Sio Montera

Freedom through Free-Form by Ardelle Merton

By Ardelle T. Merton
The Freeman Daily
Sunday, August 26, 2007

“In art perhaps, the creation of the free form epitomizes the greatest of all human rights of expression…Pure and honest abstraction is the pinnacle of the art practice because there are no visual guides, no preliminary studies, no references and the like…It is unpredictable in the sense that the artists can never foresee his desired result but given the free rein of his imagination, the artist exercises complete and unrestrained freedom,” scribed writer Ritchie Quijano in admiration of renowned local artist Dennis “Sio” E. Montera’s seventh exhibit solo exhibit.

Montera’s Free-Form is the artist’s new collection of large scale artworks symbolizing not only the creative freedom Quijano wrote of, but also of Montera’s personal growth as an artist. No longer contented with the standard canvass size, Montera went beyond conventional borders and created post-modernist abstractions on canvasses of larger scale. Thus, his Free-Form collection was born. His works feature layers of acrylic and mixed media to reach a captivating blend of colors that is uniquely Montera. Step into The Dark Side, and witness how spattering of wine-red and black can be so alluring. Pay Homage to Emil Schumacher, and marvel at how the otherwise bland color of gray could add much depth to a visual. The artist’s Four Sided Six will have you counting sides and shapes, and loving numbers in abstract form. At the grand size of 213 x 365 cm, his Composition in Grid-Stratum inspires one to indeed think big!

Cebuano artist Sio Montera was born in August 19, 1972. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas-Cebu in 1996 and proceeded to earning a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts in October 2004. He is currently an Assistant Professor in UP Visayas – Cebu as well as a Program Coordinator in the Fine Arts program. As a professor, he delightfully merges art theory and hands-on practice when teaching his college students. Sio Montera has carved his name in the local art scene through numerous solo and group exhibits throughout his artistic career.