In Between Moments oil on canvas 42" x 84" (107 cm x 213 cm) WRITE UP: Within the walls of an ethereal manor, a mesmerizing tableau unfolds, captured in the timeless sonata of light and shadows. In this otherworldly masterful piece, a spellbinding figure stands in serenity beside the grand piano, evoking enchantment through the melancholic melodies that echo within the colossal chamber. The maestro of evocative canvases, Marc Aran Reyes unveils yet another mesmerizing creation entitled "In Between Moments." The artist captures the quintessence of a tranquil interlude where his muse becomes the focal point of a narrative suspended between reality and reverie. In the embrace of monochrome, Marc Aran takes on an air of serenity, while an enchantress of sound conjures harmonies that transcend time, her presence both simultaneously impelling and numbing. The artist's palette bathes the composition in a poetic glow, transforming the ordinary into a visual symphony. Her gentle stance, bathed in the soft glow of an unseen luminescence, casts a spell that resonates with the very essence of the quiet melody. Beyond the grand entryways, landscapes unfurl as a dreamscape, a surreal backdrop that enhances the allure of the moment. The artwork invites the viewer to step into a world where the ordinary dissolves, replaced by the fantastical, where music and melancholy coalesce in a mesmerizing symphony. Rendered through the timeless medium of oil on canvas, Marc Aran and his artwork transport the observer into a surrealistic scene where the charm of a picturesque moment is frozen in perpetuity. Marc Aran's attention to detail paints a portrait of a fleeting moment - a pause in the rhythm of life where simplicity meets grandeur. The grand piano, an elegant companion in this visual odyssey, stands as a witness to the interplay of light and shadow that defines the composition. Through the colossal wall openings, landscapes beckon, suggesting a world beyond the immediate, contributing to the enigmatic nature of the artwork. "In Between Moments" is a glimpse into a realm where the magic of the visual and the aural converge, magnifying quiet spaces where time seems to linger, leaving an indelible mark on the soul, and finding solace and resonance in the quietude of the in-between.
Sad Emitting Pancake signed and dated 2020 (lower right) oil on canvas 84" x 180" (213 cm x 457 cm) EXHIBITED León Gallery, Sad Emitting Pancakes, Makati City, February 18 - 28, 2020 LITERATURE Reyes, Marc Aran. Between the Shadow and the Soul. San Juan City: Art Underground, 2021. Full-color spread on pages 164 to 165 and painting description on page 165. In the often abstracted and sometimes obtuse world of art, it is not uncommon to fall prey to a skewed understanding of a work of art itself, wherein it is tempting to view and internalize art as a set of elements or facts that are static or immovable. Instead, one must accept that art itself is fluid and this sort of fluidity is born out of art being a manifestation of both the intention of the artist as well as the interpretation of the work’s audience. Only through this interplay can art be understood and internalized in a holistic way This relationship between artist and viewer is essential to the works of Filipino contemporary artist Marc Aran Reyes. The distinct and recognizable aesthetic of his works, which features hyper-realistic surrealist scenes often rendered in a monochromatic palette, is not merely a superficial choice, but one born out of the artist’s intentions as well as his understanding of the world. Reyes’ decision to utilize monochrome is born out of the desire to rid the work of any emotional bias and direction; effectively leading one to view his elements and symbols in a clear and focused manner. Such a decision seemingly references the often popular position of fine art photographers, especially those from the 20th Century, that color often distracts the senses, whereas its absence allows us to focus more on form, substance, and intention. The iconic landscape photographer Ansel Adams noted that “Our lives at times seem a study in contrast... love & hate, birth & death, right & wrong... everything seen in absolutes of black & white. Too often we are not aware that it is the shades of grey that add depth & meaning to the starkness of those extremes.” Despite this, viewing Reyes’ works are anything but black and white. His elements, forms, and symbols are often highly conceptual. Borrowing from a slew of disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, history, and even sometimes popular culture, Reyes rarely makes the interpretation of his works as clear-cut as its palette. Such an