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Lot Essay
Roldan Cruz Ventura - known colloquially as Manok - takes "upcycling" to new visual heights in Refined (Lot 523); in which he reworks the features of a discarded oil container into a textural interpretation of found objects and industrial surfaces. Possessing a keen dimensional and spatial awareness, Ventura interrogates and manipulates optical quality, causing us to suddenly become aware of minute details, textures, and subtle shades of color pigment which we have bypassed or been oblivious to in daily life.
Reminiscent of Gerhard Richter in his aesthetic approach, the artist possesses an intuitive skill for juxtaposing odd textures (rust, oil slicks, fabric, corroded metal, puddles on a tarmac ground) with an immaculate painting technique. Employing photorealism and hints of abstraction, the artist works methodically: from the choice of subject to the meticulous mixing of colors, as tone and texture play leading roles in his painterly execution. As if photographing an object with a telephoto lens, Ventura zooms in on the compositional structure with a close scrutiny of what others might dismiss as "damaged goods". The artist uses large format canvases, expanding the original scale of the object so he is not constrained by proportional parameters of reality. By unearthing the visual potential of dismantled and discarded industrial objects, Ventura extends their utility through the function of their sheer existence rather than their primary roles as containers or other fabricated constructs.
Reminiscent of Gerhard Richter in his aesthetic approach, the artist possesses an intuitive skill for juxtaposing odd textures (rust, oil slicks, fabric, corroded metal, puddles on a tarmac ground) with an immaculate painting technique. Employing photorealism and hints of abstraction, the artist works methodically: from the choice of subject to the meticulous mixing of colors, as tone and texture play leading roles in his painterly execution. As if photographing an object with a telephoto lens, Ventura zooms in on the compositional structure with a close scrutiny of what others might dismiss as "damaged goods". The artist uses large format canvases, expanding the original scale of the object so he is not constrained by proportional parameters of reality. By unearthing the visual potential of dismantled and discarded industrial objects, Ventura extends their utility through the function of their sheer existence rather than their primary roles as containers or other fabricated constructs.