7 September - 5 October 2024

Seven Promises and Potions

Ian Quirante

In his solo exhibition, Ian Quirante (b. 1974) continues his series of works that started in 2006. Drawing from biology, anatomy, languages, and sciences, he challenges himself to execute paintings and drawings that observe and reimagine classical methods of composition in contemporary life. Pointing to William S. Burroughs' cut-up technique in poetry, which traces its roots to Dadaist approaches, Quirante employs improvisation and chance while consciously flattening the visual hierarchy of painting. Somehow, the artist is influenced by Jackson Pollock's spontaneous expressions of the human psyche on the canvas and Marc Chagall's distinct vocabulary of abstraction. However, Quirante follows a contrasting approach to representing life while practicing constraint instinctively and the conscious decision to produce an image because it is intuitively necessary. Apart from Western influences, Quirante also points to East Asian prints and portraits in developing his practice, especially how they observe the space and void as important elements in telling a narrative. Seven Promises and Potions is a sanguine look into the future--even with unpredictability; there's a way to keep things leveled and on the ground.

About the Artist

Ian Quirante (b.1974) describes his practice as "rooted in the surrealist tradition: automatism, spontaneous image making; there are no under drawings studies or sketches. And as for themes, I've always wanted to be a biologist! Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with life, which I observed under my microscope; from marine life to human and animal anatomy down to the neurotransmitters and DNA. Those anatomical elements pervade my works. Death has also a major influence, as it has impacted my life through the loss of close friends and relatives. So on a personal level I try to show how delicate, beautiful and fragile our bodies and lives are. I often have dreams of being inside my paintings: I can see them move, or even breathe! I walk under them, look at them while they look back at me. It is frightening and intriguing at the same time." He received his BFA in Painting (with honors) from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, where he is also part of the faculty. He was a finalist in the Philip Morris' ASEAN Art Awards (now Philippine Art Awards), the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) Award, and the Shell National Students Art Competition.