Cloud by Anton Quisumbing

"Cloud" is a captivating stainless steel sculpture by Anton Quisumbing that embodies the artist's exploration of form, lightness, and spatial presence. This work demonstrates Quisumbing's mastery in transforming the solidity of steel into something that evokes the ephemeral quality of clouds, creating a compelling dialogue between material weight and visual lightness.

Primarily a sculptor, Quisumbing's stainless-steel pieces reveal objects and figures informed by personal narratives, which influence his image-making process. Anchored in testing the malleability and strength of a single material and reintroducing the swift and undazzled manner in which a line can vigorously depict an image, Quisumbing surveys space by means of scale rather than defining it through color and structure. Every angle represents a different facet tied to an idea while subconsciously directing the artist's decisions in his process and studio production—where one jolts with energy, the other stands in confidence. In this way, every physical presence makes room for contemplation and treads on the multitude of ways one can be perceived and understood.

Medium: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 50.8cm (H) × 17cm (W) × 24cm (D)

About the Artist

Quisumbing studied Fine Arts (Sculpture) at the University of the Philippines, Diliman and has decades-long experience in the fabrication and furniture industry. His works have been featured in exhibitions at the Ayala Museum, Alliance Française de Manille, and other art stages, such as the Visayas Art Fair (Cebu), MoCAF (Manila) and Art Fair Philippines (Manila). Abroad, his works were presented in the 1992 WORLD EXPO in Seville, Spain, Milan, Italy, Malaysia, and the United States. He lives and works between Cebu, Manila, and The Netherlands.

While he is best known for bas-relief replicas of Philippine churches in the early stages of his career, Anton Quisumbing's (b.1970) recent works highlight experimentations that are beyond forming images. Navigating between sculpture and painting, he merges formalist approaches with playful and spontaneous candor as he excavates from memory and experience.