ABOUT THE WORK

While he may be occasionally referred to as the middle sibling of famous Ventura brothers, Olan Ventura has carved his own name in Philippine visual arts, through his brand of hyperrealism that showcases the monumentality of everyday objects such as action figures, an assembly of portraits of locals and international artists replete with their respective styles and symbols, as well as the oppositional forces present in domestic life. His figuration is both exact and exacting. One can’t help but feel that his works have the clarity and realism of photographs. These two pieces by Ventura feature renditions of an iconic portrait of the revered visual artist Pablo Picasso. The acrylic on canvas work features the portrait itself, while the lightbox emphasizes Picasso’s ring. The mysterious and eerie atmosphere of Ventura’s can be attributed to his use of inverted colors and hues, an effect akin to viewing analog negatives. Yet Ventura’s negation can also be seen as a form of subversion. In this context, Ventura seemingly criticizes the hegemonic shadow that Picasso had cast throughout his latter years, a method that also effectively extends Ventura’s criticism to the art world itself.