WITH CREATIVITY, people can discover new things and mold interesting shapes out of seemingly ordinary materials. At MC Home Depot, an unlikely meeting of glass and stone, born from a collaboration between Ramon Orlina and David Kaufman, is on display.
Titled Rebirth, the exhibit features 12 of Mr. Kaufman’s stone artworks alongside a unique sculptural piece that is the first in Philippine art history. The process was simple: he provided a white marble sculpture onto which Mr. Orlina attached segments of his signature carved green glass.
Interestingly, this is their first collaboration as artists and their first time mixing these two mediums.
“We met through my bronze statue project in Batangas, where he supplied the bronze from Thailand,” Mr. Orlina said of Mr. Kaufman at the exhibit’s launch on April 24.
The eight-foot bronze statue of Our Lady of Caysasay, completed in December and inaugurated in January, is found in the courtyard of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Batangas.
He said that it was a blessing that Mr. Kaufman, an architect and marble businessman, imported the bronze on his behalf for that project — from there another creative opportunity bloomed.
“It’s an impressive work. After this, I was thinking that this is a good modern direction,” Mr. Orlina said.
As the more junior of the two, Mr. Kaufman explained that it was “a miracle that he was given a chance.”
“Ramon Orlina is a master glass sculptor, so this is a miracle that he made the choice to work with me. It was always my ambition to collaborate with such a master,” he said. “He wants my work to have its own voice and identity, so that when our pieces come together, there are two artists in dialogue.”
It’s not accurate to say that Mr. Kaufman is a total newbie in art. The Filipino-Spanish architect, who divides his time between Manila and Madrid, has dabbled in painting, photography, and sculpture.
He told BusinessWorld that his architectural background makes his stone works unique compared to how traditional artists would perceive them.
“To most people, stone is just an architectural material,” he said. “My goal with these pieces is to paint with stone.”
Rebirth features 12 stone artworks mounted as if they are canvases of their own, the blend of various colors and patterns challenging viewers’ notions of vibrancy and texture on stone.
“I produced these dozen works in the span of two weeks, so I simplified everything to zen. It’s all very Japanese,” he added.
As for the collaboration with Mr. Orlina, the encounter of glass and stone is far from over, with the two agreeing that there is much to be improved in their prototype sculpture.
“He was forced to explore marble because of my proposal. We’re really both learning because this is not yet finished, with components that we feel can be improved, especially the joinery,” Mr. Kaufman explained. “This is the first time glass and stone have ever come together in Philippine glass history. We’re still exploring how to laminate glass and stone because it’s normally not put together.”
He added that Mr. Orlina’s wife, Lay Ann, served as the quality control inspector for the work they put out. “She was really involved to make sure that this is the level that the Orlinas are looking for,” he said.
Mr. Orlina, who was responsible for the lamination and joinery part of the challenge, did not reveal the secrets behind how they plan to improve the prototype.
What he did say was how this would not be the last time the world sees a Kaufman-Orlina sculpture.
“You will see more of our works together,” he said.
Rebirth by David Kaufman runs until May 8 at MC Home Depot, on the 4th floor of Uptown Palazzo in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
