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It's A Party, Let's Dance!
55.5 x 63.5 in
acrylic, spray paint and oil on canvas
2013
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Ngayong
Gabi AngUmaga, Ngayong UmagaAng Gabi
To
say that Zeus Bascon has a vivid imagination would be a staggering
understatement. His second solo show, thoughtfully entitled Ngayong Gabi AngUmaga, NgayongUmagaAng Gabi,
manages to merge the tumultuousness of waking life with the playground of
his subconscious mind, where a motley cast of characters hold court, along with
a dose of supernatural phenomena thrown into the mix. It is this same group of
characters, from recognizable human figures to creatures fit only for the most
frightening of nightmares that spin the stories of Bascon’s art. A closer look
into the paintings and collages suggests that what Bascon is trying to tell us
is that the connection between the realms of the conscious and subconscious ismuch
more deeply rooted than we think, and change is the underlying anchor that
holds all of these things together.
Reverence
towards the supernatural and the occult is a recurring theme in many of Zeus
Bascon’s creations. Fascinated by the Filipino system of anting-anting and the belief in the existence of elementals, these
symbols and creatures often find their way again and again into Zeus’s
paintings. Bascon describes his creative process as one that involves acceptance,
in order to translate thought to canvas in the most truthful way possible. In
his own words,“Lots of crazy, unbelievable things happened to me, and these
things affected me and everything around me, and I just learned to accept these
things.”
Another
striking characteristic about Zeus Bascon’s work is his innate ability to
combine elements that are both strange and mundane into an organic whole. From
the scattered body parts, patchwork creatures and humanoid figures that so
casually occupy the canvases, it’s as if they’re telling us that it’s okay to for
everyone to let their freak flag fly.
On
this planet, the sun is just about to rise while the night is just beginning to
fall somewhere else. It makes sense, then, that this morning is night, and this
night is morning. A little change in perspective is all that’s needed.
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X
27.5 x 28 in
acrylic on canvas
2013
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Screaming in Exile
7.25 x 5.25 in
collage on layers of acrylic sheets and glass
2013
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| top left clockwise: Pretty Visitors i, Pretty Visitors ii, Pretty Visitors iv, Pretty Visitors iii; 29.75 x 43.25 in mixed media on paper, 2013 |
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This Must Be The Place
7 x 10 in (Diptych)
acrylic and pyrography, x-ray film., acrylic sheet, nail and silicon on wood
2013
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| AN INVITATION: HALIAKIAHIWAGIMHALIANIALIYAGIM 31 1/4 x 17 1/2 inches Acrylic, Charcoal, Collage Elements, Clear Lacquer on Frame,Hologram Sticker and Acrylic on Glass 2013 |
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Entities
9 x 12 in
acrylic on canvas, collage on acrylic sheet
2013
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exhibiton text by Maria Fatima Corazon Potenciano
