Camille Ver (b. 1980) is one of the foremost contemporary abstractionists in the Philippines. In recent years, Ver’s oeuvre has been primarily concerned with architectural abstraction. Aggressively abstracting the lines and forms of cityscapes, Ver bucks the common usage of minimalism in abstraction, preferring large swaths of brushstrokes and experimentations in color in her practice.
Ver graduated from the university of the Philippines’ College of Fine Arts in 2003, majoring in Painting. She later took a special course in Interior Design at the Philippine Institute of Interior Design, which undoubtedly laid the foundation of her future interest in abstracting the built environment. Her influences include Russian abstract art pioneer Vasilly Kandinsky, as well as members of New York school of abstract expressionism, such as Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. Her first influences, however, came from the 19th century European expressionists — Van Gogh and Manet among them — who instilled in her a sense of color and dynamism at a very young age.
Ver’s oeuvre allows viewers to contextualize the compositions as works exploring the urban perspective whilst remaining true to the sensibilities of abstraction within the realm of visual art — highly reminiscent of, say, Wassily Kandinsky’s works. The broader composition of acrylic is often layered with lines drawn in with a tec pen, bringing detail and order to an otherwise blurred form.
Camille Ver has 9 solo shows — the last four of which were organized by Galerie Stephanie. She is also active in community organizing, being one of the co-founders of he Master’s Art Workshop — an art initiative that helps underprivileged children. But beyond her recent work as an artist poise to become an important player in the development of abstract expressionism in the country’s visual art scene.
