Art Provocateur Ronald Ventura Opens “Territorial Terror” In West Gallery
“Territorial Terror” tackles self, territories, spaces, and the complexities inside and out that affect it including cyberspace through metaphors and allusions.
In an interview with Ronald Ventura during the opening last December 7, 2017, he explains his recent exhibit is about the lines of privacy that we have for ourselves has been broken.
“We all feel it. Nothing’s alarming anymore, because the alarms are all done. Anytime soon, any moment- changes through experiences occur including our society, internet, and social media. Our personal territories are sensitive enough to the things we are exposed to,” said Ventura.
Frame details by Ventura
Ventura says there’s no definite process in his craft. He compares his process to food and the choices behind it. You have dessert, breakfast, and all. “It actually depends on your taste. Whatever taste and food you want. Next day, it changes”, he adds.
“It’s actually indefinite”, on concept development and ideation. He gets these from his daily experiences along with his practice. As he produces, the concept may develop further or be harnessed.
Ventura is known for his exemplary use of layers. He shares the number of layers may equate to the number of realities he wants to put. The more of layers he put, the deeper the meaning.
On being called “Art Provocateur”, he jokingly said, “Sabi lang nila yun!”. But added maybe because of his own, personal style.
“’Pag pumili ka ng isa, parang kulang”. Ventura sees his exhibits as a whole. He says one must delve into the experience, how we get immersed when we look at the works. These take us to new experiences that we do not see and feel in other dimensions, he adds.
As our interview goes, I asked Ventura about what is so special about being an artist that he wanted to be one.
He finds it special being an artist because it seems like art gives him a right to do whatever he can through his work. Whatever he expresses, people will view it as art. Whereas, it is just an expression of yourself.
The works imply familiar concerns raised with the increasing fixation of today’s generation to social media: vanity, bloating of ego, loss of privacy, the confusion between reality in the cyberspace and reality in the actual world, and many others.” – Ruel Caasi, Ventura's spokesperson
Ventura’s works indeed compete with other artists from diverse parts of the globe.
His work “Grayground Painting” became the most paid work in Southeast Asian contemporary art in 2011. It was sold for an incredible price at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings held in Hongkong. Apart from this, his works are included in many private collections, and have been reviewed in The New York Times.
Ventura pursued Fine Arts in University of Santo Tomas where he immediately taught. He had struggles in balancing both teaching and being an artist. He eventually quitted teaching after his first exhibition in 2000 to concentrate on his practice.
Catch Ronald Ventura’s “Territorial Terror” from December 8, 2017 until January 6, 2018. It is concurrently on display with three other exhibitions at West Gallery. These are Igan D’ Bayan’s “Death by Audio”, Ruel Caasi’s “Saint and Sinner”, and Soler Santos’ “Hybrid Pictures”.
