Arte sa Dihon

By Martin Genodepa | January 19, 2016

Iloilo today is saturated with visual art exhibitions. This is just fitting to complement the rapid material development that is going on in the city. The art of a place, after all, provides it a soul.

Oscar Peñasales, Untitled, 2015

It is trite to say that this exhibition by selected members from the Iloilo Visual Arts Collective (IVAC) presents a spectrum of art styles and techniques employed by contemporary artists of the place. What may be novel to emphasize is that the Ilonggo artists in general, and as represented by these artists in Arte sa Dihon are never singular in their artistic pursuits.

Artwork by Marge Chavez

Kris Brasileno, Debutante, 2016

Unlike in some places where artists and artist groups are homogeneously angry, escapist, political, experimental or technology-driven, Ilonggo artists, even if they may belong to one group solid group like IVAC, are individualists who follow their artistic bliss.

Ed Defensor, “Opus 64 Manature Series”, 2015

Ed Defensor, “Opus 34 Manature Series”, 2014

Alan Cabalfin, Wave, 2011

Alan Cabalfin, Bounty, 2011

PG Zoluaga, Hala Bira I, 2016

PG Zoluaga, Hala Bira II, 2016

Veteran artists like Ed Defensor, Alan Cabalfin and PG Zoluaga have shifted from figuration to abstraction with ease either in their paintings or sculptures. The same can be said of the younger crop like sculptor Harry Mark Gonzales and painters Alex Ordoyo, Vic Fario, Kris Brasileño, Oscar Peñasales and Marrz Capanang.

Harry Mark Gonzales, Reflection Series, 2015

Harry Mark Gonzales, Still Hoping, 2016

Alex Ordoyo, Devotion in Motion, 2016

Alex Ordoyo, Body of Nature, 2015

Vic Fario, Viva Senior, 2015

Vic Fario, Masks, 2015

Gina Apostol has been in the local art scene for some time now and has been steadily churning out figurative paintings along the naïf stream. Mia Reyes and Marge Chavez, who are relatively fresh but competent painters, seem to follow in the same resilient attitude towards figure painting.

Gina Apostol, Ang Batang Katutubo, 2015

Gina Apostol, Dagohoy, 2016

Marrz Capanang, Agum, 2015

Marrz Capanang, Ako, Sila kag ang Bintana, 2015

Mia Reyes, Lin-ay, 2016

Pierre Patricio has been painting partially abstract landscapes and every day scenes with single-mindedness. The same single-mindedness is obvious in Martin Genodepa’s use of stone for sculpting, or Dodgie Tan’s pursuit of bottled things as art subject.