Three exceptional artists from Antipolo – Japs Antido, Pogs Samson and Guerrero Z. Habulan – will each hold a Solo Exhibit at the Pinto Art Museum October 16 to November 6, 2022.

Japs Antido – MIDTOWN MAYHEM

As restrictions are lifted and we resume the routines of our lives again, the latest exhibit Midtown Mayhem by Japs Antido reminds us of the inherent nature of cities in which we organize our lives: the constant tug-and-pull of interactions with others, the 24/7 stream of activities, the ever-present feeling of isolation and community.

People living in close proximity with others gives rise to what the artist calls as the “friction of expectation and reality,” which at once “unites and divides people, but is necessary for their survival and evolution.” – Carlomar Daoana

Pogs Samson – REGENESIS

In his delirious, hypnotic works, Pogs Samson has always flirted with the idea of the future as his paintings teem with spacecrafts, astronauts, and the whirling cosmos.

For his latest solo exhibit, Regenesis, this vision of the future becomes the basis for re-imaging a new world, especially in the context of the pandemic which people view as a way to start fresh. This desire for a new beginning (a “regenesis”) is usually prompted by a cataclysmic event, such as a war or, in our case, a global infection. Amid the devastation, the end is perceived to be the starting point in the long continuum of human history.

The work, “A Meeting of Heart and Mind,” exemplifies this endless alteration between birth and death. On the fossil of a dinosaur head emerges patches of nature and civilization, which combines both historical and futuristic elements.

These two elements are personified by the figures about to interact with each other: a man in a spacesuit who prioritizes the achievements of the brain and a woman, reminiscent of an Amorsolo maiden, who cradles a heart, emphasizing compassion and affect. These two figures recur in other works, such as “Forest of Knowledge” and “Offering,” showing the most pronounced dichotomy in human nature. – Carlomar Daoana

Guerrero Z. Habulan – STILLNESS

Through the years, Guerrero Habulan has always revealed the striking juxtapositions that constitute the everyday, looking at how contradictory—as well as opposing—forces shape the status quo: the economic, socio-political, and cultural dimensions that overlap and maintain power relations. His every painting may be seen as a snapshot of the complex layers and textures of the Philippine reality—an amalgam of our colonial history, market forces, and globalization.

For his latest exhibit, Stillness, the artist this time contends with two timeframes: the pre-pandemic period and the current state of alleviation. His interest lies in looking at the fissure in which the recent past and the present has shifted, fundamentally altering our knowledge of the world, how societies function in times of crisis, and our understanding of our own vulnerabilities and strengths. For this show, Habulan was aided by old photographs he revisited and examined for traces of pre-Covid life. – Carlomar Daoana

Pinto Art Museum is located 1 Sierra Madre Street, Grand Heights Subdivision, Antipolo, Rizal.