Ronald Ventura

A Thousand Islands

September 8, 2011 — October 22, 2011


ENLARGE

Invitation to the Feast, 2011

oil on canvas

60 x 96 in. (152.4 x 243.8 cm)

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Memorial Souvenir, 2011

textile paint on batik textile

24 x 66 in. (61 x 167.6 cm)

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Astroland, 2011

oil on canvas

72 x 60 in. (182.9 x 152.4 cm)

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Monolith, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

84 x 48 x 37 in. (213.4 x 122 x 94 cm)

ENLARGE

Conquest, 2011

oil on canvas

36 x 72 in. (91.4 x 182.9 cm)

ENLARGE

Escape 2, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

27 x 34 x 10 in. (68.6 x 86.4 x 25.4 cm)

ENLARGE

Blind Child, 2011

oil on canvas

36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 122 CM)

ENLARGE

Kingdom, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

39 x 36 x 19 in. (99.1 x 99.4 x 48.3 cm)

ENLARGE

Explorer, 2011

oil on canvas

48 x 36 in. (122 x 91.4 cm)

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Dreamer, 2011

fiberglass resin and polyurethane paint

34 ½ x 22 x 18 in. (87.6 x 55.9 x 45.7 cm)

ENLARGE

Mausoleum, 2011

oil on canvas

36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 122 cm)

ENLARGE

Doll Homes 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

31 x 33 x 17 in. (78.7 x 83.8 x 43.2 cm)

ENLARGE

Confluence, 2011

oil on canvas

47 ¼ x 35 ½ in. (50.8 x 63.5 cm)

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Minefield, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

20 x 25 x 12 in. (50.8 x 63.5 x 30.5 cm)

ENLARGE

Confluence Series, 2011

oil on canvas

nine panels, overall dimensions approx. 46 x 53 in. (116.8 x 134.6 cm)

ENLARGE

Calculated Spaces, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

23 x 20 x 7 in. (58.4 x 50.8 x 17.8 cm)

ENLARGE

Imperfection 1, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

24 x 11 ½ x 11 in. (61 x 29.2 x 27.9 cm)

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Imperfection 2, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

42 x 11 ½ x 12 in. (106.7 x 29.2 x 30.5 cm)

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Black Hope, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

21 x 13 ½ x 5 in. (53.3 x 34.3 x 12.7 cm)

ENLARGE

Escape, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

20 x 13 x 12 in. (50.8 x 33 x 30.5 cm)

ENLARGE

Charcoal, 2011

fiberglass resin, polyurethane paint

17 x 19 x 4 in. (43.2 x 48.3 x 10.2 cm)

ENLARGE

Pyramids, 2011

fiberglass resin and polyurethane paint

dimensions variable, approx. 6-14 in. (15 - 36 cm)

ENLARGE

Installation View of "A Thousand Islands" at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, September 8 - October 22, 2011

 

 

ENLARGE

Installation View of "A Thousand Islands" at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, September 8 - October 22, 2011

 

 

ENLARGE

Installation View of "A Thousand Islands" at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, September 8 - October 22, 2011

 

 

ENLARGE

Installation View of "A Thousand Islands" at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, September 8 - October 22, 2011

 

 

ENLARGE

Installation View of "A Thousand Islands" at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, September 8 - October 22, 2011

 

 

ENLARGE

Installation View of "A Thousand Islands" at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, September 8 - October 22, 2011

 

 

ENLARGE

Installation View of "A Thousand Islands" at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, September 8 - October 22, 2011

 

 

ENLARGE

Installation View of "A Thousand Islands" at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, September 8 - October 22, 2011

 

 

Works

INSTALLATION VIEWS

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

It is with great pleasure that we welcome back Ronald Ventura for his second solo exhibition, A Thousand Islands, at Tyler Rollins Fine Art. One of the most highly acclaimed contemporary artists from the Philippines, Ventura has garnered enormous international attention in recent years, and he now ranks among the leading artists of his generation in Southeast Asia.  His work was first introduced in the United States with a solo exhibition, Metaphysics of Skin (2008), at our New York gallery, in which Ventura explored the expressive possibilities of the surface of the human body, the skin. Making use of a dynamic mix of imagery and styles ranging from cartoons to graffiti, tattoo design, Old Master drawings, and antique anatomical prints, Ventura reflected on the way individual and group identities are constructed, with particular reference to the cultural hybridity of the Philippines.

