Nasser Lubay steps into the shadows
SINCE breaking into the art scene just over a decade ago, visual artist Nasser Lubay has established an oeuvre rich in stories that are rendered in saccharine shades. His unique visual aesthetic, forged by the desire to create something new, has taken him across the world by inviting audiences to his own.
In his latest solo show, however, the artist, ever the experimental mind, presents pieces that are sapped of his signature bright shades. While the move may be considered as a bold deviation from his multicolored style, Lubay makes the case that this is in no way the first time that he is dealing with darkness.
“Kahit ’yung mga colorful paintings ko, ’yung mga components niya, may pagka-dark na rin ’yun,” Lubay said in a recent Zoom interview. “Nilalagyan ko lang ng kulay para magkaroon ng positive effect.”
Titled Shadowplay, the show attempts to mirror the darkness of the times through eight muted artworks. Lubay played with different materials to carry the effect and ended up using acrylic and graphite for its reflective properties, wherein the images only fully reveal themselves under specific lighting conditions.
The subjects comprise of Lubay’s more familiar semi-figurative doodles of human form outlines, tentacles, and bubble clusters. All these remain informed by the artist’s fascination with science and its manifold systems and structures.
“’Yung flow ng mga ugat, internal organs, at buong system ng katawan, lumalabas siya sa doodles ko,” Lubay said. “As for the darkness of the show, I want to send the message na kahit madilim na madilim na ang sitwasyon, may makakapitan ka pa rin. You can always find the light.”
Climbing trees, reaching his dreams
THAT spirit of optimism lives in all of Lubay’s works. The artist values the power of being driven by a goal, having risen from his own set of challenges early in life.
Lubay lived with different relatives when he was a child as his mother worked abroad. One of his many stops was in Mindanao, where he worked as a farmer. He often climbed coconut trees to escape the harsh realities of poverty on the ground, seeking solace from the overlooking view of rice fields and the distant horizon.
“Dun ako nagsimula mangarap,” he said.
Lubay traveled to Manila for college and took up mechanical engineering. Feeling constricted by laws and formulas, he shifted to programming before ultimately deciding to pursue full artistic freedom with a career in visual arts as a self-taught artist.
He has always been captivated by the science of colors, and he experimented with different shades to understand how they react to one another by understanding their backgrounds.
“For example,” he said, “there are many ways to play with black through mixing colors. There are different shades, different effects.”
Lubay then used his mastery of colors in visualizing the many stories he wants to share. “Gusto ko laging nakaka-kita ng fresh ideas. Masaya ko pag nakaka-likha ako ng di ko pa nakikita,” he said.
The artist went on to create unique pieces marked with captivating storytelling and colors. In 2009, a 26-year-old Lubay received what he considers as the biggest breakthrough of his artistic career, winning the prestigious Celeste International Art Prize. The winning work, titled Rebirth, was exhibited at the Second Animamix Biennial at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei, Taiwan.
The win put Lubay on the global art map and traveled to many countries to present his creations. At 38, the artist says he has no plans of stopping from sharing his stories on canvas any time soon.
“Tuloy-tuloy ’yung ideas,” he said. “Ang dami ko pa gusto ipakita.”
Presented by Virtual ArtistSpace and District Gallery, Lubay’s Shadowplay is a virtual exhibition that can be accessed at bit.ly/37bt3dF. The show opened on December 4 and is on view until December 24.
Written by JY Nisay
Source: Businessmirror Philippines - https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/12/15/nasser-lubay-steps-into-the-shadows/
