2021 - Impression Expression Series

Moving On…and On

“Evolution” is a word that frequently comes up when discussing Markus Jentes’s latest body of work now on solo display at the “Impression, Expression” exhibit at Manila’s Espace Celine Room from February to March.  The show could prove edifying for us all,  we who now  find ourselves navigating a world that has been suddenly--and in many respects--permanently changed.

By their nature, artists tune in and reveal this shared journey; and for this provocative ability, some have been deified.  “Impression, Expression” offers a rare opportunity for audiences to more intimately sense the tumult, pain, and deliverance that moves artists. It reminds us that today we are on the same experiential plane. We certainly feel it, we are similarly moved.

Of course the journey never ends. “One's work not only should reflect the emotions and experiences the artist wishes to display,” Markus told us one day. “The bigger picture is about assessing ones progression and reflecting on their evolution as they go along in life.”

And one can certainly witness that progression in this exhibit.  There is a noticeable movement away from the clean definition and sharp borders prevalent in his last show. Here we find melded, and dare we say refreshingly messier transitions between realms of color and texture. 

“Tomorrow’s Painted Desert” seems to capture a landscape aflame,  shimmering with passion and alarm, and no doubt inspired by Markus’s once-in-a-lifetime drive through America’s outstretched Southwest, whose vast timelessness pokes fun at human affectation.

“Desire’s Horizon” continues on as a flowing ode to the quickened pulses and expended energies we now know too well. A promise of fulfillment pulses at its cooler regal center, equal parts salve and temple to our swirling anxieties.

“Crude” in outward guise is more deceptive, it’s chilling and reductionist contrasts delivering an eerie and unsettling calm via time-delay fuse. When the mist settles, it is an unexpected gift of serenity from the shadows.

As a rule, Markus has been known to maintain a healthy altitude above the fraying issues of the day. This is how I’ve known him for all the years of our collaborations, and I would envy him for it. His last show was a bosom of colorful and sometimes whimsical adventure. It was thrilling and fun. “Impression Expression”, in touching on what moving on really means, is less so. It is more instinctive and captivates with a welcome anger, the first claws of discord finding their rightful places on his disciplined canvass. I would call it a breakthrough.

Written by: Gerrard Fabie