Are there some ideas that can&rsquo;t be communicated in contemporary art&rsquo;s current framework?&nbsp;

A New Theory is a mixed media assemblage of works that explore the boundaries and frameworks instilled by man and artists alike. The artists include Gio Panlilio, Summer de Guia, Enzo Razon, Marlo Montoya, Wipo, Jono Pisano, and Cenon at Mav. Each artist invites us to explore to what extent the lines we set into place matter.&nbsp;
The exhibition acts as a catalyst for the freedom of expression, juxtaposing the restrictive environment we find ourselves in today. Unprecedented times has created a massive disruption to normal routines of art-making, yet it has also given artists a creative space to reflect and incubate intuitions, ideas, and inspirations. The works within this exhibition share subjective reflections of new narratives and new processes realized by the artists during arduous times.
An unconventional element of A New Theory is the Empty Perspective newspaper that act as both an exhibition brochure and an extension of each artist's work. Each newspaper represents the artists' musings and resembles what A New Theory means to them. To create a degree of normality and describe their perceived framework of A New Theory, the artists portray what their &ldquo;new normal&rdquo; is within these papers.
Summer De Guia
Summer De Guia's dynamic visuals are classical compositions with modern, conceptual juxtapositions in portraiture. Her usual subjects are nude women in closed, intimate spaces capturing their essence through the female gaze. She is known for her flat backgrounds, yet realistically rendered figurative subjects.

Her paintings in A New Theory project how people cope during the pandemic. They tackle life, death, and survival.
In describing the artwork she is most proud of
"I&rsquo;m really proud of my work for this exhibit entitled, "<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">No One Wants to See Life Fading Away&rdquo; aside from the concept of the painting, I went out of my comfort zone to try and execute this art style that I&rsquo;ve been wanting to try for the longest time but wasn&rsquo;t brave enough to do so because I got scared that people who liked my previous art style would not appreciate this new style but art is about experimenting so when Empty Scholar encouraged me to go all out and pursue what I want with no limitations, I went for it."

Gio Panlilio
Gio Panlilio is a curator, photo editor and artist working in photography. His personal work often deals with the complexities of&nbsp; space and the human interactions contained within them.&nbsp;

On the element of art he enjoys working with the most&nbsp;
"Photography requires me to be physically and mentally present. Most of my images are made while I&rsquo;m out in the world, so the process of allowing my intuition and my surroundings to guide me to make images is the part I enjoy the most."

Cenon at Mav
In Cenon at Mav's work, the world turns topsy-turvy, excess and restraint are no longer opposite ideas, and the strict adherence of reality is suspended until further notice. Often collaborating with the art world, published media, fashion and other such fares, they shine most left to their own devices: tinkering with an idea, then being allowed the time and space to explore the deep resources of their unparalleled collective imagination, in the pursuit of that masterful pinnacle of expression&mdash;a photograph.

Locality and Philippine ideology are an invisible undercurrent in their work, deeply familiar to your subconscious. Drawing from their implicit personal history, Cenon at Mav imparts a deep understanding of the comedy and tragedy, beauty and truth, of living in a country filled with contradictions. Often employing humor, quirk, camp, and kitsch &ndash; they understand both ugliness and beauty, reconciling two opposing ideologies (almost as a form of rebellion) for the pursuit of expressing their own truth.&nbsp; In&nbsp;A New Theory,&nbsp;the creative duo explores imagined landscapes, drawing inspiration from different territories as a result of being restricted to their homes during these trying times.&nbsp;

Wipo
It is the will and the power of the mind that prompt Wipo to create. The Manila-based artist views his artistic practice as a way of returning to one&rsquo;s self.&nbsp;Wipo navigates the borders that draw the line between forgetting and remembering, deconstructing and discovering, awareness and spontaneity in his creative process.&nbsp;

On his A New Theory works&nbsp;
"Since my practice revolves around memory and perception, my work for A New Theory comprises of half circles and trapezoids. These shapes were realized during lockdown, after looking at photos collected over the past few years. The half circle alludes to selective memory and represents how we choose what we'd like to remember or imagine. The trapezoid resembles how we perceive things differently."&nbsp;

Jono Pisano&nbsp;
Currently living and working in Manila, his works address notions concerning originality, authenticity, and presence. His most recent oil paintings are focused on mechanisms of sight and peripheral information.

Enzo Razon&nbsp;
Enzo Razon is an artist working in the mediums of video, photography, and ink drawings.

On what informs his art
"I think the un/suitability of shapes and escapism are two central stories to my work." 
A New Theory features a continuation of Razon's series of ink and watercolor drawings, now overlaid with pigments suspended in alcohol and shaped by the artist's frame.

Marlo Montoya
In 2018, 1.31 trillion digital photographs were taken and ended up on internet servers. Pursuing a path of study and experimentation, Marlo Montoya&rsquo;s artistic investigation became a type of archaeology of web images and search engines&mdash; his archaeological site.

On his practice
"I destroy the old aesthetic standards, delete them or at least this is my attempt. The image is powerful and the canon remains, it is only transformed. I believe my work highlights the power and difficulty of dismantling the symbol and the icon."

A New Theory is an exhibition in collaboration with Leon Gallery, featuring Cenon at Mav, Jono Pisano, Enzo Razon, Gio Panlilio, Summer De Guia, and Marlo Montoya. The exhibition is on view until July 5, 2021 at Leon Gallery International, G/F Corinthian Plaza, 121 Paseo de Roxas, Legazpi Village, Makati. A portion of the proceeds will be going to Make-A-Wish Philippines.&nbsp;

A New Theory Challenges Traditional Frameworks

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