SOMETIMES, when he finds himself going around the concrete labyrinth of big cities—passing by skyscrapers, driving along multilane highways illuminated by headlights and billboards—he remembers the bedtime stories his mother and grandfather would tell him when he was a child.
In the quiet countryside where he grew up, he would be tucked in bed with playful visions of how the age-old, giant balete tree is a gateway to a city, how the river is actually one huge highway and a personal favorite—his grandfather’s stories of the time he was abducted by otherworldly beings riding a limousine.
Surrounded by all these buildings and cars today, he would often wonder: were these what his nanay and lolo meant in what they used to narrate to him? These simple recollections were what moved visual artist Josua Cabrera in creating his latest series of artworks that he has labeled “Tadlas,” which means “crossover.”
Using a variety of mediums like rubber cut prints and charcoal mixed with tungog (tuba pigment) on canvas, Josua creates visual imagery that weaves together local folklore and the tales from his childhood.
The stories behind his art pieces are steered by a balak (Visayan poetry) titled “Mino” written by the artist himself. It speaks of a young boy named Momoy, his ethereal adventure in the backseat of a limousine, and how from his small payag he was brought to wander in an unfamiliar place with buildings that ‘touched the stars’—reminiscent of what Josua’s lolo used to tell him.
Believers call this mino, a magic spell said to have been cast by supernatural beings on persons who enter their territory. Said to make the person feel lost and disoriented, this spell could go on for days unless counteracted. It then begs one to wonder, Josua says, what if what has been perceived as reality is actually part of an enchantment? Lost and disoriented like Momoy, what if we’re in a minô and we’re all just waiting to wake up?
Tadlas exhibit will run for three weeks beginning April 25 at the Qube Gallery at The Persimmon Plus in Mabolo, Cebu City.