{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":22070,"auction_id":23,"set_id":42,"lot_number":"164","artist":"Andres Barrioquinto (b. 1975)","title":"Heaven's Maze (Diptych)","starting_price":4000000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 2015 (lower right)","medium":"oil on canvas mounted on panel","size":"60\" x 48\" (152 cm x 122 cm) each","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Christie's Hong Kong, Asian Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, May 31, 2015, lot 212","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Often referred to as the Dark Man of Philippine Art due to the often surreal, novel and mysterious disposition of his works, visual artist Andres Barrioquinto has undoubtedly made a name for himself in both the local and international contemporary art scene. Though Barrioquinto was born in Manila, he spent his formative years in Hong Kong where he studied at the Royden House School. He eventually returned to the Philippines where he received his degree in Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas. Barrioquinto has since developed a number of distinct styles and practices. His earlier works often distorted and jagged visual elements rendered in a dark and almost surreal treatment. These works were considered to be highly emotionally charged and rooted in the angst that Barrioquinto felt and wanted to communicate. He eventually progressed beyond his eerie imagery and developed a style that focused on hyperrealism imbued with a sense of surrealism. During this period, Barrioquinto would often create portraits that emphasized a certain balance between subdued colors and more whimsical elements. Despite this shift in tone, Barrioquinto’s darker disposition would often creep into these newer works in the form of muted colors, decaying elements, or even through a sense of aloofness in his subject’s expression. These works were often rendered in a mix of acrylic and oil, a mixture that gives his works a unique character that seemingly blends together the real and imaginary.
\n\nThis particular piece is emblematic of Barrioquinto's more recent outings. Though there are similarities between Barrioquintos second style and his more recent one, Barrioquinto has expanded his art’s potential by diversifying his themes and subjects. Heaven’s Maze is a two panel diptych that seemingly represents a variety of characteristics attributed to\nthe past and the future. The contains a number of layers, but one of its most distinctive elements is Barrioquinto’s inclusion of a man’s torso, as well as an outline containing a variety of images where the man’s head is supposed to be. This unique blend of elements seemingly emphasizes a certain psychological element present within the work. The left panel depicts ideals full of hope and disposition, as evidenced by the lush, classical, and almost folksy background, as well as a number of whimsical elements. In contrast, the right panel features a desolate landscape wherein the lush greenery is replaced by a dry and arid wasteland. Although its other elements still remain whimsical, there is a certain sadness attributed to its treatment, as though it is solemnly and quietly discontent with its current situation. Barrioquinto’s diptych can be seen as a commentary on the current human condition, one that was once fueled by ambition, but now faces quiet desolation. Though a work that utilizes the concept of time, one can ask, where does the present fit in all of this. One can assume that the present is contained within the viewer, actively viewing the work and forever stuck between the two instances Barrioquinto presents us. Thus, rather than a somber work, Heaven’s Maze can be seen as a wake-up call that urges us to find a way out of this seemingly overwhelming and labyrinthine predicament.","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Andres Barrioquinto (b. 1975) Heaven's Maze (Diptych) signed and dated 2015 (lower right) oil on canvas mounted on panel 60\" x 48\" (152 cm x 122 cm) each