Paused

From the swift movements of a robust society to decelerating gradually and coursing through terrains of the obscure, humanity has been fragile in the time of past occurrences. Amid these encounters, visual artist, Siefred Guilaran, chooses to confront the incomprehensible and challenge his and mankind’s potential of being.

“Paused” explores the serenity found in the interlude as one envisions the outcome of the entirety. In this series, Guilaran draws inspiration from the works of notable artists, John William Godward and John William Waterhouse, as he reimagines the subjects with a raw and candid gaze, eliminating its hues and acknowledging the bare yet compelling structure imbibed in each masterpiece. Utilizing the Ben Day process, which is a technique of using multiple small dots to create shading and depth, the artist captures a melancholic scene of the classical, evoking fleeting quietude as whispers of calm flow through the delicate spaces between each dot during the moment of standstill. Guilaran and his artworks implore the viewer to face authentic emotions and have an honest introspection in a realm of paused beauty.

Siefred Guilaran (b. 1988) is a graduate of Fine Arts, Major in Advertising, from the University of Rizal System Angono. A founding member of Angono-based KUTA Artist Group, Guilaran has had numerous solo exhibits and joined countless group shows since 2008. Guilaran was a finalist in the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) competition from 2012 to 2014 and was awarded a Special Citation in 2016. He also participated in the 2019 KIAF Art Seoul. Guilaran won Grand Prize in the 2022 GSIS National Art Competition (Non-Representational Category).