ABOUT THE WORK

In this piece, Ronson Culibrina uses the cultural and artistic influence of National Artist Fernando Amorsolo to lure in the viewer by virtue of familiarity and originality. Culibrina’s piece contains a faithful rendition of one Amorsolo’s most iconic subject matter; a woman bathing next to a river. He then overlays Amorsolo’s image with copious amounts of unique and visually stimulating elements such as splatters of paint and surreal renditions of everyday objects. By doing so, Culibrina infuses Amorsolo’s image with his own sense of individuality through his signature use of dynamic and eye-catching elements inspired by pop-culture and contemporary life. Thus, Culibrina opens up possibilities for reflections, discussions, and meditations on cultural and sociological issues by virtue of revitalizing the originality that once graced Amorsolo’s works when they were first unveiled to the world. Ronson Culibrina received his degree in Fine Arts at the Technological University of the Philippines in Manila. Since 2008, he has participated in group shows here and abroad and recently held simultaneous solo shows last July 2016 at the Ayala Museum and in Galerie Michael Janssen Berlin. He is a recipient of several awards including the Grand Prize, 23rd Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company painting Competition (2009) and Juror’s Choice, Philippine National Oil Company Painting Competition (2010).