Edinburgh, Scotland-based artist Regina Arambulo-McAndrew holds her exhibit Invisible on Nov 11-Dec 2 at Altro Mondo Creative Space, 1159 Chino Roces Ave., Makati.
The artist describes the show as “a meditation on ageing and the loss of relevance imposed by society on women of a certain age. Each floral image celebrates the inherent spirit of these invisible women—some empowered by owning their own desires, rather than responding to being an object of desire, while others struggle to find a new identity and confidence.”
Arambulo-McAndrew says she was influenced by colorful religious portraits of the Baroque era, which combined opposing features such as light and dark, stillness and movement, and emotional intensity and tenderness. The artist uses the form of flowers, which draw the viewers’ eyes with sharp edges and gentle curves, each painting “evoking emotion—perhaps sadness over the loss of youth or the blossoming into a new self. Some of the images are bold and intense while others are pale and gentle shadows.”
Arambulo-McAndrew calls the exhibit “my own reaction to ageing. They are a result of my observation of where the passage of time is taking me. Though the world around pushes me into the background, I choose to remain seen. Beauty is a sort of power in today’s world, and my paintings will have to be the beauty my older self has to offer to a different kind of beholder.”
Originally from the Philippines, Arambulo-McAndrew has lived in Los Angeles, Paris, Caracas, and now Edinburgh, where she is a full-time artist. She studied graphic design and illustration at Otis Parsons in Los Angeles and Parsons in Paris, where she received her degree in Communication Design/Illustration in 1989. She was formerly creative director for Mega Magazine and art director for Bench before moving to Edinburgh in 2003. She has been part of several group shows in Edinburgh, and had a solo exhibition in August 2022 at The Life Room on Dundas Street. Follow the artist on instagram: @rmcandrew.art
