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Pen Medina

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MANILA -- At 75, veteran stage and film actor Pen Medina has launched his first solo exhibition entitled, “Paikot-ikot Lang: Human Condition.ed (The Prelude),” at the Gateway Art Gallery Studio in Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City. Running until September 12, the exhibition includes eight large works, a collection of images of small works, and written thoughts all over the gallery space.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757406397739541272267_651875187957633_3953222652160694608_n.jpg" style="width:300px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Pen Medina at work on &#x27;Resurrezione.&#x27; Stephanie Mayo"/>Pen Medina at work on &#x27;Resurrezione.&#x27; Stephanie MayoMystical imagery, esoteric and occult symbolism, and hidden meanings permeate the first artistic public expression of the artist. Utilizing figurative expressionism, the oil on canvas works depict a hungry soul’s quest for the meaning of life -- existential musings that may have been triggered by thoughts on mortality and a deep frustration towards the human condition.</div>Medina’s main work, displayed at the center, is an 8.5 ft x 4ft canvas entitled &quot;Resurrezione,&quot; a work-in-progress according to the artist, was inspired by the intriguing 30-ton bronze and brass sculpture that sits behind the Pope’s chair in the Vatican. Commissioned to Italian sculptor, Pericle Fazzini, of the same title, &quot;The Resurrection (La Resurrezione),&quot; unveiled in 1977, the controversial sculpture is intended to capture the anguish and fear of mankind living under the threat of nuclear war.In this mural-type painting, Medina tries to portray a multitude of what appears to be souls, showing detailed naked human bodies within a vast cosmic swirl. For the artist, it is a work-in-progress which he now and then retouches and paints over, as jars of oil paint sit nearby.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175740671433620250909 (10).jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="&#x27;Insect 2&#x27; and &#x27;Selfie&#x27; by Pen Medina. Stephanie Mayo"/>&#x27;Insect 2&#x27; and &#x27;Selfie&#x27; by Pen Medina. Stephanie MayoThe mystical theme is carried into his other works that are rich in Catholic imagery and occult symbolisms, portraying a mind desperately seeking for existential answers. Medina describes his art process as an expression of his heart and soul through an art form he considers his first love.</div>Existentialism in art first emerged in modern art in Europe in the late 1940s. It was usually used to focus on an individual’s intellectual expression of anxiety about the fate of humanity in the atomic age. Artists Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon, with their haunting figures were clear examples of existentialism found in figurative art.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757406431196insects 1.webp" style="width:300px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="&#x27;Insects 1&#x27; by Pen Medina. Stephanie Mayo"/>&#x27;Insects 1&#x27; by Pen Medina. Stephanie MayoAnother notable work by Medina is entitled, &quot;Insects 1,&quot; a 2ft x 3ft oil, that shows the artist himself as the central figure, his right hand showing a wheel on his palm, and a thick book on his left hand.</div>The painting, mostly in shades of blue, applies film-like translucent layers creating an image of depth. Replete with occult and esoteric symbols, along with a collection of personal iconography, the work as well as the rest of the exhibition, further demonstrates the artist’s search for meaning and truth, as he delves into the hidden and mysterious realm of metaphysics.

Actor Pen Medina steps into the visual arts with 'Paikot-ikot Lang: Human Condition.ed (The Prelude),' his first solo exhibition at Gateway Art Gallery Studio.

Actor Pen Medina steps into the visual arts with ' Paikot-ikot Lang: Human Condition.ed (The Prelude) ,' his first solo exhibition at Gateway Art Gallery Studio.

Art review: The internal and existential musings of Pen Medina

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Art review: The internal and existential musings of Pen Medina

ABS-CBN Lifestyle,

Rachel Mayo

Published September 09, 2025 04:34 PM PHT

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Pen Medina

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