Portraits c/o tattoos
What does 2008 hold for the Philippine contemporary art scene? Plenty if the spate of recent shows is any indication — and plenty meaning plenty good. One such show that opened 2008 to much promise is “Indelible,” a solo exhibition of Bembol de la Cruz, at
“Indelible,” on view until Jan. 22, features portraits not of particular individuals but of individuals’ tattoos. Rather than featuring the usual headshots that portraits often are, the all oil-on-canvas show parades a mix of various tattoos on assorted entities, alleging that these pigmented markings reveal far more about the individuals than a normal portrait would.
Tattoos are an interesting choice as theme as they have become emblems of deviance in society with the extremely tattooed becoming a source of fascination to the public. Television has had its share of specials on the subject — what motivates people to profusely tattoo themselves? What significance do these stained skins imply? Why did these persons pick these designs? What stories lay behind these tattoos? Is it the decorative these persons are choosing to impress upon themselves permanently or something more?
“Indelible” asserts that the significance of these tattoos is multiple just as the portraits in the show are multiple. De la Cruz not only depicts portraits of these tattoo designs but portraits of the persons on whom the whom are tattooed. It may just be a torso, a chest, a hand, a back or various bits and pieces in the area of where tincture has met the flesh — all missing the faces that normally are essential for portraits. Yet, these zones of strangely alluring defacement display identities through their symbolisms and marked individuality. These people are called “collectors” just like others who buy fine art. Yet, they are probably very much as well “curators.” The placement, size, image and color of design are choices that are thoroughly theirs with their preferences and the distinct reasons behind them (that one can only begin to surmise) divulging more than a facial portrait would.
These collectors notably require artists to have the art they collect. A collector may have more than one tattoo artist and certainly not just any tattoo artist will do. In choosing someone whose steady hand, creative design and process determines the quality of a mark for life, serious collectors are, or ought to be if they aren’t, most finicky. Casting aside those who denigrate the profession through improper training and contemptible kiosks that result in cheap work, being a tattoo artist is a craft of supreme discipline. In the exhibit, De la Cruz pays homage to the tattoo artists’ work by immaculately capturing their form of art in these detailed paintings. As much as the works are portraits of the tattoos and its collectors, they also represent these artisans, imprinting the art that their own hands helped imprint.
De la Cruz would certainly know firsthand about the art of tattooing, tattoo collecting and its psychological underpinnings. He is a collector himself and the show is very much a self-portrait of the artist. There are four pieces, not including the “Multiple Portraits” that are collages of different tattoos of various collectors, which feature De la Cruz’s remarkable collection. It is tempting to specifically name these works but, for fear that viewers may give more weight to these pieces when all are deserving of attention, I will just leave it up to the interested to find out. All the works in the show are self-portraits of De la Cruz anyway — the choice of subject matter doesn’t ring any truer in other artists than in this one. “Indelible” also reflects not only De la Cruz as a collector but as an artist and as a person as well.
For those who are unfamiliar with De la Cruz, he is indisputably one of the most cleverly skilled painters of the day. A group who initially saw his show, “A History of Things,” at Mag:net ABS, two years ago via pictures thought the painted images had the actual objects glued on the canvas. Others who saw his works from “Measures,” a
Being so technically accomplished is not without its downside, however. Viewers can get so taken away by skill, scrutinizing a work from all angles until the concept of the piece or the exhibit is sometimes sadly forgotten. While skill is indubitably fundamental for an artist, the reality is that skill can only go so far. If an artist is so technically adept then all the more reason for him/her to be choosy on what to paint and why.
De la Cruz, who graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts with a degree in painting in 2002, is continuously coming up with intriguing concepts that also challenge his skill. His ideas usually dwell on the weighty side — automobile collisions that mingle the abstract, sites of destruction and rules of law, seemingly innocuous everyday objects that are also tools of torture — so in comparison, “Indelible” is actually lighter fare (yet without sacrificing on substance). The 31-year-old artist continues to grow into his potential and will undoubtedly produce more outstanding work this year and in the years to come.
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More works of Bembol de la Cruz may be viewed at http://bembolbee.multiply.com.
E-mail the author at letterstolisa@gmail.com and visit http://writelisawrite.blogspot.com.
