Unveil

A stoic philosopher once said the worst thing one can do to himself is not become who he could be in this lifetime. For his 6th solo exhibition, Unveil, Dave Alcon literally pauses, reflects, and honors his long and arduous artistic journey an existential feast of paintings on his love for painting.

Immediately after graduation Alcon worked as a graphic designer for nine years. Here he met like-minded creative people like him who valued the arts and revolved their lives around it. Yet even how much he set aside to be an artist the lure of paints persisted to no end. Common Ground is Alcon's ode to artists who like him kept the faith in the calling for the visual arts. In layers after another, Alcon skillfully recreates the unwrapping of his visual core in opened boxes, bubble wraps, and craft paper by showcasing his illustrative prowess using graphite pencil and acrylic paints. Even the plastic tale straw string representing the bondage from poverty makes an cameo appearance. His signature chairs are still present as an aesthetic accent--a remaining constant for his bespoke visual language. Notice the gold handle evokes hope and eternal positivity. Common Ground has the rudiments of skillful composition only Alcon can unravel.
One can almost feel its surface and the texture of its ethereal materiality.

In 2005, at aged 16, Alcon's mother upon learning that her son wanted to study Fine Arts in Manila, allowed him to join their relatives who were returning after a brief stay in Batanes. Adaptation I & 2 are two series interpreting the hard-earned realization of Alcon from the cultural norm and what can be and cannot be done in trying to survive in the city. These limitations are represented by the plastic tale straw strings and craft paper depicted on canvases. Alcon's inspiration was seeing all these packaging materials inside his studio even though he found difficulty in painting them.

Struggling from a farming life back then, Alcon knew he did not have much opportunities in life.
All his growing years he knew there were some things that he must aspire and what not. He became more appreciative of experiences that came his way, he was extremely focused in his drawings.

Future Past 1 & 2 are for those hindrances even personalities around Alcon who tried to dissuade him from being an artist, there was an aunt who always called his attention when he was engrossed in his drawings. She even locked him out when he went home late after submitting an artwork in a national student art contest. Alcon will eventually win grandprize in that one and prove his detractors, including his aunt wrong. The foil symbolizes anything you can think of you can accomplish. The corrugated board stands for firmness in achieving your dreams.

What makes an artist great happens not of his making but it happens of being in the world of seeing what is beautiful when everyone sees the mundane. In 2018, Alcon won special Citation Award at the Metrobank Arts & Design Excellence Oil and Acrylic Category. It was the sign that he was praying for to go fulltime in his art practice, Unleash tries to capture that coming out from his comfort zone. The bareness of white situates the freedom Alcon now enjoys at present. The freer the artist is, the more responsible and defining your art is.

Unveil comes as a post pandemic learnings of valuing what we took for granted and what we still wished for- -only a grateful heart could come up with a show of such magnitude. Alcon has proven that Art is but a preparation for that bigger art, the art of Living.