Wilwayco’s electric ‘Jeepney Unicus’: King of the road makes its final stop

finally resulting in an outcome, stern and conclusive. At the same time, it resembles TV color bars and static. This, of course, alludes to electricity, or the very idea that ultimately ended the decades-long travels of the traditional jeepney, which evolved from military vehicle post-World War II to everyday public transport.

TODAY’S

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS

DAY: Chace Crawford, 38; Priyanka Chopra, 41; Kristen Bell, 43; Vin Diesel, 56.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Lift any barriers holding you back and prepare to forge ahead enthusiastically. Act, live up to your promises and influence those searching for a better lifestyle. Don’t make unnecessary physical changes or give a false impression to the people you want to impress. Be yourself, follow through with your plans, and let your charm and intelligence win the respect and support you require to reach your goal. Your numbers are 6, 13, 17, 25, 36, 40, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Let your actions send an encouraging message to others to pitch in and help. Get involved in an event that makes you feel passionate about a cause and hopeful about the future. Mix business with pleasure, and you’ll connect with someone interesting. ★★★★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Reevaluate along the way, and you’ll make better decisions. Concentrate on what’s necessary instead of taking on too much and falling short of your goal. Timing and expertise will be essential if you want to be successful. Put your energy where it counts. ★★

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Mingle with people who share your interests. The information you pick up will help you restructure how you want to move forward. Change only what benefits you. Don’t take a risk with your health or assets. ★★★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Place more faith in yourself and what you can do to make a difference. How you navigate your way through conversations and responsibilities will encourage others to offer suggestions and hands-on help. ★★★ different perception at every glance. The same applies to the featured pieces in this show.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Think before taking on too much, or overstepping your boundaries will result in backlash. Live up to your promises, and you’ll reach your expectations. Handle money, health and contracts with discipline and a no-nonsense attitude. ★★★

SPECULATION fueled the original jeepneythemed exhibition of Edwin Wilwayco in 2018, where the master abstract expressionist pondered in bright colors the grim future of the country’s de facto cultural icon. Five years later, the artist revisits the concept in his upcoming solo at Artes Orientes, now afforded the finality of the subject’s fate.

In Jeepney Unicus—which opens this Saturday, July 22, at the gallery’s space in Serendra, BGC—Wilwayco retains the exhibition’s central imagery and not much else. Replacing the gestural strokes in the 2018 exhibit that inspires spontaneity are kinetic lines: zipping in sharp sequences, appearing much more defined and definitive.

Perhaps the change reflects the idea of assumption

Earlier this year, the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program went into overdrive. Calls for a jeepney phaseout rang loud with the pronouncement of transforming the public transport system by way of “making it more dignified, humane, and on par with global standards.” That meant pushing for brand-new, environmentally friendly vehicles powered by electric motor, leaving its traditional, diesel-fueled counterparts in the terminal for good.

Taking cue from this development on the concept he has parked for half a decade, Wilwayco decided to take these vehicles for one last spin in his canvas. In Jeepney Unicus, the artist pays homage to the peculiar subject, celebrating its uniqueness as the title alone suggests.

Wilwayco bathes his jeepneys in transcendent tonality while setting them off to perpetual motion. As we have come to understand with his art, no part of the frame is left motionless. Something happens in all points and corners at all times, giving the viewer a

In Jeepney Unicus #4 Quadriptych, for instance, the stripes speed past in prismatic burst, as they do in Jeepney Unicus #3 Diptych. Like a seasoned driver, Wilwayco shifts gears when the moment calls for it, with these lines losing their force, dispersing and floating skyward, accompanied by a strip of symmetric pattern and geometric shapes in Jeepney Unicus #11, Jeepney Unicus #12, and Jeepney Unicus #13. These symbols recur in other pieces, with the canvas segmented by bold demarcations and defined fields of greens of blues. Does it represent how these old jeepneys are cornered and ultimately shelved to make way for their modern counterparts?

Then, in what is clearly Wilwayco’s most distinctive portrayal of the vehicle in the show, away from the curved and caricatured version, Jeepney Unicus #31 presents us the abstract expressionist as we know him best.

There are measured drippings, vigorous brushstrokes and compelling tones that vary yet engage with each other, creating a visual wonder that brings the concept to another gear.

While jeepneys, as we know them, may soon cease to exist, Wilwayco attempts in this show to immortalize the king of the road, in hopes of ensuring its reign be transcendent. ■