Ronald Ventura, Black Star Series and Waves 2016

I will talk about “Black Star Series” and Waves (2016) in the exhibition room 1.

In the Philippines, there is a statue of a god called “Bulul”. Bulul is the god of rice, who is dearly loved by the Ifugao people of Luzon, a mountain tribe in the northern Philippines. In the Ifugao province, including in the terraced rice fields of Banaue, it is common to see the god in a seated pose, and the Black Star series, with its slender face and triangular hats, may be a nod to the rice farmers.

One of them is in a sitting pose, which is very similar to the other (Black Star Series 2).

In the Black Star series, you would think that all the figures would look spindly and have rough edges, but the body of Black Star Series 7 in the foreground is shiny black and muscular, with smooth and beautiful lines. The two sculptures in the middle are also made of the same material, and like the children, they are small and spry, full of vitality and dynamism.

These sculptures are exhibited in the same room as the boat-shaped work “Waves,” a special collaboration project for this exhibition.


Room1 Black Star series
Waves 2016 Fiberglass, resin, wood, video projection, sound 411.5 x 76.2 x 139.7㎝(Center back)


Black Star Series 2 2016 Fiberglass, resin, metal, acrylic paint, LED light 111.8 x 86.4 x 157.5 cm


Black Star Series 7 2016 Fiberglass, resin, metal, acrylic paint 243.8 x 96.5 x 208.3㎝