One day the world stopped turning and came to a halt. All at once, our worlds became smaller, but the boarders of our minds expanded beyond limits.
With nothing but, paper, paint, wax, metal leaf and a huge desk, Lilianna Manahan challenged herself to see the wonder in the uncertain and mundane. Working with only the materials she had on hand, she pushed her creativity to limits she had never reached.
Going back to basics, she started drawing to tell stories rather than dictate plans; after all, we had all the time in the world to listen.Armed with drawing tools- pens, pencils and paper and an infinite number of combinations of circles, lines and squares, she observed tones, lights, shadows and luster and brought them together to tell her story. She then applied these new iterations of shape, light, shadow to different forms of metal and the result were new creations she never would have discovered without limits.
Throughout all this, the beauty and hope freedom found in limitations became the shining beacon in a world that could only see shadows.
Liliana Manahan finished her Foundation Studies in Art and Design at Central Saint Martians School of Art and Design in 2004 and completed her BFA Industrial Design degree at the University of the Philippines. She later on worked with Kenneth Cobonpue as part of his research and design team. In 2012, Lilianna began her own design practice under own name, Lilianna Manahan. In 2014, she was awarded as one of the six Rising Asian Talents at the first Maison et Objects Asia.
Her work has been described as alternately whimsical or industrial depending on the objects she designs. the study of process to highlight a craft and craftsman runs central in her work. In the past, her work had range of materials but now is focusing on mental, stone, and ceramic, sometimes doing the finishes herself. The size of her works and installations run from the minuscule to large-scale. Her pieces pay attention to details, whether in their functional or artistic elements.
BRIGHT SHADOWS (BLACK IRON LIGHT SCULPTURES)
These pieces address the idea of paradox of needing darkness to see brighter lights, and how event in the darkest times we get glimpses of hope. they are a play of light and shadow where shadows are part of a composition rather than an aspect to be eliminated.
POST TENEBRAS LUX ( PAPER AND METAL LEAF)
Post tenebras lux means after darkness, light. This is a great encouragement that she want to share. The longings we have in dark times indicates that perhaps this not all there is and that the glimmers to the hope we find in them show there is a bigger hope to look forward to.
LADY LOUNGE, CHEX MIX, CINNAMON SWIRL (ART JEWELRY – GOLD PLATED SILVER, CASTER SILVER)
All these pieces are hand crafted yourself with the technique she learned. The artist explore the different ways to shape color and join mental, and have mini artworks that the body can carry. The figures used are shoots of her on-going exploration to telling the story.
Modeka Art 20A La Fuerza Plaza 2241 Chino Roces Avenue
info@modeka.space 0956 1749185
March 27 – April 24, 2021