Quatervois

Mounting his 16th solo exhibition on the white-washed walls of Galleria Nicolas Greenbelt, contemporary artist Joseph Tecson seizes the world of fine art, grasping delicate moments of respite with his bold compositions of energized blooms.

Tecson’s keen resonance with flora stemmed from a significant breakthrough in his personal life. At the height of the global pandemic, the artist found solace in the midst of verdant treasures, found in his father’s budding flower farm. “I want to represent what my dad did in the farm,” Tecson states. In an attempt to find a silent retreat, as well as to honor his father, the artist unearthed inner tranquility in the form of striking blossoms.

Here we see Tecson’s innate boldness when it comes to creative expression, untethered from the ‘traditional’ way of painting flowers. “I tried to make it as abstract as possible,” Tecson mentions. In fact, thick slabs of paint saturate every corner of the canvas, as if imitating the very nature and element of a real flower, in his own brilliantly twisted way. “I think how I paint really is a little violent”, he cheekily adds. The result bears an artistic style anew; bravely different from his, rather darker, works culled from his struggled past.

Tecson learned how to paint during a period of incarceration (2008-2012). Still, he found solace in those dark times, a “beautiful disaster” as he calls it, leading him to realize the transformative power of art and the capacity for personal growth even in the most challenging of circumstances. “I wouldn’t be an artist today if I didn’t go through that experience,” Tecson tenderly states.

Thus the title “Quatervois” is coined, indicative of Tecson’s turning point in his artistic career, as well as his ending battle with his dark past. Finding time to pause and reemphasize his intentions as a passionate creative, Tecson’s organic visuals feel like a breath of fresh air, representing a new path in Tecson’s personal journey to spiritual growth.

Joseph Tecson (b. 1985) is a contemporary artist hailing from Metro Manila, Philippines. Self-taught, Tecson acquired his painting skills while he was incarcerated between 2008 and 2012. When he was acquitted of the charges, the artist had already been part of numerous exhibitions including his first solo at Mag:Net Gallery in Quezon City titled “Inmates”, a series that featured 50 portraits of convicts and detainees from where he was imprisoned. Since then, the artist has mounted several solo exhibitions in and out of the country. His continuous strides earned him a spot in 2014 at the WhiteSpaceBlackBox in Switzerland, consequently mounting his solo exhibition, “Inmates + Outmates".

Despite the lack of formal training, Tecson developed a distinctive style of his own. His thought-inducing artistry ranges from the traditional themes of portraiture to the dynamics of societal contexts, often reaching satirical implications as a means to challenge and uncover the vulnerabilities of society’s preconceived notions.

“Quatervois” will be on view from November 21 – December 4, 2023 at Galleria Nicolas Greenbelt, with an Opening Reception on November 21, Tuesday at 5 PM. Galleria Nicolas Greenbelt is located at 3F, Greenbelt 5, Legazpi Street, Makati City. For inquiries, contact Galleria Nicolas at +63 936 225 1226 or email at gallerianicolasgreenbelt@gmail.com.