BenCab x Ronald Ventura: A Collaboration of Two Filipino Giants in the Global Contemporary Arts Scene

A collaborative project of National Artist for Visual Arts Benedicto "BenCab" Cabrera and maverick Ronald Ventura sparks a dialogue about the narrative of Philippine art and the challenges, realities and potentials of the society which shapes it

National Artist for Visual Arts Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera and celebrated contemporary artist Ronald “RV” Ventura (arguably the two most renowned artists of their respective generations) have joined forces in a momentous project at the height of the pandemic. First seen in the Secret Fresh Gallery at the Ronac Art Center in October 2020, Bencab X Ronald Ventura collaboration was a milestone event comprising limited edition digital prints that showcase these Filipino contemporary masters’ signature themes and style in fresh, new renderings. For posterity, Secret Fresh also released a coffee-table book titled Double Vision: BenCab X Ronald Ventura the following year, detailing the process of the collaboration and compiling the works exhibited. Now, the exhibition comes home to Gallery Indigo of the BenCab Museum in Baguio and will be open for viewing until November 28.

Bigboy Cheng, owner of Secret Fresh, wrote in the book written by Igan D’Bayan and designed by Lloyd Nelson Jinon that it took almost a year to set everything up; but it has always been his dream to put the two together. Cheng noticed how the two admired each other, which resulted in a long-lasting friendship. The Secret Fresh staff together with Cheng, Annie Sarthou, architect Miko Abueg who designed the gallery for this exhibition, curator Ruel Caasi and the two artists started brainstorming on the project in December 2019.

Caasi explains, “BenCab and RV represent two different generations of artists, yet their careers share parallelisms in terms of prolific production, market presence and institutional recognition.”

Photo 1 of 3 National Artist for Visual Arts Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera

Photo 2 of 3 Contemporary artist and auction star Ronald Ventura

Photo 3 of 3 BenCab and RV at Secret Fresh Gallery, checking their works before mounting the exhibition

Ventura had his first two solo exhibitions in 2000: All Souls Day, at the Drawing Room Gallery in Makati City; and Innerscapes, at the West Gallery in Mandaluyong City. With his signature style of multi-layered paintings, his explorations in anthropomorphic and phantasmagoric imagery and the anatomy of human form, and his broad experimentations in various materials eventually made him a renowned master of contemporary art here and abroad.

Cabrera, on the other hand, has been an institution in Philippine modern and contemporary art for decades now. His career as a visual artist dates back to his work as an illustrator and layout artist for a magazine during the 60s. What sparked his professional career as a visual artist was when he drew abstract sketches of Sabel, a bedraggled scavenger who would roam Yakal Street in Manila. Cabrera would see her from his window, wandering the street swathed in scraps of plastic, and he would be beguiled by the way she swayed her ‘clothes’. His variations on Sabel throughout his career is one of his definitive signatures—a representation of a Filipina who is gracefully beautiful amid the harsh realities of life. Since his first solo exhibition in 1966 at Gallery Indigo in Malate, Manila, he has conquered the world with his socio-political and culturally relevant series of paintings and sculptures under the pseudonym ‘BenCab’. In 2006, he was conferred the title National Artist.

Above Ode to Women, acrylic and ink on digital print and silkscreen print on 100 per cent cotton museum fine art paper, 2020

Above Reference 4, acrylic and ink on digital print and silkscreen print on 100 per cent cotton museum fine art paper, 2020

“Though both have expressed distinct artistic voices, their style, techniques, themes and subjects share a common ground,” Caasi adds. “In their collaboration, we observe how the forging of analogous elements revisits the narratives woven and the dialogues initiated by the artists in their respective practices; and at the same time generate new meanings as they resonate with concerns and issues of the present.”

Looking back to the preparation, Cheng shared that many months were spent in exchanging ideas and sending out the works back and forth. Amid the erratic travel restrictions, they managed to squeeze into their schedules some trips to Baguio as well as Ventura’s studio to make the project work. On September 17 last year, the artists and their teams finally met at the Secret Fresh Gallery and worked for eight hours straight—amid mood music, coffee and light-hearted banter, according to Cheng.

The gallery owner also wrote in the book that when he saw the final works, he got teary-eyed as the images moved him and made his skin crawl. He recalled: “BenCab’s strokes were masterful, and so was RV’s. In the course of working together, the two artists constantly surprised each other.” Cabrera has all praises for Ventura: “Ronald is a very complex artist—capable of using many different techniques in approach to his art. He’s an excellent draftsman and is able to extend this talent with layering of images. He is also from a younger generation, so he is more adept at computer manipulation.” Ventura, on the other hand, says: “What I admire about BenCab is his use of pop art colours to contrast with turn-of-the-century subjects. I love how the colours pop out from the usual hues of earth and decay; this is what makes BenCab a cut above his contemporaries.”

Above Ronald Ventura working on the prints

Above BenCab working on the prints

Ventura shares that among Cabrera’s works, he finds it difficult to pinpoint a favourite. But to name a few, he cites BenCab’s Rock Sessions of portraits, depiction of punks in London, migrants and labourers, as well his ever-evolving variations on Sabel. Cabrera, meanwhile, finds a sense of wonder over Ventura’s complex images. He, too, admires so many pieces in the younger artist’s different series.

“In much of my work, I have used images from the past to comment on present situations,” Cabrera says. “In this collaboration, we express our humanistic views on the values and dignity of our society.”

“[The exhibition] simply means that the goal is to make artworks that create and recreate their meaning/s depending on what the viewers’ circumstances are,” adds Ventura. “The story of humanity is a very rich one—filled with dreams and despair, triumphs and tempests. The idea is to find what is infinite and universal in the narrative.”

Double Vision: BenCab x Ronald Ventura exhibition at the Gallery Indigo, BenCab Museum, Baguio City runs until November 28, 2021

This story was originally published on Tatler Philippines' November 2021 issue. Download it on Magzter for free.

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Credits

Images

Courtesy of BenCab Museum

Tatler Asia

BenCab x Ronald Ventura: A Powerhouse Collaboration of Two Filipino Contemporary Greats