Ivan Co is a master of paracosmic art — a term he invented, rooted in the psychological term “paracosm.” This refers to a richly detailed imaginary world created over the span of a number of years, one that he has built and intertwined with complex relationships, ever since he was a child.
“May sarili akong mundo (I have my own world),” he admitted in our interview two years ago. And that has not changed one bit.
His inner world now takes physical shape in “Harbinger Metropolis,” a much-awaited latest exhibition to be launched tonight at Gallery C of Conrad Manila, where machines move with hypnotic rhythm, pendulums sway like mechanical prayers, and sculptures appear suspended somewhere between the ruins of a powerful kingdom and the terminal of a futuristic spaceship.
A sought-after installment of the popular Of Art and Wine series, the showcase emerged from his very foundations. An alum from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and a third-generation jeweler, he reconstructed and reimagined aurichalcum, a mythical material mentioned in ancient texts dating back to the time of the great Greek philosopher Plato. Legends described it as a rare metal associated with the lost city of Atlantis.
Ivan — instead of merely referencing the myth — decided to forge his own interpretation of it through a personalized alloy composition of gold, silver, copper, zinc and nickel.
The metallurgist was initially a designer for the domestic Hoseki Jewelry Art before eventually founding Ornamento Jewellery.
Ivan’s present exposition explores what he coined as Ancestral Futurism. “It is my way of introducing a philosophy which changes our current path,” he explained.
“I believe the future is not digital, it is analog,” he firmly emphasized.
In an era dominated by artificial intelligence, endless digital acceleration and automation, with very minimal human intervention — if at all — the exhibition raises an unsettling but timely question: will technology ultimately elevate humanity, or consume it?
Through automaton sculptures, gravitram systems, non-stop pendulums and manually calibrated mechanisms, Harbinger Metropolis imagined a future rooted not in algorithms, but in physical mastery and forgotten craftsmanship. Ivan envisioned works which could exist equally inside “a medieval fortress or an interstellar vessel” — artifacts belonging to both the distant past and the looming future.
“By relying on gravity and thousands of hours of manual calibration rather than digital infrastructure, I am creating a Metropolis which is resilient, physical and built to survive even a grand reset of the modern world,” he confided.
At the center of the display stood Arcus Praenuntius, arguably the show’s most ambitious work. Derived from the Latin words arcus, meaning “gateway” or “arch,” and praenuntius, meaning “harbinger,” the grand sculpture functions as the ceremonial entrance into Ivan’s imagined metropolis.
The original, like-no-other masterpiece required 3,520 hours of laborious manual calibration and structural refinement, alongside the meticulous integration of hundreds of bespoke chromatic orbs individually weighted for path optimization. As spheres endlessly travel through its tracks and arches, the sculpture reflects society itself — individuals moving through interconnected systems as it remains bound to uncertain destinations.
Surrounding the monumental centerpiece are eight additional obras collectively expanding the mythology of the Metropolis — they all deliberately function as an integral piece of lore in the artist’s worldbuilding process.
Mesmer: Wistman’s Wood transforms pendulums into an enchanted metallic preserve inspired by one of Britain’s last remaining temperate forests. Proelium: Gubernatori Maris is a navigational instrument where viewers may physically interact with weighted mechanisms to pilot their own futures. Fenestra: Procella Nubila are wall-mounted portals resembling storm systems, while Oraculum: Now or Never are staircases designed to resolve the indecision of the modern soul.
All throughout the exhibition, Ivan incorporates precious stones and materials such as blue topaz, chalcedony, moonstone, smoky quartz, lapis lazuli, agate, sapphire, amethyst, aquamarine, green jade, tourmaline, black onyx and hand-poured resin into his compositions.
And yet, such a mind-boggling vision came with enormous difficulty.
“The greatest challenge I face is the price of originality,” Ivan admitted. “From the beginning, my goal has been to create art that hasn’t been done or seen before.”
As a result, he worked without templates or established systems to follow. Each mechanism, every balance point, all calibration methods, and structural solutions were required to be invented from scratch — there was absolutely no blueprint!
“I can see the concepts clearly in my mind,” he continued, “but because I am moving into uncharted territory, I have to invent the mechanics and the solutions as I go. There are no manuals for how to make metal and stone behave this way.”
“I am creating a Metropolis that is resilient, physical, and built to survive even a grand reset of the modern world,” he ended.
“Of Art and Wine: Harbinger Metropolis” is ably curated by Nes Jardin, consultant for SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation, who played a pivotal role in developing the Philippines’ culture and contemporary arts scene, and the driving force behind its programs, has generously shared a welcoming space for both new and veteran faces alike.
For reservations and acquisitions, please contact Aly Castro at 0966 537 2052 or aly.castro@gallery-c.org.
