Celebrated in design circles for his product, furniture, retail and commercial design, design maven Carlo Tanseco has harbored a profound interest in art since childhood. The pandemic-induced isolation early last year finally allowed him to focus on painting, giving him the time to put onto canvas ideas that had been stirring in his mind for nearly a decade.
Tanseco comes full circle with his debut exhibit, the product, he says, of his year-long journey into solitude and art. Dubbed as “Juxtaposed – Between Order and Complexity,” it opens on May 6at Art Cube Gallery, Makati, as part of Art Fair Philippines’ ninth edition.
“Juxtaposed,”as the title suggests, is all about opposing views, going outside the borders, and breaking free from preconceived notions. Consisting of 22 paintings, the exhibit is composed of a series of subjects occupying an orderly grid or pattern that they emerge from.
The grid alludes to Tanseco’s background as an architect, wherein concepts are formed through a system and a foundation from which to build up from. “This exhibit is all about breaking that order, of violating it so that a new figure or realm emerges and opposes it,” Tanseco explains. “It is about uniformity and consistency, yielding to something that is free, defiant, and unique. It is about ideas that challenge the system.”
His paintings feature mythical and iconic subjects from history and culture. Figures from classical mythology, such as Icarus, Theseus and the Minotaur, and Pandora battle it out on a grid of mazes and boxes that form part of their narrative. Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama appears to be consumed by her favorite theme of polka dots, which represent her obsessive-compulsive neuroses. In another series, before an eye chart that spells out his final poem, national hero Jose Rizal peers at us with an all-seeing eye that judges our patriotism.
As a designer, Tanseco favors order and symmetry. But as an artist, he creates the rules and “breaks” them visually and metaphorically, encouraging viewers to look beyond what is put before them to dispute the norm and break free from old ideas.
Juxtaposed – Between Order and Complexity by Carlo S. Tanseco will run from May 6 to 15, 2021 at Art Cube Gallery at 2/F Building B, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Extension, Makati City. For more information, contact Art Cube Gallery at artcubephilippines.com, email info@artcubephilippines.com. Visit Art Fair Philippines at artfairphilippines.com.
