BOUNTIFUL farm harvests, blooms and bursts of colors: that’s what Kadayawan is all about. Perhaps art does imitate life because these are what’s on the canvas of Davao abstract artist Victor “Vic” Secuya. Unveiling his 25th solo exhibition came at a most fitting time.
Memories Of My Father’s Farm is a 10-piece acrylic on canvas collection that expresses the 61-year old artist’s love for nature.
“I grew up accompanying my father in his various farms. He introduced me to the world of plants, snakes, centipedes, birds, stones, mud, river. It was an uncomfortable experience, but it molded me to become a lover of nature.”
The artist shares that his new works bear forms that are not subjective but subjective forms. The forms represent the elements of the farm and are symbols to be deciphered.
“Painting my memories of my father’s farm is a kind of tying my past with my present and perhaps my future,” said the artist.
Also looking back into his past, Secuya launched his book Art Insights: 60 Essays on Art and Life on the same evening. It’s the artist’s 5th published book and dedicated it to his grandchildren.
Secuya’s book holds an interesting collection of written personal essays on subject matters like buying, and his journey as an artist among others.
The book also contains a chapter on his style of painting -- abstract art. The book includes discussion on the most common question he is asked, “What does this painting mean?” He frequently answers “What do you see?”
“The beauty of abstract art is the endless possibilities of interpretation. It is different for every viewer and different for the artist. It’s very much like poetry. Every time you read a line, it offers a new nuance, a new meaning. It may not be the poet’s intended meaning but it doesn’t matter. You can own it the way that it speaks to you,” he wrote in his book.
Is there a Secuya style? No. If there is one word to describe his artistry it is change.
“My works are manifestations of the changes occurring in me. Through every exhibit that I mount, it’s no longer the same as the Secuya painting exhibited before.”
Get a glimpse of Vic Secuya’s past via his paintings exhibited at the lobby of Waterfront Insular Hotel until August 19. Memories of My Father’s Farm will be exhibited in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels, Belgium.
(For more photos of this event and lifestyle features, visit ofapplesandlemons.com. For travel stories, visit jeepneyjinggoy.com. Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com)