approach allows the artist to have a much more engaging relationship with his viewers. Although he may have his own intentions, the process of meaning-making is not complete without the input and internalization of the viewer themselves. In this piece titled Sad Emitting Pancake, we are seemingly thrust into the alien yet familiar world of Reyes. The work features a vast mirror-like landscape populated only by a handful of things. At the very center is a figure lying on a half-done mattress; their hair strewn in places. By the figure’s head we see an empty teacup and a clear-jar whose glowing contents are seemingly being carried by an unknown wind. Towards the top-left of the canvas we see a tree bare and half-submerged within the anodized landscape. Accompanying the work is a poem suggesting the absurd or even existential nature of the work and the artist’s intention. But aside from that, the viewer is given only the monumental work to ponder upon. Is the work suggestive of an acceptance of absurdity in the same way that Camus and Sisyphus accepted their fate? Or is it more of a call to action? One that sees the purpose of being being the creation of purpose itself? Either way, one can assume that it is Reyes’ intention to merely act as a guide and not an interpreter of the work. For it is the viewer’s job to seek what is within the shadow and the soul. (J.D.)
Marc Aran Reyes (b. 1996) Cupcake and Needles signed and dated 2015 (lower right) oil on canvas 18" x 24" (46 cm x 61 cm) The works of contemporary artist Marc Aran Reyes often utilize his distinctive monochromatic palette. Thus, there is always a palpable sense of tension within Reyes’ works that spring forth from the elements and even the very execution of his craft. Despite the contrasting values, Reyes’ deft hand and mastery of his craft always manages to seamlessly synthesize these polar opposite. But beyond the formal aspects of his work, Reyes also presents us with thematics that emphasize his approach. In this particular work, Reyes features objects that, like his approach, are opposed to each other. In the piece, we see a pair of scissors jammed into a cupcake that is also dotted with nails. This can be seen as an almost tongue- and-cheek reflection of Reyes’ artistic practice, one that seeks to bring together two contrasting ideals. (J.D.)
Marc Aran Reyes (b. 1996) Serene dated 2021 oil on canvas 84" x 54" (213 cm x 137 cm) P 1,000,000 by Pao Vergara For as long as painters have painted, the photorealistic style and technique has been oft used to achieve verisimilitude, that is, accuracy with how the human eye perceives the world. It eschews the “distortion” of other styles like Impressionism in favor of perspective, lighting and shadow, and other details which match reality. Enter Marc Aran Reyes, known for deploying photorealism to recreate not the waking world, but the dream-world, a realistic surrealist, so to speak. This style carries over to 2021’s Serene while also adding new elements that contrast with earlier works. Where earlier works appear dislocated, with backgrounds only hinted at by mists or an endless sea, here, a mountain range with visible crags and crannies keeps sentinel over a lake or sea. This is notable, as Reyes states that the work’s title, which means calmness as a state of mind or of things, also draws from an older meaning of the word: “a clear sky and calm sea.” The way the mountains and woman are reflected on the water, all under a setting (or rising?) moon denotes this. Once again, Reyes uses a monochromatic palette to haunting effect, haunting, not in a way that spooks, but in a way that makes the unknown familiar, home-like even. Reyes adds that a theme he wants to explore here is one’s personal space, a safe personal space. Finally, a most notable departure from previous works is the visibility of the subject’s face, not hidden by hair or by having her back turned to us. One might be tempted to see the woman as possessed, awake but not truly conscious, but the confident grace in her posture – reminiscent of the black, Asian, and Caucasian girls in the art-house music video Butterfly – suggests that she willed herself into this dream-world, rather than being abducted into it. It’s as if she’s levitating from a portal leading from this world to the one in Reyes’ stark canvas, a portal which happens to be a tiny island. Perhaps, the link to “our” world is the fishbowl next to the girl. But the serenity, the determination, on her face suggests that she wants to enjoy her newly uncovered world. Perhaps freedom isn’t so much the state of the seas outside, but of the ocean within; a fish leaving its bowl, thus discovering wider waters.
