Azor Pazcoguin at SM Art Center
MANILA, Philippines - Azor Pazcoguin mounts “Karaniwang Tao,” which opens on July 18 at SM Art Center, SM Megamall A, Mandaluyong City. The exhibit is for the benefit of the community-based rehabilitation program of the UERM PT Alumni Association.
In the last 10 years, Azor Pazcoguin has joined over 20 exhibits, including one in New York.
Azor’s artistic inclination was developed and nurtured by his exposure to the Mabini painters in his father’s art gallery in Ermita.
“I practically grew up in the gallery where I was exposed to various works of art. This fueled my interest to learn.”
Constantly exploring various media, the mixture of colors, as well as color tones, he actually evolved from painting simple subjects such as fruits to painting landscapes with pastoral scenes. He later on moved to painting figures.
The human figures he prefers to paint are those that depict people doing seemingly mundane things. While not everyone would take interest in an old woman peddling broom on the streets, farmers milling palay or a group of vendors selling vegetables, Azor would like to highlight them in his works.
By portraying regular, everyday folks on canvas, Azor hopes to generate appreciation for what these men and women do and at the same time emphasize the dignity of manual labor.
Pazcoguin could have easily joined the million of overseas Filipino workers who left for the United States to earn huge paychecks as nurses, physical therapist and caregivers. After all, he has a degree in physical therapy from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center. Azor however passed up the opportunity and opted to pursue what he loves doing the most — painting.
Azor relates, “It was a dilemma, a huge turning point in my life. I had the choice between leaving for the US for the earnings, or staying in the Philippines to paint for fulfillment. Of course we know that with painting, one’s income depends on whether or not people will love your work. But I still chose to stay to become a full time painter. Now, I am very happy that I took that risk.”
