Enduring Change

ENDURING CHANGE

Lawyer turned artist Bien Benitez is a steady force in the local art scene for the past 16 years. He had his first solo exhibition last 2003 in honor of his late mother Justice Regina Ordoñez - Benitez. Now close to two decades later, Bien presents "Enduring Change", a series of 12 abstract paintings that highlight her signature drips, scratches and glazes.

An alumnus of the UP College of Law, he also went to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts for his masters. "It takes the same amount of effort to be a lawyer and an artist. There is problem-solving in both fields. You need to get your hands dirty. It is all about patience and hard work”. Bien said.

In the early 2000s, Bien attended an art workshop conducted by Bohol native and experimental multi-media artist Henri Cainglet. This pushed Bien to pursue his passion in visual arts. He takes inspiration from the framed works of Jackson Pollock, local artists Pacita Abad and Lao Lianben. When he is not busy working with canvases, he serves as a Legislative Consultant for the popular Senior Party List.

Bien’s process undergoes the use of significant layers of paint applied to large square format canvases. Each layer takes on a multitude of changes so that the final amassed surface retains the memory of the previous layer.

“In every season of our life, we play a role as we continue to age. A student becomes a teacher, a child becomes a mother and an apprentice transforms into an artist - a metamorphosis. The same way how art changes in time,” Bien said.

------- Shirin Bhandari