Contemporary art - Cebuano style

Monday, January 9, 2012

CEBU is very well known for her beautiful past. Equally praised is her ability to preserve through generations bits of history and heritage that have helped form this little island into what it has become today.

But, of course, not downplayed is her quickness to adapt to the needs of the future as well. The arts are no different.

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A recent exhibit gathers the works from the finest contemporary artists of Cebu at the Cebu City Museum. Dubbed as “Contemporary Cebu,” the show features the talents of Palmy Pe-Tudtud, Karl Roque, Sio Montera, Wenceslao Cuevas, Marvin Chito Natural, Kidlat, Ritchie Quijano, Vidal Alcoseba Jr. and Russ Ligtas, and runs until the end of the month.

“I could say that we have handpicked and gathered the finest artists for this exhibit,” said exhibit curator JV Castro.

This show is a culmination of sorts, for a series of exhibits held last year in Manila. A couple of exhibits garnered so much praise from critics and patrons—both national and international alike—that JV thought it would be fitting to have the show, featuring Cebuanos, have its last run here in Cebu City.

“Contemporary Cebuano art can compete with international artworks,” JV said. He explained that his visit to Cebu (JV is from Manila) during the 2010 Visayan Biennale allowed his mind to probe more deeply into the possibility of running a “Cebuano art show.”

It’s easy to understand where JV is coming from. As one enters the exhibit room, the varied works of art hanging on the walls could easily grab one’s attention—like Montera’s piece Final Warning on Global Warming, an acrylic and bitumen abstraction piece, dominated in what appears to be a shade of mustard yellow.

“For me, this represents both the present and the future, a subtle reminder of the catastrophe to come if we refuse to do anything about our situation,” the artist shared on his views on the environmental state.

Roque’s Scent of the Morning Rain challenges the conventional and, according to the artist, “breaks the monotony” of works created in either “square or rectangle” canvasses. His piece was done in a circular fashion.

“I find this one very challenging to work on, as working on a circular canvas provided no base. This was my entry to the Philippine Art Awards, and this is the first time this is being shown in public,” said Roque.

Quijano delivers sculptures, choosing to contribute to the variety of the exhibit, while Natural’s works provide the opposite—quite literally.

With the color wheel in mind, what appears to be simple landscape images is transformed into “negatives,” with Natural painting colors opposite to what these images would have appeared like in real life.

“We want Cebuano contemporary art to be celebrated and appreciated here in Cebu. We also want to promote awareness among the public,” explained JV.

If contemporary art is a movement rather than just a fleeting trend, then this exhibit should be a fine start. Cebu can dish out a thing or two on traditional masterpieces with unmatched flair, but its contemporary artists with their skill and passion definitely have the ability to bring their very best to the table as well, steering the future of arts in the country.