What we do everyday is an art- how we dress, how we cook and take our meals, how we choose the words we say. And then there are the kinds of art that purposely took on the role of feeding our souls and say what we can not. Art is life and life is art. It is a source of inspiration. It is an expression of emotion. And that is what the Sudden Flight Series is all about.
“I was inspired by my short trip to Brussels after a show held in Berlin in 2013. I arrived with the intent of finding an artist who would be willing to collaborate with me in my upcoming projects, so I started to look around. Instead of finding an artist, I found some Filipinos who work around the city. My interaction with them in a different environment led to varied conversations about how challenging life is to be away from their love ones but nevertheless find solace knowing that their families benefit from their sacrifice. I started on my e-sketchpad and started to express my thoughts after this encounter. The title 'Sudden Flight' refers to several layers of meaning: sudden burst of happiness, excitement as reaching out lives of far-flung Filipinos extending compassion, a moment of bliss.”
This was Chiqui's answer when asked what inspired the colors and movements of her latest collection of paintings. Chiqui Rodriguez, an abstract painter, loves to share how she started as an artist. What prompted her was a conversation over coffee with a long-time confidante about a painting she was working on back in 2003.
chiqui@chiquirodriguez.com
http://chiquirodriguez.com
Fearful that she did not finish a BFA degree, she was nevertheless encouraged to share her work publicly because painting has been her hobby since she was six. Through her renewed confidence and the opportunity entrusted in her, she learned that she can do anything to cultivate her art. With this experience, she believed that she can also inspire others that everything is possible if you put your heart into it. Chiqui went on to develop her signature painting style since then. The politically motivated environment of the Philippines and her adventures while traveling between Asia Pacific and Europe molded her ideals of optimism, hope and internal happiness.
Chiqui loves to explore complex subjects; her work calls attention to our culture’s thought of hard-work. Much of Chiqui’s artwork is influenced by her experience in the corporate world. Through this new body of work, she connects hard-work to social class as a form of meditation. This specific series plan to bring forward awareness on the inner thoughts of Overseas Filipino Workers.
Chiqui’s unique approach to blending acrylic pigments on canvas creates gem-like surfaces. Peering through the surface to what is depicted below, the viewer realizes that all is not as glowing as it first appears. Chiqui is noted for her deep abstraction of complex realism. The 19 selected paintings from a total of over 100 works that comprise the SUDDEN FLIGHT series, awash in vibrant color, are sure to dazzle visitors in its preview opening in a two-man show at the Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences, hosted by Altromondo Gallery on the 29th of May and continuing through the 18th of July, 2014. This preview is in preparation for her solo show to be held in Zurich by late summer.
The first of five series from her upcoming exhibition “Sudden Flight” is now viewable through chiquirodriguez.com and Saatchi Art. You can also check out www.altromondo.ph/artist-profiles/chiqui-rodriguez/ for schedules and details on the Manila preview of the series.
May this art inspire you, Belles and Beaux of the Boulevard!