In the two years since that exhibition, Ventura has been very active on the international scene. He participated in the Prague (2009) and Nanjing (2010) biennales and presented a large body of work for the two-person exhibition, A Duad in Play (2010), at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, in addition to solo exhibitions in Europe and Asia. His work will also be featured in the group exhibition, Surreal Versus Surrealism in Contemporary Art, opening in late 2011 at the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern.

For A Thousand Islands, Ventura exhibits a new series of closely related paintings and sculptures that focus on the motif of floating islands. Inspired by the geography of the Philippines, with its over seven thousand islands, and incorporating forms that allude to both Surrealism and contemporary science fiction, Ventura creates complex, multi-layered compositions that evoke distopic fantasy worlds. The painted surfaces are gradually built up through a rich layering of superimposed images taken from an eclectic range of sources that exemplify the multifaceted identity of the Philippines, with its centuries of colonial rule by Spain and then the United States, along with the underlying indigenous cultures.  The floating, rocky islands that form the central motif of the paintings come to three-dimensional life in the unique, fiberglass resin sculptures, with their rough, craggy masses surmounted by architectural constructions that call to mind the rampant development taking place in the Philippines’ many beachfront resorts.  Ventura contends with the popular notion of the country as an island paradise, pointing out darker undertones that lurk just beneath the surface. At times somber and playful, these works grapple with psychological motivations and repressed memories, personal fantasies and mass delusions, nightmares and revelations, commenting on contemporary life through the prism of a deeply personal vision.

EXHIBITION REVIEWS

Flash Art, Review of Ronald Ventura at Tyler Rollins Fine Art

January, 2012


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The Huffington Post, Haiku Reviews: Shakespeare, Abstraction and Pacific Standard Time (PHOTOS)

October, 2011


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Artinfo, The 7 Top Shows to See This Week, From Lisa Yuskavage to Carsten Nicolai

September, 2011


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GENERAL PRESS

ART REPUBLIK, Magick & Belief

April, 2017


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Philippine Tatler, The Art Provocateur

2015


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Artillery, Ronald Ventura at Tyler Rollins Fine Art

September, 2014


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Art Radar, Demons, saints, penitents, and pop: Filipino artist Ronald Ventura in New York – in pictures

September, 2014


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Blouin Artinfo.com Asia Edition, Ronald Ventura Taking on the World

2013


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Southeast Asian Contemporary Art Now, The Philippines

2013


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Luxury Properties Magazine, Uncanny Icons

November, 2012


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Flash Art, Ronald Ventura

2012


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Watching the Watchmen Catalogue

2012


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Ronald Ventura Recyclables

2012


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The New York Times, A Filipino Artist’s Fantastical Vision, Finely Crafted

November, 2011


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Dossier Journal, Ronald Ventura

2011


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The Art Economist, Ronald Ventura

2011


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Skull Style: Skulls in Contemporary Art and Design, Ronald Ventura

2011


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The Luxury Channel, 8 Asian Artists to Watch

2010


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Art Asia Pacific Almanac, Philippines

2010


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A Duad in Play, Posthuman Monstrosities, Posthuman Toys

2010


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Without Walls, Ronald Ventura

2010


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Public Art, Ronald Ventura

2009


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Philippine Tatler, Tittle Tattle

October, 2009


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ArtSlant, Supraconscious Appropriations

October, 2009


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Art Notes, South East Asia

October, 2009


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Spot, Filipino artist exhibits in New York

September, 2009


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Artepinas, Metaphysics of Skin

September, 2009


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Filipinas, Ventura’s Vision

September, 2009


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+Koultura, The Strong and The Beautiful

August, 2009


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The Swank Style, Ace Ventura ] Ronald’s first US show explores the second skin

August, 2009


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Limité Magazine, Ronald Ventura

2009


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Contemporary Art Philippines, The World According to Ronald Ventura

2009


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Time, A New York City gallery showcases art from Southeast Asia

December, 2008


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National University of Singapore, Mapping the Corporeal

September, 2008


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Prague Biennale 4, Ronald Ventura

2008


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