LONG-time Davao painter Ronald ‘Pinx’ Gaspe not only made his first sculpture exhibit during post-Kadayawan, he also used a first of its kind mixed media of styrofoam and sawdust.
These media, molded with gasoline, gives his over two-feet-tall sculptures a unique wood and stone-line texture. This was on display on August 18 to 24 at the Abreeza Mall of Davao’s i-Center at the third Floor in an exhibit aptly titled “Hinulma”, which is Cebuano term for ‘molded’.
Most of the dozen sculptures depict the various tribes in Davao Region, the Mandaya, Bagobo, and Manobo, each posing with traditional object such as musical instruments, weapons and binayo.
Ever the social-conscious, Pinx’s use of disposable materials represent the state of things which affect the environment. One of this, entitled, “Biktima ng Panahon sa Pagbabago” (Victim of the Changing Times) depicts a woman clutching sprouting plants, while she stands atop a tree stomp with people buried in the tree. Pinx said this work is a reflection of the impact of supertyphoon Pablo, where a flashflood killed several people in Andap, New Bataan, Compostela Valley.
Another work called “Marawi” is a towering mosque layered with screaming faces, with bullets and bombs puncturing the tower. He juxtaposes this with three small figures, somewhat like a Lumad tambara, or altar, with faces and symbols depicting hope and justice.
Such depictions make these sculptures more than just decorative figures of indigenous peoples. These works have a common element, that of roots clinging on the figures, perhaps depicting that all people and history are interconnected to the elemental soil.
Gaspe is one of the socially-aware artists in Davao. He was the first Davao artists to exhibit works depicting the impact of HIV-Aids in the 1990s. As a member of the art group Lakbay Diwa, they contributed in exhibits on environment and indigenous concerns through the 1990s and early 2000s.
Gaspe’s first exhibit in sculpture is another achievement for this artist. These works will be shown again in the upcoming Lakbay Diwa exhibit at Museo Dabawenyo on September 3 to 30.