{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":3547,"auction_id":6,"set_id":8,"lot_number":"146","artist":"Marc Aran Reyes (b. 1996)","title":"Sad Emitting Pancake","starting_price":5000000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 2020 (lower right)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"84\" x 180\" (213 cm x 457 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":null,"exhibited":"León Gallery, Sad Emitting Pancakes, Makati City, February 18 - 28, 2020","literature":"Reyes, Marc Aran. Between the Shadow and the Soul. San Juan City: Art Underground, 2021. Full-color spread on pages 164 to 165 and painting description on page 165.","write_up":"In the often abstracted and sometimes obtuse world of art, it is not uncommon to fall prey to a skewed understanding of a work of art itself, wherein it is tempting to view and internalize art as a set of elements or facts that are static or immovable. Instead, one must accept that art itself is fluid and this sort of fluidity is born out of art being a manifestation of both the intention of the artist as well as the interpretation of the work’s audience. Only through this interplay can art be understood and internalized in a holistic way<br /><br />This relationship between artist and viewer is essential to the works of Filipino contemporary artist Marc Aran Reyes. The distinct and recognizable aesthetic of his works, which features hyper-realistic surrealist scenes often rendered in a monochromatic palette, is not merely a superficial choice, but one born out of the artist’s intentions as well as his understanding of the world. Reyes’ decision to utilize monochrome is born out of the desire to rid the work of any emotional bias and direction; effectively leading one to view his elements and symbols in a clear and focused manner. Such a decision seemingly references the often popular position of fine art photographers, especially those from the 20th Century, that color often distracts the senses, whereas its absence allows us to focus more on form, substance, and intention. The iconic landscape photographer Ansel Adams noted that “Our lives at times seem a study in contrast... love & hate, birth & death, right & wrong... everything seen in absolutes of black & white. Too often we are not aware that it is the shades of grey that add depth & meaning to the starkness of those extremes.”<br /><br />  Despite this, viewing Reyes’ works are anything but black and white. His elements, forms, and symbols are often highly conceptual. Borrowing from a slew of disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, history, and even sometimes popular culture, Reyes rarely makes the interpretation of his works as clear-cut as its palette. Such an approach allows the artist to have a much more engaging relationship with his viewers. Although he may have his own intentions, the process of meaning-making is not complete without the input and internalization of the viewer themselves.<br /><br /> In this piece titled Sad Emitting Pancake, we are seemingly thrust into the alien yet familiar world of Reyes. The work features a vast mirror-like landscape populated only by a handful of things. At the very center is a figure lying on a half-done mattress; their hair strewn in places. By the figure’s head we see an empty teacup and a clear-jar whose glowing contents are seemingly being carried by an unknown wind. Towards the top-left of the canvas we see a tree bare and half-submerged within the anodized landscape. Accompanying the work is a poem suggesting the absurd or even existential nature of the work and the artist’s intention. But aside from that, the viewer is given only the monumental work to ponder upon. Is the work suggestive of an acceptance of absurdity in the same way that Camus and Sisyphus accepted their fate? Or is it more of a call to action? One that sees the purpose of being being the creation of purpose itself? Either way, one can assume that it is Reyes’ intention to merely act as a guide and not an interpreter of the work. For it is the viewer’s job to seek what is within the shadow and the soul. (J.D.)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":8500000,"bp":0.168,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":8500000,"userBid":5926,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":9928000,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":3812,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/6/8/lot/146.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":3814,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/6/8/lot/146a.jpg","isFeatured":0}]},"increment":[5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":145,"next":147,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}