abstract expressionism, but revitalized it with local and Asian styles and techniques. His works are characterized by calligraphic gestures and linear forces that express a spontaneous vitality inherent in Oriental and Asian sensibilities. Joya would also often incorporate various elements from his real world surroundings, such as color, form, and shape, into his works, imbuing them with a sense of harmony and ethereality. Though Joya produced a number of countless abstract iterations of both foreign and international landscapes, what makes this particular piece special is that it does not only utilize a specific place as its referent, but a culture as well. In this piece entitled Ibalon, Joya depicts both the color and culture of the Bicol Region. The name Ibalon refers to the colonial moniker of the Bicol region during the early Spanish period, as well as the pre-colonial epic of the same name but is also referred to as Ibalong or Handiong. The epic’s style and narrative is heavily based on the Indian epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, showcasing the Philippines’ South Asian roots especially when it comes to language and forms of writing. The epic portrays a group of warrior-heroes and their epic deeds as they guide the people of Bicolandia. To this day, the spirit of the epic lives on through the annual Ibalong Festival. The festival celebrates the heroic deeds of the epic’s protagonists through colorful costumes, creative reenactments, and creative rituals. In Joya’s Ibalon one can see how his palette aptly reflects the motifs and designs of the Ibalon festival. His more subdued earthy tones depict the armor worn by the epic’s heroes, while his more vibrant colors complement his central figures by distilling the piece with a sense of place and narrative setting. What Joya manages to capture in this work is not only the physical properties of his subject matter, but the spirit and culture of it as well.