Lot 8: GABRIEL BARREDO (b. The Philippines 1957)

Breakfast for a visionary
aluminum, steel, resin, brass and plaxi glass
59 x 57 x 12 7/8 in. (150 x 145 x 33 cm.)

Gabriel Barredo is best known for the extraordinarily diverse and eclectic nature of his work from his monumental 'altar pieces' to the whimsical 'standing lamp', in which history and fantasy are richly interwoven to reflect his varied passions, which range from opera and classical ballet to the old and worn and all things that glitter and dazzle, and definitely includes the world of fairy tales and mythology.
Gabriel loves old television programs and contemporary soap opera, classical paintings, glitter, chandeliers and glamorous and rich interiors, and he takes all these and creates his own reality, where past and present dissolve in a world where magic is the key factor. His work is an animated representation of his interior life, and all his wishes, dreams and imaginations are gathered: suspended human figures, charming fairies, scary monsters, over-the-top velvety paintings of flora and fauna. One could asserts that the artist is an incorrigible romantic, and through his work, gives us an impression that he still inhabits a world of childhood dreams and by fabricating a structure as delicate and intricate as his work commonly is, one could read the artist's mourning of the loss of a fictitious world of romance and beauty. Though often seen as blatantly beautiful and intricate at first glance, on closer inspection, Gabriel's work reveals a darker side and can be seen as a reinterpretation of our culture history, reflecting his engagement with an assortment of archetypical cultural phenomena and popular culture.

Breakfast for a visionary exemplifies the preoccupations of the artist. Gabriel has a very keen eye in identifying seemingly worthless items and transforming them into valuable jewels. For the present work, he picks up an assortment of religious amulets and pendants and also real working watches, and crystallized them into adorning fragments that formed the frame of the 'window'. At a glance, one is dazzled by the richness and intricacies of the piece that is made of aplenty of diverse small objects. This is precisely the intended effect that Gabriel wants the piece to have on his audience. It is suppose to be a visual feast for the audience, to intrigue and to dazzle with all its glitz and richness. To add to the magical effect, Gabriel playfully adds a'winking eye' to the piece which cheekily teases the audience as it winks intermittently. Naturally the kinetics of the work would further fascinate the audience. The frame moves around the center piece and the dangling of suspended items would enhance this rhythmic and melodious sense of movement. The movement, however would accentuates the sense of diversity of objects as one is difficult to focus on one single piece as it moves and interacts with its changing environ. In sum, once switched on, the sculptor becomes a moving visual equipped with a cacophony of effects characteristic of the artist's style.

This development of recharging objects with a new existence has become a metaphor for Gabriel Barredo's work. His assignment of kinetic energy into the sculptural piece immediately converts to from a staid and static sculpture effectively liberates it, making it extremely interactive for the viewer.