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Manuel Ocampo, Ronald Ventura probe the unconscious in ‘Dialogo’

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ABS-CBN Lifestyle

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.&quot; – Carl Jung<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176733127603402012026 combo 2 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="&#x27;The Intersection&#x27; (left) and &#x27;Primordial Chaos No. 3.&#x27; Handout"/>&#x27;The Intersection&#x27; (left) and &#x27;Primordial Chaos No. 3.&#x27; Handout</div>Manuel Ocampo and Ronald Ventura, two of the country’s high-profile visual artists, join forces to provoke thought, question, and probe as they dive deep into a soul-level journey that recalls depth psychologist Carl Jung’s (1875-1961) theory towards self-awareness and wholeness.The show, “Dialogo,” at the Cloudgrey Gallery, which runs until mid-February, contains a collection of large works on paper displaying originals and print editions where both artists contribute their unique individual styles in an intriguing visual dialogue containing symbolic and juxtaposed images in compositions that hint of a hidden language.Ocampo (b.1965), generally known for his provocative, often controversial images, either in Realism or Neo-expressionism — that usually combine the sacred and the profane while tackling the issues of religion, art  and his own internal dialogue.Ventura (b.1973), on the other hand, produces chaotic Hyperrealist compositions that usually explore and express the collective consciousness of the Filipino. His strength is his technical mastery — the ability to render precise and detailed forms as he works with cultural and historical symbols.“Dialogo” is a powerful alchemical exchange between two artists who decided to dive deep into their psyches  that had been triggered by religious and spiritual conflicts as they portray saints and sinners  alongside innocent everyday objects and cartoons.The works, about 16 paintings using ink, acrylic and oil on roughly 3’ x  5’ paper, and two resin sculptures, in essence, describe a Juangian journey of the soul as they seek to integrate the conscious and the unconscious mind that reflect concepts like the Shadow, Persona, Animus/Anima, and Self and the universal patterns and symbols (archetypes) shared across humanity. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176733199414502012026 combo 3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="&#x27;The Feast of Shadows&#x27; (left) and &#x27;Transmutation.&#x27; Handout"/>&#x27;The Feast of Shadows&#x27; (left) and &#x27;Transmutation.&#x27; Handout</div>The works initially present themselves as visually chaotic compositions with layers upon layers of images — Ventura’s cartoon and hyperrealist paintings in grey tones and Ocampo’s ochre doodles and fine pen drawings. The details are an invitation for the the viewer to examine deeper into the multilayered images of various lines and forms, discovering a collection of symbols such as the suffering Christ, angels, skulls, demons, sex, sausages, the serpent, the cross, dagger, open books, wolves – and  words like “Obey,” “Self Denial,” “Love,” “Born to Die, the World is a F**k” written on the paintings and sculpture.With titles such as “Primordial Chaos,” “The Feast of Shadows,” “Transmutation,” “Questions of Sovereignty,” one cannot miss the esoteria.Symbolism in art came out in the late 19th-century. It was a rejection of the external world of Realism and Impressionism that uses symbols and  metaphors and evocative imagery to express deep emotions, subjective experiences, dreams, and mystical ideas as it focuses on inner spiritual reality, fantasy, mythology, and subconscious content to convey hidden meanings. It is a movement that gave birth to Surrealism.In today’s increasingly fragmented and uncertain world, the human mind needs to seek solace within – paving the way to what seems like a revival of the concepts and inspiration behind Symbolism and Surrealism with the hope of connecting with who we truly are amidst the chaos — our very own ‘Dialogo.’Ocampo’s works are held in the collections of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, among others.In 2011, Ventura’s painting “Grayground” set a record for the most ever paid for a work of Southeast Asian contemporary art, when it sold for $1.1 million at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings auction in Hong Kong. His work has been reviewed in The New York Times, and is included in many private collections.

‘Dialogo’ at Cloudgrey Gallery brings together Manuel Ocampo and Ronald Ventura in a striking visual conversation, blending hyperrealist, neo-expressionist, and symbolic imagery.

‘Dialogo’ at Cloudgrey Gallery brings together Manuel Ocampo and Ronald Ventura in a striking visual conversation, blending hyperrealist, neo-expressionist, and symbolic imagery.

Art review: Manuel Ocampo, Ronald Ventura probe the unconscious in ‘Dialogo’

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Art review: Manuel Ocampo, Ronald Ventura probe the unconscious in ‘Dialogo’

ABS-CBN Lifestyle,

Rachel Mayo

Published January 02, 2026 01:35 PM PHT

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art review

exhibit

Manuel Ocampo

Ronald Ventura

Dialogo

Cloudgrey Gallery

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