Roy Santos Veneracion

The driving force behind Roy Veneracion’s work is his ability to harness the power of various elements and make them uniquely his own—a concept he terms Syncretism, or “Syncre Art.” As a graduate of UP Fine Arts and a former student of National Artist Jose Joya, Veneracion has spent three decades challenging the limitations of Modernism, perceiving it as a monotonous exploration of significant forms and uninteresting figure-ground experiments. Contrary to the messianic claims of Modern [Abstract] Art declaring the “end of history,” Veneracion rediscovered the potency of figurative painting and merged it with abstraction and graffiti, creating a robust counter-tool.

Employing the “polystyle” technique, where various artistic styles converge within a single painting, Veneracion intertwines recognizable human figures with abstract patterns through inventive layering methods. Each work, using his methodology of “Subliminal-Automatism Abstraction,” involves a unique process. The canvas is prepared with an underpainting of thick “crinkle tex,” left to dry, and then subjected to staining, pouring, close-eyed gesturals, and other improvised techniques, resulting in what he terms “haluccinary” or pareidolia phenomena.

This effect is central to Syncre Art, challenging the practice of Abstraction. By stimulating the viewer’s imagination to discern figurative phantoms within the abstract, the Abstract ceases to be truly “Abstract.” Figurative practice is also questioned, as the liberated imagination of the viewer creates a personal phantasmagoria rather than relying on the artist’s narrative brushworks.

Using vibrant pastel and primary color hues as a point of integration, Veneracion melds these diverse styles, exploring themes related to modern life, history, society, and the environment. His exhibition, Syncre Art at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts building, delves into classic subjects related to nationhood.