ARTFAIRPH/PROJECTS
Curatorial Notes
Ryan Rubio welcomes the toil of artmaking. Now working with stone, he collaborates with the natural material, and to a degree frees himself of rational control as he lets the properties of the stone dictate its gradual unfolding.
He describes the practice as very physical and labor-intensive. Even with power tools, it takes days to shape and smoothen one rock, and carrying the boulders from one place to another takes its toll on the body. Yet, Ryan is steadfast in doing every part with his own hands. He considers this presence as integral to his personal discipline because the act of taking away little by little is necessary to getting to know the material.
About the Artist
A 2005 graduate of Fine Arts - Advertising at the Technological University of the Philippines, painter and sculptor Ryan Rubio is currently based in Camarines Norte, Bicol Region.
Known for his rock and stone sculptures that often resemble totem poles with expressive faces that alternate from the stoic to the surprised, Rubio’s works are either silent
witnesses or tight-lipped guardians to all that is going on around them. His understanding of his chosen material can be seen in how each piece retains its unique qualities. Rubio hardly carves a rock to change its appearance or made to look like something else; he works with the natural shape and color of the stone or pebble and etches each figure’s face based on the stone’s form.
He reveals that his affinity to this type of material stems from his childhood. “I grew up in a village where the main source of livelihood was small and large-scale mining,” he shares. “I lived near the sea, and all around me were rocks. That was memorable to me, because each rock tells its own story.”
ArtFairPH/Projects Artists