Ivan Co takes Conrad Manila for a spin
‘My favorite story of the evening: Present at the affair was a collector who was once given an Ivan Co piece some time ago. He confessed this brought him immense good luck. He attended the event in search of a second item to bring him even more blessings.’
A smiling lady by the entrance of the Gallery C in Conrad Manila graciously handed over a predominantly black exhibit catalogue which simply stated Ivan Co: Paracosm.
Quickly glancing over it, curiosity got the better of me on the seemingly astronomical creations. I gingerly stepped into the hall — and there they were, in their full, imaginative, shiny, glowing glory.
Standing before the Fenestra Orientis Ventus, we were instantly awestruck by its sheer beauty, absolutely captivated by the most minute of details. I simply could not take my eyes off it. Guided by the pamphlet notes, I realized a new material, known as aurichalcum, was utilized in the artworks on display.
This mythical material, I further learned, only appeared in ancient writings, which dated back to the time of Plato. And thus, the featured artist Ivan Co — with his family's metallurgy background — set off to forge his own version: a personalized composition of gold, silver, copper, zinc and nickel alloys.
