Minimalism says a lot. While that sounds contradicting, it really is not. Minimalists distill reality into its most austere version, incorporating everything it has to say by not saying a lot about it. And in the case of Gus Albor’s latest solo exhibit, there is much to be said about the minimalist artworks currently on display at Leon Gallery International.

The familiar use of subdued yet playful, almost monochromatic color tones is there, as has been a signature for Gus throughout his adventures with minimalist abstractions. With “Impetus,” the colors are mostly gray and white (except for one that is a black and orange combo), weaving into nearly-formless waves that tickle the imagination enough into a meditative introspection that explores its own abstract thoughts.

Walking around the gallery, taking in every painting, one might think of the water, the waves, the calming rush associated with the sea. One floats from one piece onto the next, either trying to figure out the theme that ties all these pieces together—if there was one—or the impetus behind the artist’s brushstrokes.

“The idea of having [impetus] as the title of the show,” Gus says in the exhibition notes, “is to point out the most essential part of an oeuvre.”

If you ask Gus, however, what the inspiration behind the works is, he would tell you it was all about an issue that is on everyone’s mind these past couple of months. What that issue is, which he describes as the issue, I would leave it to your imagination to figure out after you visit and view the pieces part of “Impetus,” most of which are now sold as of writing.

“Most of the paintings here are based on my series I call our islands,” Gus explains. “Meaning, it has this geopolitical message. Since I am a minimalist artist, a figurative painter, how I represent them is different.”

In this regard, Gus’ works are indeed very much a reflection of himself, of what his mind is currently occupied with, and of what pushes him to continue to make art day-in and day-out.

‘Impetus: A Solo Exhibition’ is on view at Leon Gallery International until Oct. 24.