Exhibited: Exhibited: Artis Corpus Gallery, Looks Kill, December 6-29, 2010

ABOUT THE WORK

Tarlac-born social realist Ferdinand Montemayor is one of the founders of the Antipolo-based artist group Salingpusa. Being based in Antipolo his entire life also influenced his works; his widely celebrated Bayan series was inspired by the images of the city from the city’s vantage point. The paintings belonging to this series showed the gradual urbanization of key cities in the country during the 1990s. Damaging effects of urbanization such as pollution and congestion are among the features of his works. Montemayor painted with attention to details from an aerial view, expressionist brushstroke, and strong hues—as presented by this featured 2003 piece titled Message Sent—continuing the series until the mid-2000s. Here, people are also depicted as interacting in public and private spaces. Montemayor, who graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of the Philippines in 1989, was part of the first group show of the Salingpusa in 1987. He also participated in the interaction murals created by its members for the Infanta Cathedral and Café Dada of Brix Gallery. In 1994, he was chosen as one of recipients of the CCP Thirteen Artist Awards.