Paintings: curated by Dominic Mangila

Maverick Abac, Sam Bumanlag, Jairus Dianzon, Markus Gallegos, Joanolasco, Maude Mizibelle, Ryle Russel

Gossamer’s seven members operate on the collective’s painting-centric identity by staying vigilant on the web of their milieu, reacting lightly or as recalcitrant as an inquisitive spider.

To give answers and ask questions, the exhibition Gossamer Paints West presents a synthesis of interwoven dialogues that arise through the processes of mark-making, spatial distortion, and the material expansion of paint. These layered components are more than just aesthetic; they shape an active conversation that draws audiences to interact with the tension, harmonies, and disruptions pictured on the canvas. Each work of art shifts toward an opportunity for dialogue where boundaries are questioned and meanings are negotiated, allowing for the emergence of entirely new perspectives.

Maverick Abac’s painting practice explores the use of computer-aided software to device collages and paintings on various media as he takes interest in the filtration of what we perceive as data, and the interplay of analog and digital processes in art-making. The layers of processes he creates serves as a reflection of his presumptions, the documentation of such experiences, and how much of it is being presented. His works’ approach contemplates the surrealist meditations of our individual and collective experiences.

Sam Bumanlag creates paintings and assemblages about the overlooked parts of her immediate landscape. She presents ordinary subjects in extraordinary settings and expands on how they can be visually represented through themes of grief, longing, and affection. She often

draws inspiration from film, pop culture, ubiquitous objects, and her Mother's peculiar props collection.

In his recent works, Jairus Dianzon writes “In terms of what is sensuous, noise can be as tactile as paint and painting as a response to the possible musicality of chaos. Painting for me is a sensitive response to the environment - an act of mediating thoughts into marks which has the potential to become an interchangeable dialogue with the materiality and matter of the world as an inquiry of its dynamic existence. Expanding from a space of internal monologue via materiality of paint, gestures and lines, the urban landscape is synthesized with the inner noise of consciousness.”

Markus Gallegos continues to push his art, exploring the complex dialogue between digital media and traditional painting. His art is not just about the act of consumption; it embodies consumption itself, as viewers are drawn into his clickbait-like compositions that play with the boundaries between physical paint and digital interfaces. Through his work, Gallegos invites us to question where the algorithm ends and where the human begins.

In Joanolasco’s recent works, the state of detail and composition of subject matter based on various intricacies found in environments familiar to her reflect the state of her mind, emotions, dreams, and inspirations. Painting is a medium for her small inner self to be expressed outward, and for the large outside world to bring about a state of introspection and retrospection. To paint what is found outside – trees, rocks, pathways, water, skies – is to relate it to what is felt on the inside.

Maude Mizibelle’s paintings examine gender identity and sexuality through the lens of female autonomy. The works she produces are heavily influenced by her immediate social realities, literature, and cinema, which permits her to translate these ideological curiosities and integrate them into her figurative portraits.

Ryle Russell’s works delve into the distortions of perception and the fragile nature of memory. Through fragmented and layered imagery, Ryle explores the blurred boundaries between what is seen and what is recalled. His work navigates the shifting filters of perception, revealing the subtle echoes that linger between clarity and obscurity.