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

ABOUT THE WORK

There is always a riddle to the materiality of art that is especially apparent in three-dimensional pieces: Is the sculptural work that comes about simply a one-sided imposition of the artist’s agency onto the material—a sheer matter of form being imposed on a passive medium? Or does the material itself possess an agency that works in confluence with that of the artist’s? The sculptures of Ramon Orlina come into form through a curious method of cold-working instead of employing the use of heat to mold the glass in its liquid state. This means that the artist cannot so easily direct the flow of glass into a certain shape. Instead, as he physically carves onto the cullets with various tools and abrasive powders, he is driven to work with the solidity of the medium in its not-so-malleable state. The refusal of cold hard glass to be so easily moldable implies an agency that the artist is forced to work with, and the form that comes about can only ever be as harmonious as the artist’s relationship with the medium. In the works of Ramon Orlina, it is then no wonder that there is a natural fluidity to his pieces. There is an illusion of liquid light as the smooth surface of glass reflects with a jade green splendor and light melodiously passes through varying transparencies, resulting in a perfect harmony of form, space, and light. If the sculptor is able to evoke the liquidity of solid form, then such a thing must only be made possible by touching the heart of glass. (Pie Tiausas)