Marc Aran Reyes (b. 1996) Dissolve and Mute signed and dated 2016 (lower left) oil on canvas 36” x 48” (91 cm x 121 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot WRITE UP: J ust eight months after Andres Bonifacio’s execution, his worst fears would materialize. On December 15, 1897, Emilio Aguinaldo would sign a peace treaty with the Spanish called the Pact of Biakna-Bato. In it, he and his revolutionary council of officers and advisers would put an end to all hostilities and agree to leave the Philippines for exile in HongKong. As indemnity, the Spanish crown also agreed to pay 800,000 Mexican Pesos, half to be paid as soon as they surrendered their weapons and left the Bulacan town. Aguinaldo and his entourage would arrive in Hongkong on December 27. On the first banking day after New Year’s, or on January 2, 1898, he would deposit the first tranche of 400,000 Mexican Pesos in a bank under the name of ‘Aguinaldo and Company.’ The first letter in this lot, although not included in the Letterbook, is dated January 5, 1898 and is addressed to the Spanish governor-general Fernando Primo de Rivera. Primo de Rivera’s aide-de-camp and nephew Miguel had accompanied Aguinaldo to HongKong, a ‘hostage’ until full payment of the indemnity was made. (He is to be found in a wellknown photograph at the center of the junta, seated beside Aguinaldo; Pedro Paterno stands behind him.) Aguinaldo writes with a certain degree of cordiality to Primo de Rivera, even praising the Philippines in comparison to HongKong and thus the merits of Spanish rule against that of the British. He is apologetic that it is his first communication since the Pact had been signed. He is apparently on friendly enough terms to make an ‘ask’ for the official’s intervention in a court case involving one Maximiano Rosales, “whose wife was a witness” at his wedding. The next missives are to be found in the Aguinaldo Letterbook. It contains what could be called almost photographic copies of Aguinaldo’s correspondence from January 24 to April 28, 1898, by the method popular at the time called the letterpress copybook. (See sidebar story on the History of LetterPress Copybooks on page x.) The pages reveal Aguinaldo’s innermost thoughts, his fears and strategies to cope with his new-found status as an exile as he grappled with keeping the junta members in line. It is a revealing behind-the-scenes look at a little-appreciated period of our Revolutionary history, immediately preceding the historic declaration of independence on June 12, 1898. From the collector’s notes : “In that crucial period, in which Aguinaldo was conducting the political and military affairs from abroad, these letters to the Philippines show how worried he was by many concerns, which at times appear somehow contradictory. He was intent on honoring the terms of the treaty with the Spaniards but wanted to ascertain that they fulfilled their own. He was concerned about reaffirming his preeminence over the other militants at a time when his departure to Hong-Kong had favored new rivalries, divisions, and suspicions within the movement. “This difficult climate seems to largely explain why so much of this corpus of these Hong-Kong letters are addressed to his mother and other family members, the people he trusted most for passing on his messages and controlling the situation on the ground. In particular, he sought reassurances as to his own handling of the finances of the revolution. “Indeed, one of the main issues he needed to deal with during his exile was the complex money matters of the movement. At the time, the Spanish authorities had paid only the first chunk of money stipulated by the peace treaty, the second installment was delayed, and he was not as yet aware that the last payment would ever be forthcoming. Many of the letters, mostly addressed to close family members, i.e. his mother, his sister-in-law, his cousin Baldomero Aguinaldo and a few trusted friends, dealt with claims from various fighters who wanted their shares or seemed to argue about his legitimacy to handle the funds. Therefore his messages insist repeatedly on the importance for his entourage to obtain a signed receipt for each and every payment made to various persons. One message to Baldomero makes it clear that he should be the only one who decides