Twenty-four-year-old artist Paulina Luz Sotto (only daughter of Vic Sotto and Angela Luz) never thought that fate would have placed her in the world of art — a world that she grew up with in her childhood, living with her lolo, National Artist Arturo Luz.
And yet, last Nov. 23, the young artist took her newfound journey with an inspired spirit as she applied her brush to canvas once more, and invited us to her world of pure abstraction.
Her paintings hung proudly along the walls of the modern Swatch & Swatch Center in Arnaiz St., Makati, as she launched her second exhibit titled “New Abstractions II.” Her works complemented the industrial Swatch Center, a space that has become home to many artists’ explorations, featuring collaborations of the iconic horology brand with other visionaries and innovators in the field.
Here, Paulina exhibited almost 50 new artworks, exploring more styles and colors than in her first show including, for the very first time, her collaboration with her lolo.
The collaboration brings to life the impeccable style of the maestro Luz, but is melded with the guileless technique that is evident in Paulina’s work. It is unlike any Arturo Luz piece you have seen before, and neither is it all Paulina — it is new and imagined work that becomes even richer with meaning because of the special relationship that the two artists have.
“He loves making collages,” shares Paulina about the creative process for this series. “So I cut up some shapes for him in different colors — because he always talks about how he loves the shapes I make. Then he would compose collages out of my shapes and I translated those collages into paintings.”
Beyond the canvas, Paulina also delves into a new medium, exploring this time dimension through sculptures. It seems that for this budding artist, the journey is just beginning, and the possibilities of her creative imagination are truly endless.