Fraternal - White Walls Gallery

Exhibition

Online

Collector's Gallery

January 15, 2021

White Walls Gallery presents “Fraternal”, a two-man exhibition showcasing the Pen and Ink portraits of Dennis Capellan and Nikko Pelaez. Similar in medium but different in artistry, the two men join forces in communicating intricate visions through meticulous strokes of ink on paper, turning simple lines and dots into complex reflections.

Dennis Capella, an artist from Masbate City, connects the visual characteristics of humans and animals into elegant anthropomorphic figures providing for a fun and humorous take on the classical art of portraiture. Nikko Pelaez, as a painter known for usually painting colorful compositions, tries his hand on illustrating monochromatic heads to symbolize the numerous virtues we live by; a point of interest being the cut-out sections on the eyes of the figures as an invitation for the viewers to come and experience their stories.

As we enter a new year, it can’t be helped that certain traumas and feelings muster up the strength to still affect us to this day. Be it past experiences, present predicaments or future anxieties, these invisible ghosts lie insidious in the dark, holding and waiting for us to succumb to them.

For his fifth solo exhibition, artist Yao Sampana presents us with “Behind the Shadows”, a somber exposition of portraits unveiling the abstract hauntings that plague us in our everyday. The artist brandishes his signature use of bluish-hued figures over dark backgrounds and red curtains to personify one’s struggles, providing for stark contrasts between saturated and desaturated tones, a power play of sorts towards the grim subject matter and the humanity behind coping with them. Inspired by his personal journey in confronting the invisible demons that hamper his creative ventures, the show aims to recognize, materialize and accept these negativities as part of one’s growth. Yao Sampana’s drive to overcome what haunts him is evident in his use of grasping hands and contorted figures; his hyperrealist technique evident as it provides for visceral images of despair and ultimately, acceptance.