Gil Corcuera: The Philippine art world's Greta Garbo
MANILA, Philippines — Being popular is a full-time job. It’s not only entertainment celebrities who know this and live with it, but even those who engage in so-called quieter fields, like painters and sculptors, who have to “work to sell the work,” which can be annoying and even exhausting.
Gil Corcuera is an artist who would rather forego this business of schmoozing collectors, going to “must-attend” functions or cultivating media attention.
At the end of each exhibit, successful though they may be, he prefers to retire to his atelier and leave people wondering when he will reappear. Those who know him well and guess that he is busy creating more art would be right, and they look forward to being captivated again in the future. Sure enough, after four or five years in reclusion, he will emerge from his workshop and treat the public to the new fruits of his labor.
Corcuera’s pieces have been described as “kinetic sculpture” because there is almost always a moving part that makes each piece “come alive.” At rest, the pieces are already beautiful art; when they move, they become a brilliant display of his precision and skill at balancing tension, weight and motion. Beyond the technical mastery, Corcuera’s art exhibits a delightful wit, a playfulness that’s certain to coax a smile, if not an outright laugh from his audience.
Art critic Cid Reyes has described Corcuera as “one of the country’s most interesting sculptors.” There have been some who have used his work as inspiration, but no one quite captures the essence of his special whimsicality.
His latest pieces are on display at the Galerie Joaquin, Level R3, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati from May 4 to 13.
