Louie Cordero: To Infinity And Beyond

Louie Cordero, "Meta I", detail

The Greek word Meta means beyond or after, an extension of what is known. Louie Cordero uses it as the title of his latest solo exhibit, and true to its definition, he takes us beyond Earth, beyond his previous works, to share his current fascination for outer space—his kitschy-Pinoy, densely packed, brightly colored version of it anyway.

Meta I and Meta II, the first two of a set of five, limited edition, free standing sculptures, welcome viewers on either side of the gallery. Three spheres, alien life forms that resemble one-eyed brains with cigarettes dangling from their mouths, have been set atop pedestals on a base that has been painted with images of the solar system. Louie’s resin sculptures usually serve as focal points to his exhibits, and these continue that tradition. His fabrication has achieved a polished, glossy finish, markedly different from the rough unevenness of his earlier attempts from 2008’s Absolute Horror, his last major exhibit in Manila that incorporated sculpture. Those single edition pieces, however, the Zombie heads, had just as much charm as these polychrome brains.

Five paintings and three drawings hang on the walls. As always, they overflow with patterns and figures crammed together in a jumble of colors. They defy any logical narrative, as Louie works instinctively and takes images from various sources and influences. “The way I work, I really don’t know what I’m doing. Each show is new, I’m not used to doing the works, so its more exciting, more challenging for me. I’m not about art trends, or what’s happening, more about the evolution of work. In each show, it can go this way or another way. It’s more fun to work without a formula.”

In other words, one enjoys Louie’s works as a ride through his imagination. In The Creation Of Matter, for instance, a boy and his dog travel to the surface of the moon to view an artwork from outer space while sharing a snow cone. A brick wall stands in the room or vessel that houses them, with a photo of the 1980s duo Hall & Oates hanging on it. Society Of Ornamental Delusion recalls the Marcos years, an era that Louie associates with “Imelda beauty”, full of colorful ornamentation. Two artists/lab assistants work tirelessly on yet another of her pet projects. Tora Tora recreates the chaos of sea battles and air combats of war.

Louie started Eureka Confidence Of Knowing because he wanted to paint flowers. The vase of blooms stands beside a bust built by the very tired, sweaty fetus on the lower right portion of the painting. The fetus pays tribute to his future self with the bust, for when he grows old and makes his name.

I don’t think one will ever tire of enjoying Louie’s loopy details or the unlikely combination of patterns he puts together. They keep to a style we have come to associate with him, that lowbrow, komiks aesthetic he has made his signature.

As with the sculpture, this bunch of paintings has been finished with more refinement. Louie has toned down the neon, acid hues of his previous work, a more subdued palette he has achieved by mixing in Mars black to all his colors. (“I’m into planets right now, so that corresponds to Mars black.”)

Louie completed major portions of his paintings by employing pointillism, a fastidious technique he adopted because the multiple dots remind him of stars in space. “I paint the dots one by one, from dark to highlights. It’s the same concept as space, from void to light. You see that in the stars. The rhythm is fascinating, like that of a machine… as Andy Warhol said, he wanted to be a machine. It’s challenging to mix colors, though.”

Meta caps both Manila’s gallery offerings for 2011and a pretty awesome year for Louie. In March, he mounted My We at the Singapore Art Museum for the city’s biennale, a piece that probably qualifies as the event’s most photographed. We saw him back home in June for Slow Education, a solo show in MO Space. He put in an appearance for Sotheby’s fall auctions in October, then presumably spent the succeeding months preparing for this December outing. “Next year,” he deadpans, “ I’m going to be just resting!”

Meta runs from 19 December 2011 to 14 January 2012 at Blanc Peninsula Manila, Manila Peninsula Hotel Arcade, Makati Avenue, Makati City. Phone (63920) 937-6436 or visit www.blanc.ph or www.facebook.com/blancgallery