Seat of Power, the new exhibit by artist Binong Javier, arrives at Art Anton from May 14 to May 30. The works featured in the exhibit include his signature “droplet” style as Javier attempts to depict the beauty of the world surrounding us.
“Javier endeavors to capture the essence of these divine wonders,” the exhibit write-up states. “[He infuses] his artworks with the same awe and reverence he feels in the presence of nature’s grandeur.”
The works evoke a grandness in the proceedings, with Javier layering different droplets together to create a strong compositional tone that sprawls outwards even as he goes deeper into abstract shapes and ideas.
In a short email interview with BluPrint, Javier gave us some insight on his style and his new exhibit, giving us a look into his inspirations and why he chooses to depict the subjects that he does.
Though he studied Fine Arts with a focus on advertising early in his life, Javier found his style, which has been described as a mix of abstract expressionism and pointillism, in 2016. Javier said that he found it “by accident” when he was trying new approaches in his artwork.
“I was just trying new things and I accidentally dropped a dot that resembles a lot like the shape of a sperm. So, I thought […], ‘why not?’” he said. “After all, we’re all [the] product of a dot just like any other things—living or not it will surely start from a dot and will pretty much end with a dot.”
Throughout the years, he has figured out the different rhythms and possibilities of his stylistic choice. He said that he had “experimented a lot, ruined [canvas after canvas], wasted so much paint” before he was able to find satisfaction in this style.
Some paintings featured in the exhibit, like “All Seeing” and “Timeless Elegance,” have this feeling of three-dimensional motion in it, as if the droplets move and explode in a plane of existence. Others, like “Gentle Rhythms” or “Sustaining presence,” create crowds and fields bursting with detail despite only being made up of droplets of paint.
He found ways to layer these paintings to create evocative looks that play with perspective, utilizing his background in advertising, cartooning, and murals to induce motion in his works.
“I always go back to the basics, so let’s just say that I have the know-how on how to create the 3D effect,” he said. “But then again, it always [goes] back to the inspiration of what story [it is] that you are trying to tell and that’s what will impact the look of your piece the most.”
Javier’s work in this exhibit and in past works are grounded in spirituality. He said that his works in the exhibit show appreciation for the wonders of the world given by God. He links the “dots” of the story, the droplets, to the smallness of creation and life in comparison to God.
“For he has given us a home to live in, a vast resource to share and enjoy, the beauty of nature, the cosmic, what else can I say? God provided us and equipped us with everything that we need,” he said.
One can see this in his artworks portraying field-like landscapes of their surroundings. But it can also be seen in some of his more elaborate artworks for the exhibit. “Cosmic Wonders” or “Devine Illumination,” for example, have this galactic-wide perspective that works as a blast of life and light in worlds where figures don’t exist.
With that in mind, he sees his work as a motion of praise. And yet, despite this, he also sees an imperative towards ensuring that this inspiration of faith and comfort can be accessed by audiences. He sees the abstraction as a tool to make it relatable for everyone.
“As much as I am trying to share my feelings, my stories, my passion and all towards my inspiration, I also want to keep my work open for others interpretation. In that way it will grow,” he said.
“[Imagine] my inspiration, my thoughts, my feelings, my all for a certain piece plus whatever people [think] about it. [That] creates a ‘talking artwork.’”
Seat of Power sees the continuation of Javier’s growth and experimentation, as he finds new ways to create vast spectacles with droplets of paint and a boundless imagination for the world at large.
Related reading: Marco Coching captures value and color in ‘Lights in Motion’
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