Jigger Cruz – If There Were No Parallels
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Primo Marella Gallery is pleased to announce “If There Were No Parallels” Jigger Cruz’s solo exhibition at the gallery in Milan, previewing on Thursday July 18th at 6.30pm.
Jigger Cruz (1984) is a leading Filipino artist who has gained international acclaim for his tactile and sensorial paintings.
Cruz's paintings are born directly with an abstract imprint through the superimposition of figures and elements rigorously formed by oil painting. This is a time-consuming procedure, especially for the stabilisation of the colour and the drying time of the oil in the various layers. In Cruz's new imagery, the forms and density of these elements are further concretised. They expand, take on increased thickness and volume, making the result of this process of dimensional overlapping similar to the genesis of a bas-relief. Just like the latter, the imprinted elements tend to emerge from the flat surface of the canvas, forming shadows, geometries and depths that recall the ancient technique. This development grants an intrinsic three-dimensionality to the abstract figures, allowing for a particularly elaborate perspective with a unique structure and texture.
It is not a sculpture, it would be improper to call it that; rather, it is an informal, expressionist painting, which strikes the viewer precisely because of its materiality (as well as the scent and perfume that the oil releases over time). The depictions are never singular, but multiple, overlapping each other almost as if they wanted to cover themselves and lay morbidly on the canvas. This frenzy at the moment of drafting comes to a halt, generating a contrast in the vision of the work: the elements lead one to think of frenetic movements, yet, precisely because of the intrinsic properties of a work, they are static, still, imprinted on the canvas. It is as if the shot of an explosion occurred on the painting, without it being fragmented, but rather presented in a clear and defined form.
