STORIES FROM HOME: Emman Acasio Paints Hometown for First Solo
By Grace Micah Oreiro
The contemporary art scene in the Philippines has long welcomed pieces that are culturally and socially relevant as a retrospect of creative growth. However, as more reflect our dynamic society, there has been only few who focus on our environment and blare out their advocacies about it. Emman Acasio stands to be as one.
Emman is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Fine Arts. Growing up in the coasts of Lemery, Batangas, (under the wing of his father, Lino Acasio, a landscape visual artist) Emman was able to witness various sea-side practices, both good and bad. He eventually translated these into his animal-filled artworks with hybrids roaming about. The first few works in his career donned splashes of color in large canvases, focusing on animals positioned side-by-side, graced with manic movements, seemingly depicting a stampede-like formation.
For his first solo show entitled “Stories From Home”, Emman goes back to his roots and paints the tragedies and beauties of his hometown. Now, his style evolved to having more saturated colors dominated by black and white, alongside small detailed elements of animals surrounding a gargantuan creature. Composed in a somewhat somber and reflective mood, the paintings all hold a special story within them of Emman’s advocacy towards the environment. The show’s centerpiece, a 13-feet long triptych with the show’s namesake, spans through the current marine problems the country is facing. The central character (child morphed into looking like a sea urchin) symbolizes herself as the real victim of the present environmental negligence and abuse.
Illuminating more of the issue, he continues to express the regretful state of the environment through detailed works on paper and photographs. He also started distinguishing his pieces by including an “eye” at the center of the big animals as a reflective outlook on his artistic messages. On conceptualizing the theme of his first solo exhibition, he claims, “I am sticking to my roots and highlight those that were from my hometown and hope that it will be able to spark a sense of consciousness as well as jump start concrete actions and efforts toward environmental preservation.”
Emman has kept himself well-geared and prepared for his solo exhibition by joining various group exhibits, his latest one being Art Fair Philippines 2018. Further, he has been a consistent semifinalist in the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence in the painting division; and has been awarded last year as one of the national finalists. Emman looks forward to focusing full-time in his art career, expanding into more styles like abstractions.
Stories that are homeward bound indeed pique a sentimental note for most artists. However, for Emman, his tribute back to his hometown does not only point to a geographical location but also to an ineffable responsibility towards our environmental home.
“Stories From Home” will hold its artist reception on March 17, 2018 (Saturday), 4PM, at Galerie Stephanie, located at the 4th Floor, East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong. The exhibit will be up for view on March 15 to 31. For inquiries, please email inquiry.galeriestephanie@gmail.com or text +639770171710.
Publication Appearances:
Philippine Daily Inquirer
“Emman Acasio paints hometown in ‘Stories From Home’”
Philippine Star
“Emman Acasio paints his hometown”
