PADAYON is a Bisaya word that roughly translates to "carry on."
With this word and the resilience that comes with it, Victor "Bong" Espinosa, a Dabawenyo visual artist who had been practicing his craft for 20 years now, is staging an online solo art exhibit on September 18, Friday.
Born in Davao City, Espinosa was raised by an artist father. The young boy was exposed to commercial arts and visual arts. Growing up, he would frequent art competitions, art gatherings, and workshops. Even when he took up Architecture at the University of Mindanao, his passion for visual arts prevailed.
"Because of my dedication and exposure in visual arts, I was granted travel privileges abroad specifically in the US doing art residencies, meeting foreign artists and conducting international exhibitions since 2006. Thanks to the invitations of our FilAm friends and art supporters," Espinosa shared.
Since starting, he already had 16 solo exhibits. With the pandemic and the movement restrictions, staging up an art exhibit became extra challenging. It was the curator of Art Show Philippines in Manila who requested Espinosa to come up with certain artworks iconic with a twist for the online exhibit.
"I'm known for my drawings and paintings depicting socially related issues, family oriented subjects and other humor-intriguing topics. There I go with my title "Padayon" meaning no matter how painful and tragic the pandemic has brought to all of us, the challenge to survive, exist and nurture our craftsmanship must continue," said Espinosa who will be showcasing 24 different art pieces in this online exhibit.
Like any other visual artist, the path Espinosa chose has its ups and downs but what keeps him motivated to continue is to see people appreciating what he does. He is fulfilled seeing art enthusiasts, art buyers, and collectors buy and patronize his works.
"In that sense, our momentum to create continues," he said.