CEBU, Philippines - Art is intensely personal. What may seem attractive to one person may be grotesque to another. In fact, a work of art may elicit such violent reactions that insults can be hurled, fisticuffs may spontaneously occur, and riots may suddenly erupt. Fortunately, nothing that extreme has happened to me yet, but an old friend I hold dear did slag me behind my back, wondering how on earth my tastes in art could have (under-)developed.
My eyes immediately slit into thin scimitars a la Lucy Liu. I instinctively labeled the friend as old-fashioned, and judged him as having no guts to explore the realms of art beyond what he probably saw in dusty European museums. But fortunately, I was comfortable with my own art choices, and did not see any need to launch a thermo-nuclear shirt-ripping bitch-slapping incident. More than that, I think, it was because I understood immediately that our tastes were so divergent that it was inevitable we would disagree.
Come to think of it, all my purchases have been meant for personal enjoyment, and not to please anyone else. It was in that mode that I started collecting. A small piece here, another pretty piece there. There was no intention to be a connoisseur, or to even be knowledgeable. Art was just there to be appreciated, and if along the way, one met artists, well, that was wonderful indeed.
Of course, in the current Philippine art market, this may seem like heresy. With auction prices reaching record levels and collectors stalking and hounding favorite artistes, with there being a paucity in investment alternatives and collectors simply awash with cash, the name of the game now seems to be all about investing in the right names.
So, I guess it would not be inaccurate to describe me as having gone my own merry way, away from the ravening pack. Over the years, as I have traveled Asia and beyond, my goal has been to find, first and foremost, artists whose works innately appealed to me, and second, who looked like they would continue to evolve and mature. That way, their respective journeys would make my own journey interesting.
It's been touch and go. Some artists decide to altogether stop creating and instead, go corporate. One became a graphic novel artist. One became a realtor. Some never evolve, and ten, twenty years later, they are still producing the same thing over and over.
But fortunately, that is not the fate of the lot. Other artists have matured and expanded and blossomed and God knows what else. Yes, sometimes, they tank. But sometimes, they burst into sizzling flames and prove resurrection and redemption and salvation exist. Every show or every year, they have something mind-blowingly new, and I find myself fishing my wallet out of my pocket just so I can own a piece of their soul.
When this happens, I feel privileged to have witnessed the successful journey. Maybe, I even feel partly responsible for it? After all, it was my hard earned cash that gave them the frothy non-fat latte they slurped with gusto before turning their attention back to the canvas. (Or, it could have been those eight beer cans I saw on their windowsill).
So here I suddenly find myself, curating a show for Qube Gallery. All three of the selected emerging artists are unknown in the Philippines. Two are Thai, and one is from Bacolod City. The Thai artists are formally trained, having earned their respective degrees at The Faculty of Decorative Art at Silapakorn University (that's Jirawat Pramphet) and Phetchaburi College (BFA) and Mongkut's Institute of Technology (MFA) (that's Arthit Pansuay). On the other hand, Jonray Fernandez is untrained, yet he has displayed a talent for producing arresting frames.
Are these artists producing investment pieces? I dare say they will be, if their career takes them where their talent is already inclined to go. But do I care? Not at all. Their works are already objects of beauty and awe and covetousness. They already inspire emotions and sentiments. They evoke feelings. On those bases alone, I would stock up on their works (and I have!).
Jirawat Pramphet's works are whimsical, yet gritty at the same time. His love of cats, dogs, and wolves as subjects might lead one to cuteness universe, but something feral lurks in some of his denizens.
Arthit Pansuay couldn't be more dissimilar. His subjects are stylized, mostly Caucasian featured, evoking a Conde Nast feel to his world. But one can see him shifting to more ethereal ground, especially with this show for Qube. His clouds are gauzy crowns to the characters of his imagination, their stares somehow the only solid focal points, as the entire canvass breathes of insubstantiality and other-worldliness.
Icons, in turn, fuel Jonray Fernandez's input to this show. From Hollywood, fashion, and society come the neon pop stars of Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor. My favorites are his representations of Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo, the rough renditions translating so well on camera that one wonders whether this is the impact of the digital world on this young artist.
In any case, here we have it, the lineup for Qube's three man show this July 21st entitled "InTriSection". Meant as a charity benefit for the Little Bamboo Foundation, a portion of the show's proceeds will go to support toddlers and youth in depressed areas of Cebu. (More on the foundation at www.littlebamboo.info).
As the nominal curator for InTriSection, I don't think I could have picked a better lineup to introduce to Cebu. Their art is different from what's been seen in this city, they break barriers, and they form bridges between different cultures, philosophies, and even personalities. In this corner of the city, then, I will be proud to welcome the trio of talents. And likewise, I am proud to introduce these artists to Cebu. (FREEMAN)