In “The New Reality: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction,” visual artist Juanito Torres paints an interesting picture of life in the time of COVID-19.
In many ways, one can say that we do live in grim times, mostly due to a pandemic that has upended the world as we know it. For artist Juanito Torres though, it was this very darkness that served as inspiration for his one-man show, which will open on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Galerie Joaquin at the UP Town Center, Quezon City.
This time around, the artist tells a seemingly straightforward narrative with his pictures. In place of colonizers, which usually play the role of antagonists in his pieces, COVID-19 prominently figures in his latest works. The pandemic is painted as a villain that takes away the freedom that we have so thoroughly enjoyed as a nation.
Does he paint a clear picture of the new normal you live in? Here are some of the colorful, technically astute and thought-evoking paintings from Torres’ one-man show, which will run until the end of the month, to help you decide. — By Jose Paolo S. dela Cruz
