The Past and the Present in "La Familia Cebuana"

CEBU, Philippines -  While other artists are busy mining landscapes that are unshaped by human need or desire as the metaphorical anchors of their works, Dominic Rubio has found a niche in embracing the colonial past, reinterpreting its themes and nuances in the present's contexts and quirks.

Narrating what was as if it were happening right now, the artist opened his first solo art exhibition in Cebu late last month, illustrating how images depicting the "peninsulares," "insulares," "meztizos," "meztizas," "illustrados," "indios" and "indias" of old still have a place in today's contemporary-thinking times.

Entitled "La Familia Cebuana," the exhibit gathers more than twenty oil paintings crafted by the artist, each made with a care and concern that is indicative of his firm control of the brush, distinct attention to detail and lighthearted sense of humor.

Delineating his figures in a way that goes against what one would expect from nostalgic visual tableaus, the show brings its audience back to the idyllic and calm era of romance and wistfulness, merging the past with the present; sharing stories that never grow old in their telling and retelling.

A native of Paete, Laguna, Rubio is a founding member of the Guevarra Group of Artists, and is a Fine Arts graduate of the University of Santo Tomas.

Painting for more than two decades, he has built a solid reputation in not only merging the past with the present in his works, but also in creating pieces that evoke a sense of national identity and pride - qualities which can be readily discerned in his "La Familia Cebuana."

"La Familia Cebuana" ran until May 19 in Qube Gallery at The Henry Hotel, Banilad.