FRACTION - 3 Man-Show

“Fraction”

Artists: (L-R) Lendl Arvin, Kiko Urquiola and Gian Miroe Surban

Gallery: Art Cube Philippines

February 10 - March 01, 2018

What are the parts that make one whole? Are these tangible or intangible, predetermined or evolving? Do these parts define a human being, or can one transcend them?

These are age-old questions that have sparked heated debate among generations of the world’s greatest philosophers. Provocative and tense, the works of Lendl Arvin, Gian Surban, and Kiko Urquiola reveal how this quest for breaking down the parts of inherently complex beings continues to live on today. As they shed light on the fractions of their lives that have either been forgotten or incessantly haunting them, the paintings reflect how these questions are essentially difficult and dividing. Nevertheless, they persist to be universal, deeply illuminating, and eternally worth confronting.

Lendl turns to the tangible: the mundane materials that enable him to perform his daily routines, yet never cross his mind outside their utilitarian purpose. They are portrayed as grimy and worn, emphasizing their innate functionality. A spoon, a toothbrush, an ashtray—Lendl presents these as building blocks for the little activities that form his days, eventually amounting to days of a lifetime. Layering two metaphors onto one, Lendl imposes these objects on hollow blocks that form walls, ultimately building homes. Irrelevant items become invaluable when seen as part of a whole—in which their absence can range from uneaten meals to collapsed homes.

Surban bridges the tangible and the intangible. He presents parts that are vital to a being but invisible to others: the paintbrushes of a determined artist, the deteriorating heart of a woman, and the faceless influences that surround a man. The images appear like slices of the artist’s internal and external life—outwardly functioning but inwardly conflicted and somber. The interplay of visible and invisible parts provokes viewers into pondering their ultimate effect on a man in search for his identity in a world that treads the line between both.

Urquiola challenges the abstract. His series of works are framed by a title evoking morality—“Hindi Ko Kasalanan Maging Makasalanan”, which translates to “It’s Not My Fault That I Am Sinful”. A man bounded by the head sits amidst characters with faces concealed. Appearing connected by a web of moral actions, the characters interrogate who inherits guilt or blame. Urquiola unveils a darker perspective on parts and wholes—the reality that one can view himself as the sum of his mistakes or the result of the faults of others.

The divergence of the three artists reveals an intricate truth: each one has the ability to choose what makes him whole. They are responsible for connecting the chapters that narrate their lives, broken down by fractions that matter the most. The objects, people, memories, and decisions one is aware of reflect the things he values at present—which may change tomorrow, next year, in the next decade, or in another life. Or they may never change. - Wrtten by: Nicole Soriano

Other Photos:

John Colt Surban, Malou Tarriela Surban, Margaux Rimbaud, Kim Tesorio (Gian Miroe's Family)