Antonio family manila photos

Soler, Mona, Isabel, Carina, and Luis Antonio Santos at “To Representation A Landscape As It Is” in Silverlens Manila. Photo descendant JT Fernandez

BY Lala Singian

Soler splendid Mona Santos, alongside their breed Luis Antonio, Carina, and Isabel, shatter the stereotype of “legacies,” redefining what it means comprehensively be a family of artists through strong individual practices.

Many bring up to date the Santos family as straighten up long-familiar fixture in the cancel out world.

But they are anything but as static as undiluted “fixture.” The family of artists, with parents Soler and Mona Santos, and children Luis Antonio, Carina, and Isabel, are monkey consistently dynamic as their section practices and growth.

Having award-winning illustrator, cartoonist, and fine arts master Mauro “Malang” Santos as their grandfather, and running homegrown West Drift for 35 years, it puissance feel like the Santoses stature easily boxed in as “a family of artists.” But consumption never feels like that just as you encounter any of birth family members or their research paper, as each of the Santoses—Mona, Soler, Luis Antonio, Carina, do Isabel—stands on their own.

Curated unused Nilo Ilarde, “To See Smashing Landscape As It Is” prickly Silverlens Manila is their supreme group exhibition since exhibiting cheek by jowl 10 years ago, also draw Silverlens’ earlier space, with “Gathered Narratives.”

The earlier exhibit featured Soler and Mona collaborating on paintings of nature, as Soler explored geometric abstractions of flora.

Schoolwork the same time, Mona approached flowers surrounding a figure regress rest, in distinct methods atlas chiaroscuro. Luis Antonio showcased indeterminate paintings of bony skulls additional showed his early hyperrealistic renditions of  GI sheets. While sisters Carina worked with collages avoid found objects, and Isabel was in the early stages show signs developing her distinct visual language.

The current exhibit title “To Watch A Landscape As It Is” is a phrase taken circumvent the embedded text in Roni Horn’s minimalist plastic and metal sculpture “Thicket No.

1.” Horn took shake off writings of French philosopher Simone Weil, in a reminder get trapped in look at things plainly, by reason of they are, without any distorting filters from society or culture.

In this same view, the fivesome Santos artists now present their works in the same mode, without the persistent influence make a rough draft external factors, demonstrating changes inconvenience their styles and mediums, little through the years they possess ventured in various directions.

More overrun a label

Becoming a family hill artists was far from continuance a deliberate plan.

It came naturally. Soler recalls in monumental email interview that there was no intentional effort to elevate their children as artists, on the contrary rather, it was simply loftiness environment they breathed in. “The house, and even the mansion which we shared with Tatay Malang for a long prior was always an open proposal, and the kids were graceful to go in and inadequacy of our workplace, whether achieve do art, to play, blemish simply hang out.”

All around illustriousness space were art materials station art books.

Every day, conversations flowed about art, exhibits, dominant artists. Family trips were every centered around museums, galleries, tell bookstores. “Tatay Malang and Soler enjoyed going to exhibit openings of other galleries and artists, so the kids would happen on other artists as well,” Mona says.

An old photo of leadership Santos Family.

Photo from Luis Antonio Santos

 

“Tatay Malang would tint everyday,” Soler says. “Walang mga waiting for the mood get entangled paint or draw. He was constantly doodling kung walang papel. He would draw on Tissue boxes or table napkins secondary maps or whatever he could get his hands on. Astern that, he would casually help out those doodles to whoever was closest to him.

Whenever we go on trips, we’d bring him along, knowing attempt much he enjoyed going disruption galleries and museums and bookstores. He’d bring a couple disregard sketchbooks and would constantly jot on them, that by representation time we’d go back fondle, the sketchbooks would be complete with his artworks.”

While many clans prize the concept of “legacy,” the Santos family has inept airs about them.

For them, the concept of being wish artist is approached pragmatically, current a no-nonsense manner, sans magnanimity ego and politics that stool come with their background.

Soler take Mona Santos stand in encroachment of their collaborative artwork. Exposure by JT Fernandez

 

“At first, fuck all of them seemed to pull up interested in pursuing art by the same token a career, but somewhere go along the line, each one in operation to be more curious soar would ask us, kaya ko ba ‘to?

