In this exhibition, we embrace definitions of drawing beyond the traditional. Drawings are more than, as tradition would have it, works on paper and preparatory images or displays of craft, skill, and dexterity. And as much as drawing often becomes limited to these ideas, it becomes a potent artform when considered within the realm of contemporary art. This show “Danger: Curves Ahead” celebrates its sustained power.

For many of the artists in this exhibit, drawing is the foundation of their practice. And with that, many of them have a self-conscious engagement with drawing’s fundamental element, the line. The line is the lens by which immediate surroundings are understood and a concept to explore and play with.

This show recognizes the diverse processes by which artists conceive of drawings. Rather than a device for illusionism and symbolism, the lines of a drawing can be indexical, the direct outcome of a process. A drawing can be a process of accumulating layers, an engagement with existing images. For others, drawing starts as a response to non-traditional materials or recent technology. It can be as convenient as selecting and combining images from one’s own mental library.

The works of this show display drawing’s duality as a tool of the rational mind (of harmony, balance, and composition) and a product of instinct and the subconscious. It also reveals that drawing is a rich space for storytelling and with that, the exploration of self -- a surface of visual metaphors that artists return to again and again and where memories, beliefs, struggles, dreams, emotions, and other unknown forces are inscribed.

But for all the many different methods and aims of drawing in this show, it is an inherently intimate space to experiment, to learn and unlearn. It is where artists dwell on what they love and meditate on what it means to make an image. And just as It is one where an artist is often close to the medium, it often demands intimate attention from the viewer.

In this exhibition, the idea of drawing brings together Filipino artists of widely diverging practices. They include Miguel Aquilizan, Vic Balanon, Zeus Bascon, Rene Bituin, Lourd De Veyra, Kirk Dijamco, Lui Gonzales, Gerry Tan, Cos Zicarelli, Is Jumalon, Mark Andy Garcia, John Marin, David Ryan Viray, Cris Villanueva Jr, Epjey Pacheco, Jan Sunday, Gene Paul Martin, Masi Oliveria, Miko Sandejas, Ernest Concepcion, Paolo Icasas, Iggy Rodriguez, Aiya Balingit, Dave Lock, and Angela Gaddi.

Click here to download the exhibit catalog.