Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Rom Villaseran’s Landscapes Explore Hidden Worlds

Rom Villaseran is a contemporary visual artist from the Philippines whose renderings of the natural world dwell in the realms of dreams and fantasy. His work has been described as neo-surrealist and hallucinogenic, combining the aesthetics of surrealism and science fiction to reveal the inner workings of the artist's vivid imagination.

Rom Villaseran is a contemporary visual artist from the Philippines whose renderings of the natural world dwell in the realms of dreams and fantasy. His work has been described as neo-surrealist and hallucinogenic, combining the aesthetics of surrealism and science fiction to reveal the inner workings of the artist’s vivid imagination.


With an emphasis on narrative and significant attention to detail, his large acrylic-on-canvas paintings explore themes of death and decay, memories and dreams, and the relationship between humans and their environments. Looking at one of his paintings feels like stepping into an alternate universe, where every turn uncovers new life forms or structures that have been skillfully woven into the greater landscape.

Villaseran has few rules when it comes to his artistic process, favoring an organic approach that embraces improvisation and follows the natural evolution of his medium. Oftentimes, before he begins creating a particular piece, he has little idea as to what kind of direction the art will take. He starts by simply splashing the paint across his canvas in broad strokes, then leaves the paint to dry, revealing different textures and shapes. Working in the moment, the artist will then add in details to help form an overall concept. The process is reminiscent of the game we play when we look at clouds in the sky, using our imaginations to invent new stories and characters out of the abstract forms.

Born in Manila, Villaseran studied architecture at the University of Santo Tomas before receiving a Certificate of Fine Arts in Visual Communication from the University of the Philippines. Since then, he has exhibited in a number of solo shows in the Philippines, Signapore and Japan.

View more of Rom Villaseran’s artwork on his website.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Venezuelan artist Jota Leal and Polish artist Dariusz Zawadzki each mix elements of the fantastic and the surreal in their artworks. The two artists headline Copro Gallery's current group exhibition "Morpheus", so named after its co-curators James Cowan and Morpheus Gallery in Las Vegas. Zawadzki's series exhibits the artist's skill in different media, mixing up oil painting, watercolor, and hand-embellished giclee pieces. His portraits of what look like post-apocalytpic villians out of Mad Max are treated with the rendering of old master painters.
Adam Crawford’s paintings are a mix of sharp, vibrant geometric forms and grotesque beasts, appearing in both shared spaces and separate studies. The Philadelphia-based artist uses acrylics, spraypaint, and an array of surfaces for his works. Crawford was recently chosen for the juried exhibition "Delusional" at Jonathan Levine Gallery, which kicked off on Aug. 9.
Kate Klingbeil layers acrylic into sculptural, absorbing paintings that explore personal themes. She uses the female form to craft landscapes and towering structures, as figures explore and dance among the terrain. These massive stretches of activity convey both psychological and physical expeditions.
Erika Sanada's ceramic sculptures of puppies and other animals, featured in HF Vol. 31, are sweet yet a little chilling. Her surrealistic pieces give animals a dreamlike quality that draws the viewer in. Their disquieting nature is a reflection of Sanada's own fears and anxieties in her daily life, which she expresses through her artwork. In her artist statement, she calls this her "dark side". Sanada is looking to finally conquer these feelings in her new series, which she is now preparing for her next exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery. Take a look at our photos from Erika Sanada's studio after the jump.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List