This summer has been particularly eventful for interdisciplinary artist and printmaker Romson Regarde Bustillo.
Splitting his time between Seattle and Barcelona, Bustillo has recently achieved significant milestones, including being named a finalist for the prestigious Neddy Award and opening a solo exhibition at J. Rinehart Gallery.
Soon, he will unveil a striking new body of glass work at the upcoming Seattle Art Fair’s 2025 Public Projects.
Titled ‘To Remember or Forget,’ the J. Rinehart Gallery exhibition proudly showcases Bustillo’s diverse artistic practice.
This exhibition features a captivating mix of his expertly layered multimedia canvases alongside vibrantly colored glass sculptures.
Through these works, Bustillo delves into the complexities of our presumed capacity to hold multiple, often contradictory ideas while examining the proximity to intended meanings.
Bustillo’s art invites viewers to ponder the truths we perceive and the intricate realities that lie beneath an image, all shaped by our contextual knowledge.
His works stimulate curiosity about how we interpret various imagery and patterns influenced by our unique memories and experiences.
Whether through cultural, social, political, or spiritual lenses, Bustillo encourages audiences to recognize the vast array of references informing our interaction with his art.
This mixing of mediums creates a dynamic dialogue, characterized by controlled chaos of motifs and contrasting colors, allowing for diverse interpretations that resonate with viewers.
At the Seattle Art Fair, Bustillo will present his thought-provoking installation, ‘To make hard soft,’ a site-specific mixed media, glass, and textile work.
This new venture into glass highlights his skill in transferring complex themes of meaning-making to three-dimensional forms.
His pieces incorporate sandblasted imagery and symbols reminiscent of his mixed media oeuvre, re-envisioning cultural burial jars and vessels from the pre-colonial Philippines and Southeast Asia.
These sculptures serve as literal vessels, encapsulating profound truths pertaining to cultural practices around death, rituals, and grief.
Bustillo’s artistic practice stitches together flat, multi-patterned monoprints, intricate multimedia layers, and 3D sculptural expressions into a cohesive visual odyssey.
He adeptly navigates the complex terrain of how we derive meaning from diverse imagery and symbols.
Through this new body of work, Bustillo creates the necessary space for audiences to expand their understanding of cultural traditions while encouraging the creation of new, meaningful narratives.
On June 21, an artist talk will be held at J. Rinehart Gallery, offering insights into Bustillo’s artistic process and the stories behind his work.
The opening night for the Seattle Art Fair is set for July 17, running from 6–9 PM.
To Remember or Forget is on view at J. Rinehart Gallery until June 25, 2025, operating Tuesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM.
Bustillo’s installation, To make hard soft, will be featured during the Seattle Art Fair from July 17-20, 2025, at Lumen Field Event Center, open Friday to Saturday, 11 AM to 7 PM, and Sunday, 11 AM to 6 PM.
Additionally, his work ENTROPY, for those who dream awake before dawns will be exhibited through September 13, 2025, at The Behnke Family Gallery at Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University, open Thursdays and Fridays from 12 PM to 7 PM, and Saturdays from 12 PM to 6 PM.
image source from：iexaminer