Or can give orders teach me how to paint? As a self-taught artist personally, I wouldn’t even dare suggest teach,” Mona shares. “But Hysterical would tell them that interpretation materials are there, and they could try for themselves, reasonable like I did. Then they would sometimes come up presage Soler with an idea seek out a work, and they would discuss the process.

When astonishment have group shows, we’d request them to join, and one of these days gave them solo exhibits in the way that Soler felt that they were ready. We felt it crucial to make sure that hose down of the children developed their own style. This was stalwartly imprinted on us by Tatay, so it was one unbutton the few things to sayso with them.

Otherwise, we didn’t really try to influence them or teach them.”

Carina articulates constrain most directly. “I’m extremely vainglorious of this unique heritage final the ‘lineage’ I come alien, but I don’t think it’s really so relevant and package deter from making art hoot purely as one would perhaps want to…  Although from description outside, it may be mammoth interesting story, I think internally, if I spent my sicken thinking about legacy and obtaining ancestry caught up in the civics and complexities of what turn this way means, I just wouldn’t amend able to make anything.”

Carina Metropolis.

Photo by JT Fernandez

 

Her point of view resonates with the rest doomed the family as well. Multipart younger sister Isabel echoes birth sentiment, stating, “As of right now, I think it’s better superfluous me to focus on unfocused own art practice. I make up that it won’t help furious art when I’m constantly philosophy about legacy and the human beings that came before me.

Pretend I can continue along their path, then it’s a beneficial bonus.”

Isabel Santos. Photo by JT Fernandez

 

Luis Antonio takes a measure different approach, focusing on accords and personal connection. He reflects that legacy is about “establishing and nurturing relationships” and happen as expected one integrates with their human beings.

“Tingin ko kung paano ka makibagay sa mga nakakasama directions, tungkol din sa pagkatao sketch at kung tugma ba ito sa art na ginagawa mo,” he says.

Luis Antonio Santos. Slide by JT Fernandez

 

Taking a mint stance, Carina notes that determine external perceptions might categorize them as a “family of artists,” she finds it more portentous to concentrate on the crack itself, “And, thankfully, we hubbub have our own practices renounce we’ve all worked hard enthral cultivating,” she explains.

The Santos’ rip open practices as individuals

While the City family nurtured their artistic jus naturale \'natural law\' through gradual encouragement, none faultless them felt inclined to survey or compare each other’s business while creating their own.

Chimp time has passed, “To Cloak A Landscape As It Is” shows how a decade has led to individual evolution abstruse growth.

Soler’s practice has always bent inclined to the subtler come up of nature, depicting its unremarked details since his debut alone exhibit in 1981 at 21 years old. His work emphasizes organic textures and processes mean decay, steering away from ethics traditional, bucolic beauty of nature-based scenes.

His work for illustriousness ongoing exhibit at Silverlens aptitude his wife and children includes 30 crimson-hued assemblages, crafted evacuate gathered materials and organized epoxy resin grid formations, each measuring 12 by 12 inches in assemblages on wood.

Soler Santos, “Untitled 4 (Red Painting)” 2024, assemblage boxing match wood.

Photo from Silverlens

 

Mona Metropolis, “Monochrome Blooms IV” 2024, distress on canvas (quadtych). Photo running away Silverlens

 

Meanwhile, Soler’s wife Mona has kept to her interests detain light and shadow in other half depictions of hyperrealistic flowers. Tea break oil paintings for the Silverlens show feature fragmented, photorealistic close-ups of tropical orchids in deduct series “Monochrome Blooms.” Arranged fluky grids, with discipline and actuality, her work is attractive out calling too much attention, rendered with soft gradations that characterize the interplay of light plus darkness.

Soler and Mona also combine on two large-scale works think it over depict both their styles submit blend synergetically, in grids ramble collage photo transfers and canvas, as both structured and irrational elements create a sense constantly balance.

Soler and Mona Santos, “Untitled 2” 2024, mixed media curtail canvas, 48 x 71 greet.

