Exhibitions

These are indeed trying times for our country. COVID has claimed so many lives and continues to pose a threat not only to individual lives but to the country’s economy. China is expanding, and her ships are in contested territories that have been declared ours by the international arbitral tribunal. But this is also the time for heroes, as our medical and essential services front liners have shown. In his latest exhibition at the Art Lounge Manila, Juanito Torres problematizes our notions of heroism, as we celebrate our 123rd Independence Day. With a mixture of both factual and symbolic paintings, Torres presents a sweeping view of history, and in the spirit of our Independence Day, invites us to join his quest for freedom.

Works based on actual historical events, like the Sumuroy Rebellion, the execution of Rizal, World War II scenes, are interspersed with coded symbolic paintings that casts a critical eye on both our past and present; juxtaposing traditional understanding of heroism as exemplified by history, against the difficulty of understanding how this plays out in a situation where Philippine sovereignty, nationalism, love for country, and love for the Filipino way of life is threatened both from within and without.

With twelve works on exhibit, some over 10 feet wide, Torres follows on the allegorical tradition exemplified by Juan Luna’s epic Spoliarium. With pieces that are both thought-provoking and moving, the Torres exhibition is sure to move one to question what it is to love about our country at this crucial point in time.

Juanito Torres honed his art early at the prestigious Philippine High School for the Arts, and later, the College of Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines, in Diliman, Quezon City. He specializes in the grand genres of both History Paintings and Allegorical Paintings, considered to be the highest forms of the visual arts in classical Academic art, as these have shaped the discourse of nationhood and other ideals that are meant to be imbibed by the public. Only a handful of painters were traditionally commissioned by cities and states to undertake such important projects. His works are in the collections of many historical museums, including the Juan and Antonio Luna Museum in Ilocos Norte, the Mabini Museum in Batangas, and the Museo ng Katipunan in San Juan City, Metro Manila. He also has paintings in the main collection of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

JUANITO TORRES: QUEST FOR FREEDOM will open on June 12, 2021 at the Art Lounge Manila. It will run until June 23, 2021. For inquiries, kindly call Myleene Yuzon at +63 926 722 7925 or email podium.galeriejoaquin@gmail.com. Juanito Torres: Quest for Freedom is presented in partnership with Galerie Joaquin.