Ayala Land, in partnership with Ayala Museum and Filipinas Heritage Library present Luz at the Gardens: An Exhibition of New Works by National Artist Arturo Luz, which opens on March 12 at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

As one of the leading modernists of his generation, Arturo Luz was named National Artist in 1997.  His works had inspired and influenced the next generation of artists working on minimalism and non-objectivism.  All the hallmarks of his artistic opus—elegant linearity, seamless design, and minimal color—are prominent and tangible in his three-dimensional works.

The exhibition Luz at the Gardens features several steel sculptures created recently by the artist. Through these monumental works, Luz pays homage to several artists of his generation. Spanish modernists Gerardo Rueda (1926-1996), Eusebio Sempere (1923-1985), Antoni Tapies (1923), and his close friend Fernando Zobel (1924-1984). Their works have significantly inspired and informed the non-objective works of Luz. This is the same group of leading abstractionists, friends and contemporaries of Fernando Zobel, whose works are on display at the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, which Zobel established in Cuenca, Spain. To quote Luz, “Lets put it this way, simply, these artists I got to meet through Fernando Zobel.”

Aside from the architectonic scale evident in the new works are the bright colors of yellow and red.  And aside from the expected black, white, and raw state of the material, the new sculptures were designed to stand out in their environment, urban and contemporary or rural and natural. These works were conceived not only for residences or museum galleries but also for the public spaces --now popular in the new millennium. These public sculptures define and identify the spaces they occupy and the landscapes they create.

Luz at the Gardens: New Works by Arturo Luz is part of a series of public art exhibitions to be organized by Ayala Land, which aims to make art more accessible to the public and to generate greater awareness of the works of world-class Filipino artists. “We are proud to be part of a campaign that promotes and celebrates our rich artistic and cultural heritage which we believe can spur love of country among Filipinos,” says Antonino Aquino, President of Ayala Land, Inc.

The installation will be on display on the grounds of Ayala Triangle Gardens until January 2011.