Baluyut is among the original members of the Guevarra Group of Artists from the time of its inception, and one of the first to have exhibited their works at Galerie Joaquin. A graduate in architecture from the University of the Philippines, and subsequently a topnotcher in the 2004 Architectural Board exams, she had previously worked as a set designer in a number of theatrical productions. She took up informal art lessons and joined on-the-spot sketching sessions to hone her skills.
Given her formal training as an architect, Baluyut has incorporated the tenets of the discipline in her work as a painter in the global abstract expressionist genre. Baluyut’s works are highly distinctive for their sparing but eloquent evocations of key architectural concepts and principles. These abstractions often conjure themes of reflection and contemplation.
An expressionist, Baluyut’s technique emphasizes emotion over mimesis. Her background in the nonlinear abstraction that architecture represents enabled her to examine emotion and merge colors, shapes and forms freely. With the eye of a skilled draftswoman and the sensitivity of a poet, Baluyut constructs new visual realities and creates works that carry the weight of dissonance, memory and the awareness of the passage of time. Her influences include Mark Rothko, Paul Klee and other progenitors of the Color Field painting.
Baluyut is a veteran of countless group shows, mostly at the Galerie Joaquin, where her abstract works are among the favorites of collectors. Some of her solo shows include “Fields of Gold” at Galerie Joaquin in June 2005, and “Two Seasons” at Galerie Nicholas in November 2013.
Sources:
Dormiendo, Gino (July 11, 2005). “Passion and Romance from Two Women”. Philippine Daily Inquirer. p. 2.
“Karina Baluyut’s Abstracted Landscapes on Show.” Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
“Baluyut Walks on ‘Fields of Gold'” Philippine Daily Inquirer. Google News Archive Search, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
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