“Muted Discord is about embracing the tension in life, the in-betweens, the not-quite-perfects. It’s a reflection of those moments when silence speaks louder than noise, and when rough edges tell a better story than polished surfaces. It’s a gentle nudge to see the harmony in the dissonance,” said Mark Arcamo, in his pondering while pinning down the main idea behind this show. The series features a selection of acrylic on canvas portraits that feel very much like an editorial collage ripe with tension and opposing energies harnessed to create harmony amidst chaos.

For Arcamo, this series of works nudges us to embrace the contradictions that shape our humanity, find peace in the confluence of contradictions, and discover the potential of unity amidst all the noise.

In his works like “Veiled Narratives”, “The Weight of Silence”, “Prismatic Drift”, “Vibrant Displacement”, “Avenue of Shapes”, “Confluence of Forms”
and “Shattered Stillness”, there’s a heavy theme of displacement; heavy shapes surround partially concealed human subjects fixed in chaotic poses. The titles alone are suggestive of the contradictory nature of the works, where harmony is seen in the mashup of forms.

Meanwhile, works like “Frozen Spectrum”, “A Decorated Splatter”, and “Splintered Reveries 1, 2 & 3” feature less shapes and show a degree of focus found in most portraits, but feature the same shattered, frenetic energy found in the aforementioned works. In a way, it confronts us to look at the mess and make the most out of it with our own interpretations. There’s a feeling of resolve amidst the disquiet, a sense of finality in the unfinished, and a suggestion that everything will be alright, despite no promises of that being made outright.

“‘Muted’ suggests a deliberate softening, a conscious restraint, while ‘Discord’ refers to the natural tension that animates the way of life. In this way, my work aligns with broader existential questions: How do we reconcile the contradictions that define us?,” Arcamo asks. “Can discord, in its muted state, become a source of connection rather than division? This series navigates the fine line between harmony and disarray, exploring how seemingly opposing forces coexist and shape our perceptions.”

Nikki Ignacio