Julio Jose Austria dips into a personal discovery of new landscapes in his tenth one-man show titled “New Frontier.”

The exhibition showcases 10 paintings, products of Austria’s residency at the Vermont Studio Center (VSC), after receiving a full grant for the 2008/2009 Asian Artist Fellowship, U.S.A.

In his new line of work, Austria explores the idea of isolation without exulting in its political, geographical and psychological nuances and solipsism. According to him, he sees his stay as a retreat: “While at VSC, I had thoughts of staying away from the reality — politics, Philippine art scene, culture, family, friends, relatives, everyday life— my reality, which I had been used to.” The current paintings focus more of Vermont’s mise en scene rather than Austria’s soliloquies as seen in his previous exhibitions.

Chronicling his stay in Vermont in snapshots of the local landmarks and places he frequented there, Austria waltzes from his affinity with cityscapes and the strident metropolis (as embodied by his previous works) to the docile arms of the countryside— drawing inspiration from images of inconspicuous street signs and bridges to towering russet trees and moss-tainted brooks in the springtime.

One could sense the solitary ways of understanding a new ground in his paintings, dealing with the metonymic absence and presence of tangible things, as well as recollections. This is prevalent in the aptly titled “Far Away from Home.” “There’s nobody I could depend on but myself,” he comments.   Continued...