September in the Philippines can be politically contentious largely due to former President Ferdinand Marcos’s declaration of Martial law on September 21. And this turmoil was reflected in many of the art exhibits BluPrint covered for the month. But for this round-up of art exhibits in September, BluPrint highlights artworks that explore the artists’ inner […]
Vettina Villarica Paints Optimistic Landscapes, Endless Possibilities in New Exhibit
No End and No Beginning, an exhibition of paintings by Vettina Villarica, crafts captivating patterns that evoke the optimistic perspective of the artist herself. Its use of pastels and curving, circular shapes depicts gracefulness and enthusiasm for the world today.
Shown in Art Camp Gallery in Greenbelt 5, the exhibit presents a portrait of positivity from the artist, and how it affects our creative muses. She seeks to illustrate a version of peace and joy in contrast to the world we live in—creating a vision that works with the artist rather than against it.
“Villarica’s new collection delves deeply into the nature of creativity,” press materials from the gallery said. “[It shows] a nature of the symbolic and never-ending journey of one’s self-improvement and personal exploration.”
Curving Through Shapes
For No End and No Beginning, much of the works obsess over the usage of circles and round shapes. For multiple paintings, Vettina Villarica paints rows of them with different varieties of dark and light colors. At times, she superimposes larger ones over smaller circles. Some slash the smaller ones in half, creating granular crescent shapes in the process.
She embellishes many of the circles with curving waves and colorful yet contrasting lines which stand out in different ways. These combinations of colors and lines establish the illusion where the paintings wobble and oscillate in the eyes of the viewers.
According to press materials for the exhibit, Villarica found her interest in circles largely due to the expansive movement and direction of the shape. It inspired her creative process, and the artist hopes that these works help inspire others as well.
“As there are times we might feel stuck, we might feel like we’re on a loop,” press materials said. “[It] is important not to lose the fact that we never stop going and we never stop improving. Little do we know that our enclosed bubble continuously expands and reaches bigger bit by bit.”
An Idyllic Landscape
While many of the works are artistic interpretations of circles, the other half constructs idyllic landscapes of mountainous areas. Villarica employs the most interesting variations of color, imparting the idea of greenery, of shadows and reflections, through them.
These landscapes’ skies play with hues seen during the golden hours. The mountains and oceans of these pieces look almost surreal with how segmented much of them are.
And yet, even then, the artist applies the ideas of roundness within them, through the stroke work that weaves through the skies and mountains like waves. It gives the paintings an interesting texture that makes it feel more grounded, almost reminiscent of claymation with how it pops out.
No Beginning and No End is successful in how it creates peaceful patterns and landscapes for the viewer’s delight. Vettina Villarica paints the endless continuous need to evolve artistic creativity with a gleam of positivity in it, seeing the possibilities that exist within the endlessness. In the end, it finds serenity in the continuous evolution of our imaginations.
Photos by Elle Yap.
Related reading: Lui Gonzales’ New Exhibit Is A Celebration of Her Journey as an Artist
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