The Mona Lisa’s 57 faces at the CCP

MANILA, Philippines – Once described as a “miraculous psychological portrait,” Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (c. 1503 – 1507) has been a subject of various interpretations. The ambiguity that surrounds the world’s most recognizable painting has attracted countless studies, analyses, parodies, and reproductions.

Mona Lisa’s enigmatic countenance and real identity have stirred more bizarre interpretations than any work of art. Artists attempt to create their own Mona Lisa using their distinct styles and aesthetic concerns.

The Mona Lisa Project

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in cooperation with West Gallery launched the exhibit “The Mona Lisa Project” last April 24. The exhibit is open to the public until June 16. It is located at the Bulwagang Fernando Amorsolo at the CCP Main Theater Building.

The project displays 57 works from 57 of the most dynamic artists in the Manila art scene today. Curated by Nilo Illarde, the participating artists are:

1. Allan Balisi
2. Bearded Ladies
3. Lyle Buencamino
4. ZeanCabangis
5. Annie Cabigting
6. Froilan Calayag
7. Bjorn Calleja
8. Roberto Chabet
9. Jonathan Ching
10. Iya Consorio
11. Louie Cordero
12. Jigger Cruz
13. Don Dalmacio
14. Kawayan De Giua
15. Bembol Dela Cruz
16. Ranelle Dial
17. Dex Fernandez
18. Dina Gadia
19. Mark Andy Garcia
20. Nona Garcia
21. Sarah Geneblazo
22. Carlo Gernale
23. Edric Go
24. Raymond Halili
25. Troy Ignacio
26. Nilo Ilarde
27. Jon Jaylo
28. Pete Jimenez
29. Sam Kiyoumarsi
30. Romeo Lee
31. Jacob Lindo
32. Dave Lock
33. Luis Lorenzana
34. Jason Montinola
35. Jason Moss
36. Raffy Napay
37. Elaine Navas
38. Epjey Pacheco
39. Lynyrd Paras
40. Neil Pasilan
41. Raul Rodriguez
42. Arturo Sanchez Jr.
43. Kaloy Sanchez
44. Carina Santos
45. Luis Santos
46. Steve Santos
47. Frederick Sausa
48. Yasmin Sison
49. Tatong Racheta Torres
50. Manok Ventura
51. Olan Ventura
52. Gail Vicente
53. Marija Vicente
54. Ryan Villamael
55. Tanya Villanueva
56. MM Yu
57. Christopher Zamora

According to West Gallery, the works in the exhibit are “a merging of varied interests and perspectives” on the Mona Lisa.

The iconic portrait drew myriad interpretations among the artists. They treated the subject with their respective styles and genres. The result is a rich collection of Mona Lisa interpretations.

Most of the artists deformed Mona Lisa’s face; others overhauled the subject’s appearance, creating a novel Mona Lisa who is fat, old, or alien-looking. Some artists took on a playful mood by putting a mustache, mask, veil, and pop element onto the subject.

For Mona

West Gallery owner and visual artist Soler Santos started The Mona Lisa Project as a personal, long-term project. The collection is his present to his wife, Mona, who is also a painter.

“It started when my wife and I were talking, and we started wondering why we never collected any Mona Lisa (her namesake) souvenirs or memorabilia on any of our trips to Europe,” he told Rappler.

Santos then started contacting his artist friends (about two years ago) and asked them to create their own styles or versions of the Mona Lisa. He eventually commissioned other artists, too. To date, he has 57 versions of the iconic painting, and all are on display at the CCP.

The Mona Lisa Project also serves as a venue for Santos to support young artists. He has been collecting art from them since the ‘90s. “I like collecting art and supporting young artists. Even before The Mona Lisa Project, I was already collecting work by artists I liked,” he said.

Lone sculpture

The works in the exhibit are not only limited to oil on canvas. There are also mixed media, collage, and digital print, among others.

Pete Jimenez’s work of the Mona Lisa is the lone sculpture in the exhibit. Jimenez is a sculptor who transforms hard intractable materials such as iron into sculptural statements.

“Soler asked me to come up with my own interpretation of the Mona Lisa using my own style and approach,” said Jimenez. The result was a unique steel sculpture of the iconic portrait built within 3 days. The entire creative process lasted for about two weeks.

Jimenez describes the Mona Lisa as “an artwork that is mysterious because of the many interpretations by other artists, art writers, and art critics…the artwork asks a lot of questions to the viewer and vice versa.” – Rappler.com

Ces Natalie Crisostomo (@CesnaCrisostomo) and Dionisio Pobar III (@jonpobar) are Rappler interns.