6 October - 27 October 2021
Pagkalimot Sa Laing Paaging Pagtalidhay
(Forgetting a Different Way to Laugh)
Ronyel Compra
Pagkalimot Sa Laing Paaging Pagtalidhay (Forgetting a Different Way to Laugh) presents Ronyel Compra's "Makahiya" series, a collection that the artist has been working on for more than ten years. Here, Compra investigates the characteristics of the Mimosa Pudica or the Makahiya/Kipi-Kipi. The plant is known for its ability to recall external motion and demonstrate memory. Compra's fascination with the subject translates to his probes on the plant's similarities to the way we cope with the changes in our socio-political environment and all of the perceived life phases that one has to go through.
Ronyel Compra (b. 1985, Cebu) is a visual artist who experiments with indigenous materials such as non-commercial charcoal, twigs, pebbles, corn cobs, cow bones, and skulls to materialize his works in different formats: painting, video, sculptural installations, performances, and printmaking. Heavily influenced by the discovery of historical and personal narratives in local communities, Compra integrates the techniques used in local crafts production and trades into his practice as reflections of memories, history, and experiences of places and his hometown.
He received his BFA in Painting from the University of the Philippines, Cebu, and was shortlisted for the Ateneo Art Awards in 2019. In 2020, he completed an artist residency at the Bellas Artes Projects in Bataan. Compra is a recipient of Para Site’s (HK) NoExit Grant for Unpaid Artistic Labour—Philippines.
Selected Works from
Pagkalimot Sa Laing Paaging Pagtalidhay
Ronyel Compra, Sverkhov’s Bloom (Makahiya Series), 2011, OiI paint, charcoal, acrylic on canvas, 12 x 16 in (30.48 x 40.64 cm)
Ronyel Compra, Untitled II (Makahiya Series), 2021, Scratched out lines with acrylic and powdered charcoal, 59.44 x 83.85 (151 x 213 cm)
Ronyel Compra, Hume’s Stone (Makahiya Series), 2013, OiI paint, charcoal, acrylic on stretched canvas, 24 x 24 in (60.96 x 60.96 cm)
Ronyel Compra, Untitled I (Makahiya Series), 2021, Scratched out lines with acrylic and powdered charcoal, 14.96 x 57.87 in (38 x 147 cm)
Ronyel Compra, "The Last Day (Makahiya Series)", 2011, Oil charcoal and acrylics,12 x 16 in (30.48 x 40.64 cm)
Ronyel Compra, Last Month (Makahiya Series), 2021, Scratched out lines with acrylic and powdered charcoal, 59.05 x 85.82 in (150 x 218 cm)
