S U M O
Le Soufflé, The Fort
11 November – 13 December 2008 

Acclaimed Filipino artist Ramon Diaz will be presenting his latest exhibition entitled Sumo at Le Soufflé, The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig on 11 November – 13 December 2008. 

Sumo is a competitive contact sport where a wrestler (rikishi) attempts to force one another out of a circular ring (dohyo) or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet (wikipedia.org).  Originated in Japan where it was practiced professionally Sumo is considered as a gendai budō or modern day Japanese martial art. Unlike the western pro-wrestling game sumo’s aim is not to hurt nor injure the opponent, simply dominate an opponent using strength and prowess. Through centuries and up to the present sumo maintained its grace and art. 

Asian culture and art never failed to fascinate the eyes of Ramon Diaz. He explored different genre showing his allure for anything that has the texture of Asia. Potent images of the orient are mostly the subject of his works ranging from Tang/dynasty horses, his marine inspired sculptures and his colorful Kois (nishikigoi). His penchant for the elegance of Asia is once again shown in his new works. In this series, he “wrestles” with the idea of the tradition of sumo: depicting the grace, the dignity, and the rituals of the sport. Diaz is exhibiting works on paper using sheer ink and acrylic on untainted paper. As minimal as the Japanese, the moves of the rikishi are explored in different angles, surfacing the wonders of the art on a given space where he arrived at certainty of pure beauty.  

“The sport itself translates into artwork. It’s not about the fight nor is it about the violence.” It’s about something using the least amount of strokes. 

                                                                                                            -Ramon Diaz 

He calls it the “Dance of the Giants”. The sport is akin to a dance where there is grace and choreography in the movements. It is filled with ritual elements, such as purifying of the dohyo with salt, an ancient practice from the Shino religious ceremony. The steel pose of huge bodies shows a quiet power but power nonetheless. The artist sees science in the movement of the sumo; this is the reason why he is enamored by its precise simplicity.

 “To be a sumo wrestler is to dedicate your entire life to it. The Japanese, when they choose a profession, they are committed wholly to it- spending their whole career working for a single company-though not so much now since even that is changing. But those who choose sumo stick to it-the discipline, the martial art and the lifestyle. That’s rare.””

                                                                                                            -Ramon Diaz 

Sumo will be on view from 11 November to 13 December 2008 at the Le Soufflé, The Fort, Bonifacio Global City. The exhibition is made possible through the support of Galleria Duemila and TREB Frames. For enquiries call Le Soufflé at (632) 887-5108 or contact Galleria Duemila at (632) 833-9815 and (632) 831 9990 or email us at duemila@mydestiny.net.