who gets what. “Apart being worried about these claims and those that opposed his management of the funds, he also complains about the infiltration of various elements in Hong Kong whom he accuses of spending the money of the insurrection on superfluous expenses such as expensive rentals. One letter (no. 17) to Ysabelo Artacho blames the latter for having permitted too many people join him in Hong Kong. (Artacho would eventually be cast out of the hierarchy.) “In other letters, he also expresses concern over “four bearded men” who are in exile with him and who he suspects may be plotting against him. “In yet another letter to Baldomero Aguinaldo, he instructs him to have the minister of interior of the Katipunan replaced, indicating that he is intent in demonstrating that he is still firmly at the helm.” The last letter, dated April 29, 1898, is the most historic and famous of the lot, the famous “Sa Lahat ng Mga Pinuno ng Insurectos Filipinos.” The original is to be found in Volume I, John R. M. Taylor, Philippine Insurrection Records. In it, Aguinaldo calls for all his officers to be at the ready. He says it is the time to strike once more in the cause of liberty and without doubt, he will be among them soon. A transcription provided by Mr. Jim Richardson, KKK scholar, is as follows : Sa lahat ng pinuno ng insurrektos Filipinos Mga Kd*: oras ng pag tangap ninyo nitong kautusan, ay mag-biglaang mag-handa sa pakikidigma sa dating kalaban, gauin agad ang boong medios ma-kopo ang mga kalaban, na ngayo’y talagang mabuting panahon ng pag-usig ng kalayaan ng bayan, huag ng mag-lalagay [?] ng ano pa mang duda, at sa madaling panahon ay mag-kikita tayo agad na walang sala. Ipag-hatid-hatiran yaring kautusan ni [?] iniuutos [?] huag atrasuhin. Ingatan kayo ni Bathala ng mahabang panahong tuloy sapitin ang dakilang ninanasa. Hong-kong 29 Abril 1898 (in code) Magdalo Emilio Aguinaldo In truth, Aguinaldo would be in negotiation with the American government. After the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1st, Aguinaldo would return to the Philippines hurriedly and land on May 19th 1898.
Marc Aran Reyes (b.1990) Budding signed and dated 2017 (lower right) oil on canvas The works of visual artist Marc Aran Reyes contain within them an inherent juxtaposition. On one hand, there is the predominant use of a minimalist palette consisting of various shades of white, grey, and black, and the predisposition towards classical techniques such as layering and chiaroscuro points toward a sense of artistic purity governed by an insistence of pure and perfect forms. This aspect of his work expresses a seemingly universal and objective goal that art expression must achieve in order to reach its full potential. Yet on the other hand, the striking image of a human figure in the center of the piece alludes to another story. Its strained form and recognizable gesture do not stem from an objective world of pure forms, but a subjective one that is rooted in the nuances of human experience and emotion. What Reyes’ work suggests is that although there are universal claims to be found in the use of formal and objective techniques, these claims can also be found in the subtleties of human experience and emotion. Reyes’ Silent Innocence on the Horizon synthesis of these two concepts can be seen as one of the core tenets of contemporary art; which is the exploration of the modern human condition by tapping into classical techniques and philosophies without falling into blind dogmatism. His work is the embodiment of the necessary step art must take. This can be defined as a form of practice that knows no master except the emancipatory possibilities of human expression. A graduate of the Far Eastern University’s Fine Arts program, Marc Aran Reyes quickly swept the local contemporary art scene off its feet with multiple solo and group shows in Manila, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. His groundbreaking solo exhibits Linear at Art Underground and Sad Emitting Pancake at Leon Gallery were met with universal praise and acclaim. Reyes won the Philippine Art Awards in 2016 and was a two-time finalist at the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence Awards. This particular piece was exhibited at the Art Fair Tokyo 2017. Estimate in USD $16000-$20800
