He describes his design style as essentialism. Each piece he creates has a set of elements that are necessary to its form and function.

AWARD-WINNING industrial designer and consultant Stanley Ruiz is a true master of decorative art.

For artist-designer Stanley Ruiz, the beauty of functional art lies in the simple way it integrates beauty and artistry into our everyday lives without losing what is essential.

Functional art, as described in an article on Artspace, “refers to aesthetic objects that serve utilitarian purposes.”

In his works, Ruiz emphasizes form development and deconstruction in the design of objects. “I try to break down things into fragments, cut them out and reconfigure it to the most basic elements, stripping it down to its essence.”

He describes his design style as essentialism. Each piece he creates has a set of elements that are necessary to its form and function. No unnecessary attributes, just clean lines for both organic and geometric shapes, restrained colors and detailing and controlled abstraction.

“Some artists have clear look on their execution, like Seurat with his distinct dots. I don’t have a clear brand. I don’t work that way. But for me, it is about a singular approach that you can apply to anything. I focus on an object’s true form, allowing the material to breathe life to the object,” shared Ruiz during the opening of his exhibit, dubbed “Fragments.”

THOUGHTFUL fragments by Ruiz on display at Gallery C.

Part of the Gallery C’s of Art and Wine program, the exhibit was named after Ruiz’s artwork on display at Conrad Manila’s well-loved dining establishment Brasserie on 3. The sculptural installation features six panels made of geometrically cut layers of wood based on deconstructed and rearranged patterns of indigenous textiles. The artwork serves as dividers for the hotel restaurant.

He also designed the signage of Gallery C, and mounted it when the hotel celebrated its second anniversary.

Whether applied to a large-scale piece or a family of smaller objects, Ruiz has been pushing the limit of this singular approach and yielding multiple results. He fuses organic materials and handmade craft techniques with industrial processes to reintrepret contemporary, everyday objects.

“Sometimes, it starts with an idea, a concept and thinks how to execute it. Sometimes, it is about the material. I would visit workshops and see what materials they are using,” shared Ruiz.

The artist is quite proficient with different materials — wood, ceramics, glass, terracotta, clay, paper, rattan, metal, leather. Working with the Design Center of the Philippines, Ruiz has developed unconventional materials using raw materials such as anabo, corn husk, palm husk, peanut shells, rich hulls, pandan, tikog, coconut guinit and papaya scrunch for creative solutions in product development.

“But I like working with wood the most. They are a very hard material, very challenging, but I choose them because they give a certain warmth. I call them ‘living’ materials.”

His works has been presented at local and international trade shows and art fairs, galleries, museums, and universities. Some of his works have been in permanent collection of private and public institutions such as Conrad Manila.

STANLEY fuses organic materials and handmade craft techniques to reintrepret everyday objects.

A large part of Ruiz’s career burgeoned in New York City, where he designed for North American companies such as Jonathan Adler, Real Simple and Time Warner. During that period, his work was shown at Heller Gallery, Nancy Margolis, the Museum of Arts and Design, and the Vilcek Foundation. He has won numerous awards including the Maison et Objet Asia 2016 Rising Talents Award.

In 2012, after deciding to moved back in Manila from New York, he established his own studio, Estudio Ruiz Design Consultancy. He simultaneously works as a design consultant for CITEM. His work has been published in different design books and catalogues.

HE is quite proficient with different materials, but he prefers wood the most.

“Fragment,” in a way, is an edited survey of his art career. It’s a retrospective (of sort) showcasing the visual evolution of his works in the past 20 years.

“In 20 years, many things have changed. I have evolved with my art. If there’s one change noticeable, maybe, there is now a certain sophistication in my work. It comes with my experience working with the market, with the clients. I learn to navigate the industry. When I design, I consider their input, but I always approach it the way I usually do things,” shared Ruiz.

He added: “I don’t exist in a vacuum. I have collaborators, and I need to consider their ideas when I design. I tend to balance things when I make a totally independent artworks, purely without market or clients in mind.”

His design process — the next form or shape is determined by the one precedes it — is like a continuous story that flows from the previous work to the next. “Maybe, like a puzzle that one needs to put together,” he enthused.

Hopefully, the people looking at his exhibit would be able to put the fragments together and find the beautiful story.

Curated by Stephanie Frondoso, the “Fragments” exhibit will be on display until October 2019, at Gallery C.