Melissa Villaseñor shows her range as an artist, as she ventures into abstracts in her latest exhibition, while also celebrating the colors and ephemeral beauty of one of her favorite subjects—the bougainvillea.
It is often said that life imitates art. But in the case of Melissa Villaseñor, art most definitely imitates life. As one steps into her Antipolo home, one is immediately transported to a dreamlike setting where a carpet of dried bougainvillea blooms greet you as you walk a path. And the view from the home’s wide windows are also framed by lush bougainvillea in every imaginable color and variety.
It comes as no surprise then that the artist is so inspired by these beautiful flora. Villaseñor captures the dreamlike and ephemeral qualities of these delicate blooms in her primary body of work. Noteworthy for their lightness and softness, they appear as if almost no hard lines are drawn, only colors and light-and-shadow blending that transition into light and airy chiaroscuro.
For this exhibition, however, the mimesis does not end there. Another aspect of the artist’s immediate environment is revealed in her newly birthed abstract works, which are a sharp antithesis to her floral paintings. In contrast to the softness of her florals in oil, her abstracts, done in acrylic, are highly gestural and contrasting. She also uses bolder colors in her abstract work, revealing yet another aspect of the artist’s surroundings.
Unknown to most is that her home is also the base of operations for her family’s garment business, where bulks of fabric have become the inspiration for her latest foray into the abstract. The effect is a dichotomy of form and style at play in this latest exhibition dubbed as “Bougainvillea At Iba Pa.”
The exhibit runs until November 10 at Art Lounge Manila – The Podium, Mandaluyong City. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @ArtLoungeManila or visit our website at www.artloungemanila.com
