Pinoy paints on denim in Taipei exhibit

Taipei, Taiwan – A Filipino painter has is painting on denim to send the message that the Filipino is a hard worker.

In his everyday life, in his daily struggle for survival, Salvador Ching said Filipinos wear denims.

“Laging maong ang ginagamit nila (They always wear denims) whether you belong to the middle class or lower class,” noted Ching, whose paintings were on display at the 89th floor arts and crafts center of Taipei 101, the world’s tallest completed building.

Ching’s paintings were among those chosen for the Asia Art Link Exhibition, which has been touring around the world.

 During a visit to Taipei 101 on the invitation of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO)  and the Government Information Office (GIO) of Taiwan,  Ching extolled of his art concept which depicts  Filipino  kids.  

Ching showed one of his favorite works which he called the “Dream Carousel II.”

“This shows a young girl on a rocking horse attached to strings hanging on the clouds. Her movements are constant and smooth, but the young girl does not know where she is going, whether it would be the positive or negative path of life,” Ching explained, adding that the strings which are in various colors refer to the dreams of the girl, the dreams of her youth. 

Ching said he used graphite to show a black and white image which reflects the girl’s soul.

“This is the work I brought to represent our country in this art exhibition. This is what a Filipino is, having a bright future,” said Ching. 

Ching teamed up with other artists for exhibits in other countries. One of them is Jeho Bitancor, also a Filipino; the others were a Vietnamese and a Malaysian. They began exhibiting together in different countries. Their first exhibit was in Malaysia two years ago. They then linked up with other Asian artists from Japan, Laos, Korea, and Taiwan.

“It grew bigger,” said Ching, who proudly announced that the Philippines will host the next Asian Art Link exhibit in October 2010. 

“It is a great honor knowing that Filipinos are world-renowned for their artistic inclinations,” said Ching.

The exhibition at Taipei 101 is called “Top of the World:  Asia Art Link Exhibition.” Other Filipino works exhibited at Taipei 101 were “Read My Lips” by Dennis Gonzales;  “Pamana (Inheritance)” by Jeho Bitancor;  “Jollijeep” by Norman Dreo;  and  “Cruzifix”, a sculpture made of metal forks by Roen Capule.