TONES OF HOME

Group Art Show

 

On Wednesday May 22, 2013 @ 6:00pm

At Blanc Gallery is located at 145

Katipunan Avenue, St. Ignatius

Quezon City

featuring the works of 

Vic Balanon

Janet Balbarona
 Allan Balisi

Renato Barja Jr

Zeus Bascon

Micaela Benedicto
 Robert Besana

Broke
 Zean Cabangis

 Buen Calubayan

 Ronald Caringal

Mariano Ching

Jonathan Ching

Louie Cordero

Jigger Cruz

Melvin Culaba

Don Djerassi Dalmacio

Bembol dela Cruz

Ranelle Dial

Dina Gadia

Nona Garcia

Geraldine Javier

Lao Lianben

Romeo Lee

Mike Muñoz
Leonardo Onia

J. Pacena II
Ivan Roxas
Don Salubayba

Arturo Sanchez Jr.

Luis Santos
Carina Santos
Isidro Santos
Yasmin Sison
Soler Santos
Hamilton Sulit
Albert Sy
CJ Tañedo
Mimi Tecson
Kadin Tiu
Wesley Valenzuela
Ronald Ventura
Tanya Villanueva
The Weather Bureau,
MM Yu

 

“Geography is destiny” (James Ellroy)

The act of moving house is a function of many different things, mostly having to do with upgrade, with logistics. But if we take Ellroy at his word, it could also be taken as a mastering of destiny, a permutation that dovetails neatly into the implications that come into play if the house in question is a gallery space, in which the movement could signify, on one hand, a shifting of energies, a re-calibrating of dynamics even. But there is something utilitarian in Blanc’s re-purposing of its existing three spaces into backrooms and possibly even residencies and moving all exhibitions into the single, new space, that remains of a piece with its philosophy, which is quintessentially a utilitarian one in and of itself.

The unwavering impetus of Blanc, when it opened the first Blanc gallery seven years ago, is the fundamental thrust of nearly every gallery: to grant public access to and cast light on what was/is happening in the contemporary art scene. And Blanc has certainly sustained that impetus. But then again, Blanc owner Jay Amante has always come to art as a fan and his curatorial advocacy has always tended to multi-task, into the reconnaissance of new talent, into the widening of the gallery’s reach, commercial viability was a consideration but never the most paramount of concerns. The contemporary art scene here is exploding. It’s a thriving, alive thing. There is a glut of galleries and artists growing exponentially with every year. The explosion is not abating anytime soon. And Blanc simply wants to harness the blast. And keep at it, with all the stream-lined efficiency moving into a single space brings.

Centralizing everything certainly optimizes attendance, not just at Blanc but in other galleries as well. But there is an under-layer to the move, a sense of establishing a firmer ground, a firmer sense of place, a firmer sense, if you will, of home. The show that inaugurates the new space is not called Tones of Home for nothing and will feature some of the artists who’ve had exhibits in the space, in many ways elucidating the sense of community Blanc has always imbibed, but also loosely representing Blanc’s vision of the cream of the scene, while remaining aware that it is an incomplete vision.

Running a single space has its logistic perks, of course, but it is not without its loftier nuances. In a way, Blanc is mastering its destiny and becoming a sort of locus almost. And Tones of Home is a celebration of this new centering, in which past and present converge and look to the future, commemorating the seven years that has come before and taking the first step into the intoxicating possibilities of the next seven and beyond. It may be a leave-taking of sorts but it is more of a homecoming, a re-establishing of Blanc’s presence as it kicks off its thrust to bring more artists into its fold and to further evolve its vision.