ianisms: STA. ANA’S INNER WORLD

For me, one of the few artists who stood out from the Curator’s Choice Part 2 exhibit by the Chicago Artists’ Coalition held at the Coalition Gallery in Chicago last 23 July was Jun-Jun Sta. Ana. To find out more about his works, I decided to meet him on another date to see all his collection. Albeit this Filipino-American digital media artist’s works presented an eclectic collection, each piece resonates different emotions either swinging from both extremes or gradually building up from a single feeling. An example would be his piece called “Ohio Bulong” where I initially felt a sense of foreboding staring at those “legs” against the Ohio urban landscape. I then felt a sense of loneliness and abandonment after further absorbing the piece.

"Ohio Bulong"

Before doing digital media, Jun-Jun Sta. Ana started with window installations using recycled materials and objects from junk yards and thrift stores. As he works on a piece, he would let it gradually evolve instead of a single-minded them in mind which actually works out for him. Later on, he fell in love with digital media and has been delightfully prolific in this medium. Some of his pieces are amusing, whimsical and visually appealing. Examples are his replication works, including the body of unconventional portraits are fun and naughty as most of his patrons see it as multi-dimensional according to him. I also found out that he does a lot of unconventional portraits of patrons who want a portrait of themselves. The wait for a commissioned artwork would range about a week – surprisingly reasonable. His more “serious” collection carries his autobiography providing a “snapshot” of his state of mind and emotion on every piece. Ten years down the road, Sta. Ana would like to go back to his first love – installations and eventually into sculptures. But of course, his passion still lies in digital media where he would continue to cultivate as new materials and technology become available.