Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

A pioneer of contemporary Filipino abstraction, the works of visual artist Max Balatbat synthesizes the core essence of abstract art with a much more robust and complex approach. Born in 1978, Balatbat initially pursued a career in Architecture at the Far Eastern University. But in 1997, Balatbat decided to follow his passions and shift to a degree in Fine Arts at the University of the East in Caloocan. Upon graduation, Balatbat was awarded the University of the East’s Exemplary Performance in the Visual Arts Award. In 2009 he brought home two awards, the “2nd Award” in Painting at the 2009 Florence Biennale and the Grand Prize at the GSIS Art Awards in 2009 as well. Balatbat’s artistic practice is primarily informed by the social realities present within Philippine culture and society. As a child, Balatbat was no stranger to the trials and tribulations of life itself. The young Max grew up right next to a brothel in their hometown of Caloocan. There, he encountered a variety of characters and individuals, each one revealing to Max the truth about the human experience. This led him to create a form of abstraction that draws upon the aesthetics of these realities. From semblances of newsprints and old flyers to shapes that seemingly resemble sheets of galvanized iron sheets, and other common objects, Balatbat’s works present us with a pure and unfiltered glimpse at our current condition; one that is artificial and man-made, but undoubtedly real in the truest sense. It is not only the context of Balatbat’s works that make them engaging, but the technique as well. Though the artist’s works appear to use a variety of found-objects and ephemera, in reality, Balatbat manages to achieve a certain distinctness between his elements by applying certain conditions to his paints. Balatbat heats his paint in order to achieve his desired effect, with his rougher and harder elements requiring more effort than their relatively smoother counterparts. Balatbat then layers his pieces together, creating his characteristically unique brand of contemporary abstraction.