GALERIE JOAQUIN OPENS 'THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE' SHOW

AT THE PODIUM FROM MARCH 17 TO 23

The female perspective is one that presents a different vision of the world and humanity. While making great strides in the cause of equal treatment and opportunity, there are still fundamental differences in approach between the sexes. Notions of peace and cooperation, for example, are inherently feminine connected as they are to a woman's role as a mother. So one can expect that the artistic works of women carry this gravitas; the audience in the role of a detective unravelling the mysteries of femininity.

In this light, Galerie Joaquin Podium in cooperation with Galerie Stephanie and Galerie Raphael presents works done by three remarkable women artists –Lydia Velasco, Jovan Benito, and Aileen Lanuza - in a show entitled "The Feminine Mystique" at the Atrium of Podium Mall in Mandaluyong City from March 17 to 23. They may be reached by landline at (632) 634-7954 / 709-1488 / 856-3034 or emailed at info@galeriejoaquin.com.

Senior Artist Lydia Velasco elevates her expansive experience in the female form within tropical genre scenes as she revels in the colorful palette of her oeuvre. Take, for example, "Midday Sun," her take on the classical Tres Marias motif: one can see a nostalgic tinge within the rural setting as well as an embroidered sense of the anatomy of her subjects. Her compositional sensibilities have seen her become one of the more prolific women artists in the country. Likewise, Jovan Benito takes these same scenes and abstracts them to simple forms whilst enlarging the emotional aspects of human anatomy, such as the eyes. In doing this, she imbues her art with a playfulness that is both lighthearted and complex. The narrative structure of her art, and its multiple interactions between subjects, draw viewers into a world of melancholic fantasy. Aileen Lanuza, on the other hand, revels in a specific and distinctive Filipina identity, with her hyperrealistic takes of her subjects in female Filipina costumes.

These three artists are perhaps the strongest female painters in the country today. Discover how they use femininity in their practices at "The Feminine Mystique."