For “The Act of Balance”, Mikel Parial’s paintings begin with the impulse to fulfill the artist’s own curiosity about human-interest stories. As he paints, the emotional content of the image ultimately reveals itself; and the paintings become a balancing act: on the one hand a complete letting go by the artist and an embracing the sub-conscious, and on the other a going back to one’s formal training as an artist and engaging with the formal aspects of the image and the formalities of creating an artwork. Remaining present in the process gives Parial an insight into his own relationship to the subject.
The emotions conveyed by Parial’s characters are often a surprise both to the viewer and at times even to the artist; they often come across as nostalgic or contemplative, and while this is not an emotion Parial consciously attempts to capture, he admittedly finds himself drawn to this aspect of humanity and fondly appreciates drawng from his own memories.
“The Act of Balance” explores the effects of life choices on memory, identity and the subconscious. The temporal nature of life is reiterated through the balancing act of one shape encountering another. Whether supported or supporting, the characters in the paintings evolve as enduring elements in a story, often defying gravity, showing both strength and vulnerability. While highly polished, subtle, often faint, Parial’s visual narrative reference the passing of time, drawing on his own experiences, personal scars, stories and forgotten memories.
Another part of his own personal balancing act is his move to bring his children up in Canada, while maintaining his own roots as an artist in the Philippines.
Mikel Parial thinks of his oeuvre as a visual transposition of pictures, which are formed in the mind successively while experiencing, sensing, and encountering one’s reality. His art invites his audience to contemplate his story as they highlight his own precarious balancing of life.
Mikel Parial (b. 1972) is a Filipino painter, photographer, and printmaker. Parial is the son of acclaimed Filipino artist Mario Parial and his wife Carina Claro. He won in the Printmaking Category of the annual AAP competition in the 1990s, and has exhibited with his father, Mario, on numerous occasions. Most notably, the father-son pair exhibited in the Philippine Centre Gallery in New York back in 1997. The pair also teamed up in 2004 for a printmaking exhibit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. While Mikel’s father, Mario, remained his closest collaborator until the latter’s death in 2013, the younger Parial has maintained several long-term collaborations with other artists, such as Manny Garibay, Erwin Leaño, Neil Manalo, Ferdie Montemayor, Andy and Jim Orencio, Tammy Tan. Mikel Parial is currently part of the Salingpusa group, whose members are among the country’s most respected artists such as Elmer Borlongan, Karen Flores, Emmanuel Garibay, Mark Justiniani, Antonio Leaño, Erwin Leaño, Joy Mallari, Neil Manalo, Andy Orencio, Jim Orencio, and Jose Santos III to name a few.
“The Act of Balance” by Mikel Parial will be on view from March 16 to 25, 2021. Galerie Joaquin is located on the 3rd level of The Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. For more information, contact +63 926 7227925 or email podium.galeriejoaquin@gmail.com.
By Grace Engracia