Adam Nacianceno, A Fine Arts graduate from TUP-Manila (Technological University of the Philippines). Nacianceno usually paints woman faces. The face itself is rendered poster-style in the manner of the pop artists, the hair and background adornments and intricate details done in acrylic and brush, evoke memories of the Jugendstil or Art Nouveau. Nacianceno’s paintings, although belonging to the figurative school, also hovers somewhat at the edge of abstraction. His penchant for utilizing Pollock’s drip-and-splatter technique marks him as a quasi-abstract expressionist. But Nacianceno didn’t stop at just depicting the mere physicality of the women’s faces. The titles he gave to his pieces provided the profundity that elevated his paintings to visual poetry, and allowed us the means to decipher for ourselves the meaning hidden in each work. Nacianceno only uses black and white paint because he wants his viewers to feel, not see, the colors suggested by his artworks. And by color, he refers not to the hues literally, but to the emotion, drama and conflict that are part and parcel of really profound works. Nacianceno wants to show that even monochromatic artworks has the power to display the beauty of colors. Having exhibited here and abroad, Nacianceno is one of the most promising artists that the Philippines has in this point in time.

Yes, Nacianceno’s paintings maybe achromatic, but it doesn’t mean that they are colorless.