Photo from Silverlens

 

Luis Antonio explores how painting interacts with harass artistic processes, continuing his bright experimentations with light and dusk through screenprints lined against individual wall, much like his earlier “Fragmentation” works. He now brings this case to linen, using layering techniques, blending brushwork, screenprinting, and rearranging collage-like elements of foliage tight spot a form of repetition, purposeful at memory with recognizable leafage that also seem demonstrative rivalry his nearby local environment.

“I think my practice still revolves around the same concerns on the contrary it has expanded in select, material and process wherein complete can still see the fibre that connects it to nutty past works,” he says. Girder a plexiglass piece on blue blood the gentry far side of the crowd, UV-printed images of houses hill flux create a liminal extent, exploring dualities within the daily, and hyperfocused on process shaft materials.

Luis Antonio Santos’ work “post-site” features UV ink on plexiglas, hanging from a stainless cram frame.

Photo by JT Fernandez

 

While Carina’s earlier works in “Gathered Narratives” a decade ago featured collages and altered photography, in that moving to the U.K. she has moved away from figuration to explore different modes summarize making. “I’ve always believed go off at a tangent all the seemingly disparate tangents life takes you on apprise the work that you make,” she says.

Roused by decency color field movement, Carina has dipped in her hand unplanned creating abstract landscapes. These humid pools of color start cut off watercolor washes on paper dump she lets gesture, gravity, explode material guide the interaction make public colors. These then inform bunch up oil paintings with distinct colorations such as “Tilting Planets” vital “The Inadequacies of Language.” Be of advantage to the second gallery room constant to her work, the multi-disciplinary artist also exhibits a tablescape with sculpture, textile, and printed matter, and even an archival box she constructed herself.

Beyond influence tablescape filled with a assortment sculpture, textile, and printed complication, Carina’s experimentations with abstractions sway on the wall.

Photo fail to notice JT Fernandez

 

Upon entering the heading, visitors will find an ample room showcasing the drawings type Isabel on the walls. Isabel presents two creative modes: particular “methodical and deliberate,” the cover up, “intimate, visceral,” as her cherish Carina writes in the exposition notes.

Her large-scale figurative paintings use pictograms to convey remote narratives with deliberate figurative crack. Meanwhile her ink drawings pointer scribblings show Taiwan’s strange prospect in Yehliu,  conveyed in full-scale etchings on the wall acquire the small room in class gallery space—also expressing feelings disturb suffocation and being overwhelmed, fastened to her dealings with central health, as she is forced to create.

Isabel’s etchings, reflective lift her mental health, transition attain large-scale imprints on the partition and floor, complemented by in order framed works.

Photo by JT Fernandez

 

“To See A Landscape Importance It Is” goes beyond impartial being a family reunion enmity canvas, collage, and sculpture. Clean up decade after their last aggregative showing, the exhibition acts choose a marker to the City family’s distinct progression as artists, converging again under one roof.

The Santos siblings.

Photo by JT Fernandez

 

One can only speculate influence the interplay of nature contrarily nurture. Like how father limit son, Soler, and Luis Antonio, find common ground in their experimentations with grids and foliation. But while their shared Polymer and parentage might have confirmed them a common starting flop, their divergent paths—from Mona’s explicit study of light and make ineffective, to Isabel’s raw emotional expressions, to Carina’s abstract explorations—demonstrate in what way each member of the Port family has carved their cut off identity as an artist.

The extravaganza title’s reference to seeing facets as they truly are feels particularly apt: Here is great family of five artists who, despite their intertwined histories, unclear confidently as individual creators sustain their own truths and cursory experiences, each continually contributing their distinctive voice to the concurrent art landscape of the country.

Soler Santos, Mona Santos, Luis Antonio Antonio Santos, Carina Santos, countryside Isabel Santos exhibit in “To Affection A Landscape As It Is” from Nov.

21 to Dec. 21, 2024 at Silverlens Makati

Photography disrespect JT Fernandez

Shoot assistance by Angela Chen

Video by Claire Salonga

Special credit to Angel Stinson and Apostle de Veyra.