Storage Problems

Alvin Villaruel

31 August to 26 September 2006
Mag:net Gallery Katipunan

Extremes of development and decay, industrialization and deterioration become parallel themes in Alvin Villaruel’s latest one-man show at Mag:net Katipunan entitled Storage Problems.

In Storage Problems, Villaruel exhibits figurative paintings representing objects and materials signifying industrial decay, such as discarded machines, equipment, trash, and technological residue found in junkyards. The works, rendered in near-monochrome hues, also depict images denoting the presence of war as an accelerating factor for technological growth, such as the skeleton of a World War I German airship, the image of an atomic explosion and the magnified view of uranium.

The works in Storage Problems, the artist says, “tackle the dirty side of technology and industrialization, and the dangers that go hand in hand with them… if we are not
careful”. “We are living in a state where we are on our way to achieving industrial and technological prowess, but behind us lie wastes that threaten our environment”, he adds.

Ironically, the exhibit coincides with the onset of what is turning out to be the Philippine’s greatest ecological disaster to date: how, in the nearby island of Guimaras, an oil spill from a sunken tanker owned by one of the largest, most advanced multinational corporations in the world is threatening to undo the fragile balance that decades of ecological conservationists and community activists have sought to achieve.

The photorealistic paintings exhibited in Storage Problems are a departure from Villaruel’s previous body of works, which are comprised of optically-blurred images. While Villaruel’s previous works bordered on abstraction in their distortion of naturalistic rendering, the works in this show focus on capturing the details in perhaps the same manner a camera would: precise and unadorned.

What is common in both modes of representation spanning the artist’s works is that Villaruel still makes use of photographic manipulation in the process of selecting images to paint. Villaruel bases the studies for his paintings on photography, although in two distinct modes: in the former, through blurring the image his lens focuses on, and in his recent works, through capturing the images in minute detail.

Alvin Villaruel graduated as a Painting major at the University of the Philippines (Diliman) College of Fine Arts in 1998.

Storage Problems may be viewed at mag:net from August 31 to September 26, 2006 . Exhibit opening is on August 31, 7 PM. Mag:net Gallery Katipunan is located at 335 Agcor Bldg, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. For inquiries call 9293191 (Malou) or email magnetcafekatips@yahoo.com.ph or visit www.magnet.com.ph