León Gallery wishes to than Mrs. Tess Cacnio for confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

The art of sculpting is a familiar concept in Philippine art history. It was, in fact, one of the pioneering art forms in the country. Philippine sculpture, which started with the pre-Hispanic practice of carving anitos in wood, stone, or molded in clay, underwent a series of modifications in terms of subjects and materials. To this day, artists have experimented with glass, brass, and even ice sculpting. Michael Cacnio is one of the most celebrated Filipino sculptors of this era. Born in 1969, Cacnio probably witnessed the evolution and development of contemporary Philippine sculpture. His sculptures, delicately made with brass, mirror his buoyant childhood in his hometown of Malabon. “I draw inspiration from my childhood. As the youngest of the family, I was very carefree and playful. I was always out on the streets of Malabon playing the latest popular games,” Cacnio shared in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer in October 2014. Like his vendor series, Mango Picker commemorates childhood’s carefree and frisky qualities. Here, Cacnio renders two boys picking mangoes, an activity kids enthusiastically engage in, especially in the provinces. One of the boys stands atop a rock while carrying and supporting his peer in picking mangoes. There’s also a basket on one side where they place their freshly picked fruits. Michael Cacnio’s sculptures evoke a sense of nostalgia and melancholia in the viewers—the nostalgic feeling of wanting to return to their cheery childhood and the melancholy feeling of time’s passing that prevents them from returning. Undoubtedly, he is a world-class sculptor who embedded his name in the industry with his social realist brass sculptures. (Jessica Magno)