Beyond the canvas: Gus Albor redefines Filipino minimalism

Minimalism, in the hands of Gus Albor, is anything but spare. In Aurae II, the veteran Filipino abstractionist expands the language of minimalist art into a multi-sensory encounter — where color, space and even flavor work together to shape meaning.

Backed by Worldwide Resource Solutions (WWRS) Philippines Inc. and complemented by a culinary collaboration with Bocca, the exhibition reframes painting as an experience rather than an object. Viewers are not only asked to look, but to linger — to absorb the emotional and atmospheric charge carried by Albor’s pared-down compositions while engaging with food inspired by European traditions.

For Albor, creation begins with curiosity rather than certainty. His process is rooted in experimentation, where repetition and play slowly reveal form. What may appear meditative on the surface, he explains, is simply a natural outcome of sustained exploration with materials, color fields and texture.

The exhibition’s title points to its central idea: “aurae,” or the unseen energies that surround people, places, and objects. Curator Carina Gaskell describes the works as visual manifestations of these fields — each piece standing on its own while also inviting quiet introspection. The effect is cumulative, encouraging viewers to turn inward as much as outward.

Several standout works anchor the show, including Resonance, Islands, Aurae – D25, Halik and Luzon, each valued at around half a million pesos. While minimalist in composition, the pieces carry layered meanings, drawing from geography, emotion and contemporary realities.

Rosita Lara “Otty” Lumagui, managing director of WWRS Philippines and founder and CEO of Bocca, emphasized the synergy behind the collaboration. By pairing visual art with cuisine, she noted, the exhibition highlights the breadth of Filipino creativity — one that moves fluidly across disciplines and speaks to both local and global audiences.

Albor’s career spans decades and continents. A recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Thirteen Artists Award, he has exhibited widely across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Yet Aurae II remains deeply grounded in the present. Works such as Luzon and Tagalog Pulo gesture toward contemporary concerns, including geopolitics and identity, while maintaining the restraint and clarity associated with Japanese-influenced minimalism.

His practice balances instinct with patience. Some paintings emerge swiftly, while others demand years before reaching resolution. Materials like acrylic, industrial pigments and even house paint give his works durability, while bamboo sculptures extend his minimalist philosophy into three-dimensional form.

Ultimately, Aurae II is less about answers than awareness. Through restraint, Albor opens space for interpretation — allowing viewers to sense when a piece feels whole, much like the artist himself does.

Presented through the collaboration of Albor, WWRS Philippines and Bocca, the exhibition underscores how Filipino art can operate as dialogue: between artist and audience, tradition and modernity and the visible and invisible forces that shape everyday life.

The exhibition catalogue is available online.