Frank Alexi Nobleza attempts to engage the viewer into a deep meditative and inward journey in Ruminations, a two-person exhibit with artist 0270501 at Imahica Art Gallery in Mandaluyong City, running from November 9 to 24, 2024.

The abstract expressionist collection is organized into three sets of a series, titled Conversations, Figures of Speech, and Frontliners, with individual pieces conjuring metaphorical or figurative labels that connote reverence, subservience, aspirations, or expressions of everyday life.

The abstract figures above vibrant earthy colored backgrounds offer a contemplative mood, and its impasto technique sets out a raw texture and finish, emblematic of the prehistoric cave art and drawings rendered on walls or stones by Paleolithic humans during the Upper Paleolithic Period, where development of culture and language are traced back together with early art using natural pigments, notably ochre, charcoal, and hematite, sourced from their natural surroundings and applied using ancient tools, even bones, or by plain hands and fingers.

In his contemporary masterpieces, Nobleza amalgamated ancient methods of communication through art, subtly incorporating them to draw attention to the deeper messages and meanings within his work, particularly mixed media pieces titled Kiss My Feet, Dreamed House—A Reality, Lover’s Quarrel, and Cry Out Loud. 

The collection serves as an exploration of visual language, using imagery to express ideas, convey messages, and reflect personal musings, and these are illustrated in the works in Figures of Speech, an 11-piece series that are individually titled.

The titles in the series speak of the tension between verbal and visual communication: What is said often falls short of what is felt. It imparts a playful disruption of meaning, where the viewer is given the liberty to interpret Nobleza’s random strokes of paint as one would interpret a metaphor in a written text.

The three-piece series Conversations, on the other hand, are like internal monologue or self-dialogue of the artist, a visual expression of “self-talk”—the practice of conversing with oneself, either aloud or in silence, as a means of processing emotions, reflecting on personal experiences, or articulating long-held thoughts. In this way, Nobleza’s work becomes an intimate conversation, one that exists without an external audience yet speaks volumes to those who engage with it.

The work of Frank Alexi Nobleza in Ruminations encourages us to reconsider the nature of thought and expression as an active, dynamic process through colors, form, and texture, inviting us to engage in this ongoing conversation with the artist and perhaps reflect on our own inner dialogues.

About the artist

Frank Alexi Ymalay Nobleza was born in Iloilo City, Philippines, in January 1977. A self-taught visual artist and licensed architect, he combined his expertise in architecture with his creative vision, producing works of art that show a harmonious blending of colors to share meanings. 

He was among the 50 artists selected by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts – Committee on Visual Arts (NCCA-CVA) whose works were featured in Sung-duan: The National Traveling Art Exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), a momentous event that perpetuated him in the roll of the country’s notable artists. Nobleza continues to broaden his learnings and experiences by attending local, regional and national conferences and exhibitions, taking these opportunities to engage and network with artists from different communities. 

He has held four solo exhibitions between 1999 to 2023, where he showed experimentations on mixed media with new works that pushed the boundaries of his craft. Nobleza has likewise received recognitions from Philippine Art Awards, the Visayas Arts Awards, and the MetroBank Young Painters Annual, which solidified his reputation as a talented and innovative artist.

His works are among regularly featured in groups shows in renowned galleries and published in widely read literatures, including “PANANAW,” where his vivid and emotional creations captured the attention of audiences. Every artwork of Nobleza invites viewers into a world where color and form spoke deeply of the human experience, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to inspire.