Discover and visit Rachelle Cu’s true calling and her enchanting exhibition where her distinct artistry meets childhood nostalgia.
Rachelle Cu was a former hospitality professional who used to work in the Sales and Marketing Department of two local hotels. This was until she found her true calling.
With a formative experience studying Interior Design at the Philippine School of Interior Design, Rachelle developed a keen eye for aesthetics and composition—skills that have seamlessly translated into her artwork. Although the formal education in interior design was left unfinished, the creative insights gained continue to inform and inspire Rachelle’s artistic vision.
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She combines a structured approach to artistry with a passion for creative expression. She graduated with a degree in Hotel Management from La Consolacion College in Manila. Amid the bustle of the hospitality industry, the calling to create art has become an enduring passion.
Art Underground, Village Art Gallery, and Ysobel Art Gallery, presented Sandbox, a joint exhibition that explores a world where the boundaries of creativity and imagination blur with the simplicity of everyday life. Much like children playing in a sandbox, gathering, shaping, and transforming, the collection of works by artists Rachelle Cu, Isad Diwa, and John Mhar Santos emanates the individual’s deep urge to reconstruct mankind’s inner landscapes, using memories, sensations, and personal histories as building blocks.
Nostalgic Style
Rachelle’s style is a captivating blend of realism and whimsy, where detailed textures bring characters to life. Her work often features whimsical subjects, transforming the familiar into scenes of imagination and nostalgia. All her oil-on-canvas works featured hyper-realistic renditions of crocheted animals. Her show featured 10 paintings measuring 30 X 24 inches (vertically or horizontally) and eight smaller pieces measuring 12 X 12 inches. The eight larger pieces each were accompanied by the crocheted animal, which was the subject of the art piece. The smaller works were three from her PEEK A BOO series and two from her CHOMP series.
Warm Welcome 30 x 24 inches; Waddle 30 x 24 inches; Summer 30 x 24 inches
Her use of soft and muted colors provided the warm and cozy feel of her paintings. This approach evokes a sense of nostalgia, inviting exploration and delight. The artist strikingly captured the essence of playful imagination, transforming simple “toys” into captivating visual stories.
Snack Time 24 x 30 inches; Ribbon Bow 30 x 24 inches ; Silly Tail 30 x 24 inches
Her crocheted stuffed animals embody the warmth and innocence of childhood. The heartwarming images evoke a sense of nostalgia and comfort. Each piece serves as a reminder of the simple joys from one’s earliest experiences of love and tenderness.
Munch 30 x 24 inches; Looky Here 24 x 30 inches
The exhibition is a collective journey through the terrain of recollection and vision, reminding the viewers of the power to create, reconstruct, and find familiarity in the mundane, uncovering home and adventure in one’s distinct sandbox.
Art Underground is located on the second floor of Mabini 180, 180 Mabini Street, San Juan City. Check out aumanila.com.
Photos courtesy of Art Underground.
