Ricky Francisco

A museum worker for over twenty years, the lockdowns from the recent pandemic allowed Ricky Francisco to try his hand at painting, something that he has worked tangentially with as a museum registrar, a conservator, a curator, and an art writer. Light is the main subject of inquiry in the works of Francisco’s works, as for him, it is a symbol of the soul, of transcendence, and of salvation. To explore the idea, he uses contrasts between metallic, phosphorescent, reflective, matte, glossy, smooth, and textured paints, as well as playing around with depth and three-dimensionality to explore shade and shadow. Color Field Abstract Expressionism, and the Light and Space movement in Minimalism, are among the art movements which interest him as the bareness in both these movements emphasize light and its attributes the most. He has exhibited in Manila and Hongkong. His “Wag Tularan” was among the most featured works in the media coverage of ManilArt 2016.