Galerie Francesca presents the husband and wife tandem of Philippine Art Award semi-finalist Kiko Marquez and his wife Christina Baltero in “Dati”, an exhibition of approximately twenty-one works inspired by notions of childhood. For Marquez, whose works are depictions of glass jars encasing various objects of sentiment, “Dati” is a return to the simpler life of a childhood. Baltero, on the other hand, whose works are almost all baby dresses, it is a celebration of the youth of their daughter, as she outgrows her clothes by the month. Both artists paint in realistically, but express their ideas quite differently. Marquez uses the idiom of a closed glass jar to express the idea of protection and containment on the one hand, and fragility, in the other. Precious memories are stored, but are always with a risk of being shattered. In “Hagonoy” for example, Marquez appears to imply the waterways which crisscrossed the land of his childhood, where he would set paper boats on, and gleefully follow them as they meandered through his neighbourhood.
In the succeeding eleven works, we see how adeptly he manipulates oil to create the illusion of glass and water. We see him successfully construct many layers of meaning through the objects he chooses to encase in these jars. We see how he captures light and transparency, gloss and fluidity, movement and stillness, with his adroit brushwork. Through his masterful technique and insightful composition, we see why Marquez is in the running for this year’s Philippine Art Awards, to which he already is a semi-finalist.
Baltero, on the other hand, presents a series of ten artworks, almost all of baby’s dresses, all her firstborn’s, to be precise. Through simple composition, we see her loving attention to every moment symbolized by those dresses, as her child has worn them, and outgrew them. We see the sentiments of an artist as mother, whose poetry is in the simple and quiet acceptance – celebrating the milestones of growth, while treasuring moments that too soon will be gone.
Through recollection and celebration, as evinced by these paintings in “Dati,” Marquez and Baltero express their notions of childhood in their own very unique ways. We see that despite sharing the same studio, their ideas remain quite different. Through this exhibition, we see both artists express their individuality, similar in technique, but quite differently in how they see the world. Through “Dati”, we see not only memory at work, but each individual’s capacity to transcend the givens of life.
The opening reception for Dati will be on Saturday, 8 September, 4pm at Galerie Francesca in Festival Mall, Unit 3319 2nd Level Festival Mall Expansion Wing Civic Drive Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang Muntinlupa City 1770. For inquiries, kindly call (+632) 659-2667.
