Just moments away from the bustling area of Bonifacio Global City is 171, a multi-level villa set on a 302-square-meter lot. M.CAL ArchitectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to create Design Studio, headed by Ar. Monique C. Albert-Lopez, built the residence as a minimalist modern sanctuary surrounded by landscaped gardens. This creative direction was drawn from the homeowners’ brief to create a […]
‘Black Paintings’: Shadows of Beauty in the Darkness
Miguel Lorenzo Uy’s Black Paintings, currently on display at Gravity Art Space until April 27, evokes the memories of our recent lived experiences. It portrays the sense of anxiety evoked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the helplessness it left in many of us.
Uy was inspired to create this project by an online art exhibit on Instagram during the pandemic, after which he started to explore the possibilities of the medium even further.
“During that time while everything outside was viewed through a screen and the overall mood of the moment seemed dark and miserable,” Uy said. “I wanted to explore the idea of how we see and perceive black on screen and black in reality, like how this faint wash of light is sensed in our eyes.”
Dreamlike Darkness
Uy’s exhibit consists of two different projects. One features multiple acrylic on canvas paintings that use the “blackest black” available on the market right now. These paintings utilize two types of black paint to create images within the darkness. It accentuates the contrast without removing the darkness of the art surrounding it.
He uses the black paints to create landscapes of the world around us. He depicts different natural phenoma, from what appears to be ocean waves to birds in flight. One painting is of a typhoon cloud from weather maps. It uses the chaotic danger of storms—its largeness and scope and power. Without having to show the people themselves in danger, the painting invokes the fearsome power of storms.
Another work portrays a gorilla hiding within what appears to be a forested area. This one is especially provocative because you can see the gorilla’s features so clearly even in the low visibility the blackness gives. It almost looks like day-for-night footage. That visibility adds a certain sort of sadness to see this realistic-looking gorilla hugging itself in a corner.
Anxiety in the Pandemic
For the actual exhibit, an interesting addition is a one-minute short that loops itself as you enter the exhibit. It depicts some of the works in a hyper-stylized way, changing and shifting as it mutates the images into something unreal.
“The scenes are of a momentary dream of a soft, cosmic hum,” the artist explains. “Within the sequence, a plane of light sears the eyes, as if images are etched on the sight of the dreamer. Outside this boundary, a faint cosmos twinkles throughout the background of the shadows.”
It certainly uses the images to summon a sense of unreality to its audience. At times, it feels like a shapeshifter unable to stabilize, falling into the uncanny valley to the viewers. And while the black paintings create anxiety through the contrasts of darkness, the video uses quick-changing iterations of one image sliding together. The work makes us question within ourselves both what we consider real and what we trust from the world.
As the world barrels forward into an uncertain future of misinformation, questions of what we should trust and how much we should trust something become more important to ponder. Miguel Lorenzo Uy’s Black Paintings echoes the strange gloominess of the times. More important, it asks how we can still find images of life in the darkness of its world.
Related reading: ‘The Greatness of Simplicity’: Finding Peace in the Pandemic
The World ArchitectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to create Festival (WAF) has announced its 2026 shortlist, with several Filipino practices earning recognition across a diverse range of categories. Across civic architectureArchitectureThe art […]
Located in Paroc, Pampanga is MQ Residence—a tropical-modern private residential home designed by Marikina-based architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to create firm Arkisens, spearheaded by principal architect and co-founder Ar. Edwin A. […]
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) will open its new campus in Aseana City, Parañaque. Occupying a 3,845-square-meter site, the new development signals a fresh chapter for the college, where architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, […]
As one of Metro Manila’s established central business districts, Ortigas has grown into a vibrant center for business, commerce, and urban living, strategically spanning Pasig, Quezon, and Mandaluyong City. At the core of the district lies the Ortigas CBD, home to some of the country’s leading corporations and institutions. Adding a new dimension to this […]
In the heart of Midtown Cebu lies White Brick Studio, a creative hub where visual professionals gather to collaborate and elevate design standards across Visayas and Mindanao. Midtown, more known as a vibrant entertainment district, owes much of its growing network of creative spaces mainly to Mango Square Mall where White Brick is located, Atúa […]
Download this month's BLUPRINT magazine digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]
Recommended Video
Tap to Unmute
Unmute
0:00
0:00