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Beauty
in Balance, Eloquence in Equilibrium Action, Reaction Derived from the Old French term for counterweight or counterbalance, the word “Counterpoise” sums up equivalent opposing forces that maintain equilibrium. As different as their individual bodies of work may seem at first glance, Ballo and Lasam have reached a state of counterpoise with this collaborative series centered on the Yin and Yang concept found in traditional Chinese philosophy. “The concept of Yin and Yang in Chinese philosophy describes how seemingly opposing forces in the natural world are actually bound together… giving rise to each other in turn,” Ballo explains. “We both do abstracted works, with rather complementing ideas and concepts. In a sense, I think our work is fairly similar in that we let our viewers glean their own meanings from the work and not the other way around. Our artworks work visually well together, using similar formats, while still being distinct from one another.” Despite being fully aware of a creative mind’s need for identity and individuality within today’s saturated arts community, Lasam and Ballo recognize the value of engaging in collaboration. Their process of exploration into two different mindsets and personal histories resulted in an expansion of each artist’s personal beliefs, which led in turn to the creation of the works for “Counterpoise.” “Our process was kind of an action-reaction thing,” Lasam shares, “where one made a work consistent with our agreed theme then the other worked out a reactive artwork from that. There was constant updating between both artists on what we're currently working on. How each work looks visually so we can 'react' with a work of our own accordingly. We spent a lot of time talking about the works, making studies, throwing ideas around and working out how the concept can be executed at its best.” Mandala Master Meets Paper Paragon Jojo Ballo is an architect, artist, poet, and former curator and gallery manager who has held six one-man shows and participated in several group exhibitions at venues such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Art Center in SM Megamall. Known for his abstract paintings on both canvas and ceramic, Ballo’s recent work is centered on the creation of mandalas. “I found that there was something very grounding about organizing and creating an artwork around a circular format. Consciously or not, because of its very shape, the artwork makes me more attuned, more introspective.” For “Counterpoise,” Ballo’s acrylic-laden brush tackles the yin, or the dark, feminine principle of the Yin-Yang philosophy. Interpreting
the yang, or light, masculine principle, is Cathy Lasam, an artist and
teacher who is an award-winning cum laude graduate of the College of Fine
Arts in UP Diliman. Her exhibition credits include solo and group shows
at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Museum of Arts & Sciences
at the University of Sto. Tomas, the Museo Arte de Contemporaneo Ateneo
in Yucatan, Mexico, and the Gallerie Gavarni in Paris, France. Lasam’s
paper creations employ a highly intuitive process with a distinct deviation
from origami’s mechanical model-making. “My final forms are
wholly dependent on my active creative decisions, which create works which
are one of a kind. It is through this that I aim to remove paper form
its original context, elevating it beyond craft and into an art form in
itself.” |
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On Exhibit Past Exhibition
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