Art Verité Gallery

Defying and Disarming

Come Tempest Calm, David Ryan Viray’s ninth solo exhibition, takes us on an engrossing exploration of being, art, and spirituality through a unique, if buoyant, perspective. In this exhibition, the artist invites us to dive into the depths of narratives and discover the profundity found in what is random.

Viray’s works are a reflection of life, seen through both humorous and weighty lenses. His art invites viewers to go with him on his voyage. In the exhibition, he presents a fictional character navigating treacherous waves and storms, like the tempestuous seas of existence currently surrounding these 7,107 islands. At the heart of his premise is the age of 33, a significant milestone he shares with Jesus of Nazarene, who, according to some scriptures, lived and died within that age range. Viray’s exploration of this age offers a unique perspective on the concepts of time and continuance. Aside from this, he zeroes in on fishing in unforgiving seas—as a fisherman puts bait into the water, the artist injects his ideas onto canvas or paper, always unsure of what he will capture except by faith, or even if ever-shifting tastes will allow themselves to be hooked and gobble up the treasures offered them.

Madonna and Shark is the artist’s esteem for feminine powers that can purge even the darkest dregs imbibed by a creature hellbent on a sure path to extinction. Perhaps the artist invites audiences to see themselves in either of the two subjects in the painting, one benevolent and ever-understanding, bordering on saintliness, and the other, hard-headed, self-destructive, and needing rescue yet ever-resisting. Tattered pieces of net surround the shark, still affording the hardy creature a chance for freedom, if only it lightens its load of all the debris of severed body parts, art accouterments, and sediments amusingly resembling the muddy murkiness of combined pigments washed off of brushes, whether in water or turpentine.

Catching Fish in a Small Pond speaks of the inescapable conflicts one encounters every step of the way in this creative journey. In an exhilarating scene of man versus nature, we may only surmise how one survives adversity buoyed only by belief in himself while dwarfed by magnanimous forces of destruction. The sole figure is an embodiment of composure, despite ominous swells threatening to overturn his dinghy and spill him into churning waters. A sinister monster lurks beneath the surface as it scrabbles for purchase. Meanwhile, sundogs appear in the sky, creating an arc of light that both envelops and shines as a beacon for brighter days and calmer waters.

In The Ocean a Tempest or the Land a Stormy Hell, the biggest piece in the exhibition, Viray continues his fixation on vessels that keep us afloat despite all odds. This is where the artist seemingly reminds us that abundance also comes in waves, and we might find ourselves overwhelmed by blessings ever outpouring. His uncanny ability to make light of serious matters is evident in the elements he uses in this piece. Instead of the threatening vortex of a whirlpool, he makes it as much a part of the ocean’s undulations, keeping thorny stalks and runaway fragments of net at bay. He even leis the biggest wave of all, welcoming it with a little prayer and a mother goddess in the guise of a fertility icon.

Aside from these major pieces, Viray also leads his audiences through his process, where the weight of the moment influences the outcome. When the burden is heavy, he strives to infuse a sense of lightness. The artist’s works on paper, in particular, evoke the sensation of drawing in meme-, classical art-, animated movie-, and wordplay-inspired imagery, capturing the immediacy and intimacy of his practice. Bordering on the performativity of rough brushwork presenting recurring images from his past works and fresh takes on mass culture with a smattering of Hockney-esque depictions of sharp-edged splashes, the artist delves into the distorted and disjointed, giving viewers space to make sense of what they see.

While never has Viray mounted an exhibition as challenging as Come Tempest Calm since embarking on a full-time art practice, this collection of recent works underscores what the artist has been hinting at all along riding choppy waves makes us feel more alive than floating in stagnant water. This recent preoccupation with sailing vessels might be a reflection of the artist’s sojourn and his discovery of the word biray as both a small trading boat and a type of net used to catch fish in the Ilokano language. Another recent passion, that of creating crowns from the supple yet thorny branches of odorless aroma plants, makes its appearance not only in the lone installation but also in Viray’s paper and canvas paintings.

The treatment of water as a channel and conveyor is generally considered a symbol of change. It is forever flowing and mutable. In historical, ancient, and Renaissance paintings, it is often used to signify tranquility and spiritual cleansing. It washes away our sins, leaving us pure and refreshed, preparing us for transformation and new beginnings. It can also be a force to be reckoned with, uncontrollable in its fury. While brandishing his brushes, keeping a lighthearted outlook, and interpreting the absurd, it seems Viray not only tempts tempests but traverses their ferocity to get to the other, gentler, side. Could it be that the artist has come to terms with the clashes and crashes that punctuate every turn of his chosen course, and has he somehow learned to placate his secret storms?

Written by Kaye O’Yek