Ronald Ventura, we encounter him ‘in medias res’—in the midst of his artistic narrative— revealing how he continuously engages in an ever-unfolding series of paintings, sculptures and installation art. If ‘The Bard from Minnesota’ has his Never-ending Tour, Ventura undertakes an unceasing process of self-expression. For Ventura, it is a constant dialogue in his head: How can a work of art define who I am in this moment, trace the trajectory of my journey, or even foreshadow what is to come? In his “Comic Lives” series, Ventura purposely employs Japanese pop cultural references (Naruto, Pokémon, etc.) alongside their counterparts in America, so as to underscore the overlapping of cultures prevalent in today’s world. He also peppers emojis in one of the paintings to draw attention as to how these things have intruded into the way we communicate. A testament to the power of images and the mutability of language, perhaps? Or the reduction of everything into ubiquitous ciphers—hieroglyphics for millennials. The spaces in this show will usher viewers into the artist’s ever-changing states of mind, a tour of the temporal, a vision that is always being re-envisioned.
RONALD VENTURA
Born in Manila, the Philippines, Ronald Ventura continues to live and work in his home country. His paintings and sculptures are well-known for their unique combination of figurative motifs, making them among Southeast Asia’s most recognisable images of contemporary art.
Ventura’s work features a complex layering of images and styles, ranging from hyperrealism, cartoons and graffiti. He views this layering process as a metaphor for the multifaceted national identity of the Philippines. Over the centuries, the country has been influenced by various occupying powers such as Spain, Japan, and the United States, alongside its underlying indigenous culture, resulting in a complex and sometimes uneasy sense of identity. Ventura explores this phenomenon through a visual dialogue of images, seamlessly blending Eastern and Western aesthetics, high and low art, as well as references to Old Master paintings and Japanese and American cartoons. In addition, he draws attention to the ‘second skin’ of cultural signifiers that each individual carries, often subconsciously. For Ventura, skin serves as an expressive surface, adorned with tattoos, concealed under layers of imagery, or exploding outward to reveal an inner world of fantasy and conflict.
Comic Lives 1
2018
Oil on Canvas
121.9 × 182.9 cm
WAVES
2019
Oil on Canvas
139.0 × 245.0 cm
Comic Lives 3
2018
Oil on Canvas
121.9 × 182.9 cm