Taking off, Limited Edition 2/25 Print

Gladdys A.R. (Philippines) She creates work that engages with the documentation of occurrences and the question of how they might be portrayed by using daily life as subject matter while reflecting on the everyday aesthetic of middle-class values. The art attempts to convey itself through the telling of a tale or the creation of a metaphor. “As a watercolorist, I have to decide where each color brushstroke will go before letting it work its magic. Watercolor, for me, is all about the transparency and radiance that this medium allows you to produce that other kinds of painting do not. You can construct texture and add lighting with oil, and you can cover a shape with acrylic, but with watercolor, you can glaze layer upon layer and still have the radiance.” Her paintings are distinguished by the use of everyday objects in a middle-class mentality in which recognition is key. She hopes that through using simplification, the viewer will become a part of the art as an extra component. Art is entertainment: being able to touch and interact with the art is crucial. Her works are influenced by inspiring situations: visions that convey a sense of certainty and serenity, mixed with tiny details of unusual or eccentric, humorous aspects. She produces intense personal moments skilfully formed by rules and omissions, acceptance and refusal, enticing the observer round and round in circles by generating scenarios and breaking the spectator's passivity.