FOUR artist-friends from the University of the Philippines Baguio faculty are set to make a mark in the city's local art scene with Ili-limbag, a print exhibition that opens to the public at the Vocas Art Gallery on August 5 at 6 p.m. and will run until September 15.
"Making prints is essentially making marks," Czarina Calinawagan, Jandy Carvajal, Fara Manuel-Nolasco and Tioan Medrano — who are all connected, either as professors or former teachers, with the UP-Baguio Fine Arts Department, said.
They will explore the nuances of printmaking, a versatile art form that utilizes a variety of techniques from etching to the experimental.
The show's title, Ili-limbag, which refers to the Filipino term for will be printed, is in the future tense, suggesting some things are yet to be printed.
By presenting their diverse prints, the artists would like to encourage viewers to try making their own prints, even for a day. It could be fun, recalling days of making carved vegetable prints or hand painting. To facilitate this activity, the artists will place provisions for on-the-spot printmaking at a designated area of the exhibit venue.
The artists explained in the printmaking process, sometimes the marks are recognizable, sometimes they are abstract.
Jandy, who works with different modes of artmaking, from graphite drawings to aluminum repoussé, narrates that his colleague Tioan Medrano’s first experience in printmaking was when she was around eight years old.
She used kerosene to transfer images of komiks on paper. Decades later, a similar experimental transfer of prints was used for this exhibition but using much safer and artist-grade materials.
Vocas Gallery invites the public to witness this show, because by taking part in this creative tradition, viewers could gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the printmaking process.
Moreover, by making prints themselves, the audience momentarily joins hands with the artists, who in turn are part of a fluid network of mark makers. Thus, the exhibit title highlights the Ilokano term ili, denoting not just “town,” but “community” as well. Printmaking is a highly accessible art form that could be used to tap and foster the creative spirit, which resides in professional artists, in hobbyists, in students, in every human being. (PR)