Filipino artist Jonathan Olazo pays tribute to French impressionist Claude Monet in his latest exhibition, Light Receptacle Café, which opened on Oct. 18 at the Alliance Française de Manille.
The show reimagines Monet’s preoccupation with light and time through a contemporary Filipino perspective, featuring Olazo’s layered acrylic and mixed-media works. Curated by his wife, painter-conservator Lyn Yusi-Olazo, the exhibit invites viewers to see light not only as a subject but also as a metaphor.
According to the curator, Olazo draws inspiration from everyday experiences, translating details from his surroundings into abstract compositions. He approaches painting much like a DJ, sampling and collaging visual cues onto his canvases.
The exhibition drew praise from members of the art community. Rosita Lara “Otty” Lumagui, managing director of Worldwide Resource Solutions Philippines Inc. and CEO of Bocca, described the works as balancing “a vigorous masculinity and a delicate femininity,” depending on the viewer’s perspective.
Alliance Française de Manille executive director Olivier Dintinger said the paintings reminded him of Monet’s works at the Musée Marmottan in Paris.
National Commission for Culture and the Arts executive director Dr. Eric Zerrudo linked the exhibit to the historical influence of Impressionism on Filipino artists in Paris in the 19th century, commending Olazo for capturing “light and temporality.”
Architect and art advocate Michael “Mico” Liwanag said he has seen Olazo “grow as an artist, always pushing boundaries,” calling his dedication inspiring.
Olazo’s influences extend beyond painting to French intellectual life, drawing from writers such as Roland Barthes and Charles Baudelaire. He connects Baudelaire’s idea of the flâneur—an observer who finds beauty in the ordinary—to his own photographic studies of Metro Manila, which he likens to Monet’s calm yet majestic landscapes.
Light Receptacle Café runs until Nov. 15 at the Alliance Française de Manille, 209 Nicanor Garcia Street, Bel-Air II, Makati City.
