RONALD VENTURA

This layering is most prominent in Ventura’s paintings, where a base depiction of the human form is overlaid with a selection of swirling, explosive motifs drawn from American pop culture, religious iconography, Asian folklore, science fiction and more. They demonstrate the visual excess of contemporary consumption, while revealing inner worlds where fantasy and conflict coexist. Described by Ventura as a “second skin,” this physical and metaphorical layer alludes to identity’s evolving nature and its capacity to accumulate, transform or be shed over time.

Ventura obtained his BFA in Painting from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila in 1993.

Notable solo exhibitions include Shadow Forest (2017), Metropolitan Museum of Manila; Project (2016), Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei; Big and Small (2015), Ayala Museum, Makati; Bulul, Ronald Ventura and the traditional art of the Philippines (2014), Museo delle Culture, Lugano; Watching the Watchmen (2012), Vargas Museum, Quezon City; Major Highways, Expressways and Principal Arterials (2009), Akili Museum of Art, Jakarta; and Mapping The Corporeal, (2008), NUS Museum, Singapore. The artist has also participated in major international festivals including And_Writers (2010), 1st Nan Jing Biennale; 4th Prague Biennale (2009); and 9th International Biennial Print and Drawing Exhibit (1999), Taipei.

Ventura had his residency at STPI Workshop in 2011, leading to the exhibition Recyclables (2012).

Courtesy STPI