For his exhibition at Blanc Gallery, Oca Villamiel engages with the intersections of faith, bringing together an accumulation of materials, drawings, and paintings reflecting into the spiritual and philosophical themes that have long intrigued the artist.
Central to the exhibition are installations Levitate and Babel, composed of objects gathered from various spiritual and cultural contexts: Buddhist prayer beads or O–nenju, are used for counting the number of times a mantra is recited, counting how many breaths are taken in meditation, and the number of prostrations done; the bowls, handcrafted from wood, are used in a Japanese strategy board game for storage and to organize the game stones, capturing gists of various cultural contexts.
Ingrained with elements from Villamiel’s own belief system, the fragments of artifacts and found objects evoke a deep reverence and serious respect of the artist for these sacred customs. His drawings feature a series of shrines, grave markers, and Raku ware, embedding the meditative qualities he has encountered in Buddhist and Shinto practices. Window, suggests a place of enlightenment and revelation, and ponders the quiet moments of reflection. Marked by the interplay of prayers and sacred texts, it presents the artist’s personal practice of his faith.
Villamiel takes us to a site of humility and sensibility, In Between Quiet Clouds underscores humanity’s responsibility to regard the universe as sacred and to engage with greater empathy in our relationships, nurturing and respecting the environment through our actions.
Vien Valencia
Works
Window
Documentation
