ENDLESS – 2nd solo exhibition
Jef Albea
Art Lounge Manila – The Podium, July 8 – 21, 2021
Artist’s Reception, July 11, 2021 4:00 PM
About the Show:
Water is one of the things that makes our planet different from other planets in the solar system. It is essential to all life on Earth. And yet, it is such a miracle that it is there.
If our planet were smaller, and therefore, less dense and with a lower gravitational pull, water would have escaped into the vastness of outer space. Our Earth is just the right size and mass to retain water, and sustain life.
And while there are different theories of the origins of water on Earth, some things are clear. Life here would not exist as we know it, if it were not for water. Water shaped how life evolved. And the water that made life happen here 4 billion years ago, is still the water that flows in our rivers and streams, in our seas and oceans, in our aquifers and wells, irrigating our farms, flowing from our faucets, trapped in ice, suspended in the air and in the clouds, coming back to the land as rain, and flowing in our bodies within our blood, as well as the bodies of all animals and plants now.
Water is life. Water ties us to all other living things, including our very planet, from the very beginning, and with the billions of life forms that are yet to come.
We have all been told of the water cycle; how water evaporates from our oceans and rivers, into the clouds, and precipitates as rain. And yet, the cycles is so mind boggling if we trace the water in our blood to its origins from billions of years ago, being shared from plants to animals, to the distant dinosaurs that are no longer here, or the lakes that have since been deserts or mountains now. The water cycle is so simple and yet so mind-boggling in its complexity. It is here, as it was billions of years ago, and in all likelihood, billions of years from now. It has always been here, and probably, always will be; just transforming from water to vapor and back again as it transfers from sea, to plant, to rain, and animal, and millions of millions more; finding its way through all obstacles, transforming from one form to another, and settling back again in its endless cycle of transformation.
Jef Albea’s second solo exhibition is inspired by water. Water threads all his sculptures together, as it appears in its various forms in them: as gentle rain, as supportive sea, as flowing vapor in the wind. And like water, his sculptures of women dressed in flowing gowns have fluid lines which spread wavily, giving the impression of graceful movement and animation. Looking deeper into his works, they are a celebration of life, which ultimately came from water; and like it, transforms endlessly in its own cycle. And just as water becomes invisible vapor, and returns again as rain in its own time; so too with the life that Albea is celebrating. It is, as it has always been: a gentle miracle that is ENDLESS.
About the Artist:
Internationally-acclaimed fashion designer Jef Albea has rocked the fashion scene by making his mark in various runways around the world, including London Fashion Week, India Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, and more. He was named one of the Most Outstanding Filipino Achievers in the 2019 Golden Globe Annual Awards. Jef Albea is humbled and honored to represent the Philippines at the Red Carpet in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
The current situation related to COVID-19 has challenged him to be more creative as he turns elegant dresses into sculpture pieces to inspire, motivate and empower women. His creations portray how there is nothing more beautiful than a woman in her rare displays of courage and inner happiness. Whatever the mode, media, or method, Jef considers art and creativity the most significant forms of exercise and expression of oneself.
Believe his creative hands as he showcases his masterpieces in his solo exhibition!
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