The return of Neil Manalo

Tall, quiet and reserved, Antipolo-based artist Neil Manalo has distinguished himself in all the local major art awards, including a two-time juror’s choice finish at the prestigious Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards. In 2000, he was conferred the Thirteen Artists Award by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. After a trailblazing 10 years of a young artist’s career, Manalo took a long pause to reassess his work.

“For years, I have been painting for competitions,” says Manalo. “I realize an artist can get trapped in that habit. I started to think how I could develop works for exhibitions instead of contests.”

Manalo’s award-winning works were all about ordinary people being affected by the conflict of political and societal forces.

“These battles of good versus evil were influenced by the moro-moro and komedya,” explains the artist. “I wanted to show that life is like a moro-moro play where the two sides of good and evil vie for a man’s soul. In my work, I see different forces in society that are after transforming children’s innocence.”

His new paintings in the “Dumadaan” series, however, depict a different scenario. Manalo’s exhibit at Art Informal — which opens on Aug. 11, 6 p.m. — features the artist’s new series that shows no contestation, but a parade of characters from both camps of the komedya. The show is on view until Aug. 30.

“My new paintings show that neither good nor bad people actually have center stage,” says Manalo. “Both sets of people are just part of a grand march or pilgrimage. And as an artist, I am but an interested observer. I see how these forces, these people come and go. They are all part of a cast to a large play that is life.”

The new works are done in acrylic on canvas in a horizontal format. All of the works present Manalo’s deft handling of tone and color to accentuate dramatic lighting. The result is a series that has the power of Manalo’s earlier work, notably his TV series of the 1990s. The highlight piece of that series is a large canvas titled “Nang Muli’y Biglang Sumingit ang Tagapagparangal” (1992), now part of the Singapore Art Museum collection. Manalo recently visited the work at the Singapore Heritage Conservation Center where it currently rests after being shown in Beijing for the First Asian Art Museum Directors Forum last September 2006. The said work is also featured on a set of buses plying routes in Singapore’s business district as part of the Museum’s campaign for bringing art to the public. Manalo’s work is the only Filipino featured in the campaign.

“It is a popular work,” says Zhen Min, assistant curator for SAM. “When we get requests from our director to have it pulled out from the conservation center, the technicians would remark, ‘Oh it’s that large painting again with the angels and the TV!’ Everyone at the Center and the Museum is fond of it.”

Boosted by this welcome accolade from Singapore, Manalo hopes to revisit the TV series and probably make a new set for his upcoming shows at the Lion City for the year’s end and for next year. The shows will be co-produced by Manalo’s art manager Ronnel Britania of Britania Art Projects.

“It is a pity that Neil Manalo’s work is not given its due in the local art market,” says Britania on his assessment of Manalo’s work.

What we have now is a more mature artist in Neil Manalo, Britania adds. “His style may have become more refined, but nonetheless his iconography is truly his. A Manalo work has the signature style recognizable among his peers. People overlook the fact that Neil is a Salingpusa artist as was Elmer Borlongan, Mark Justiniani, Emmanuel Garibay and Ferdinand Montemayor.”

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Neil Manalo’s ‘Dumadaan’ solo exhibit is organized by the Britania Art Projects (britania.artprojects@gmail.com) and will be on view Aug. 30 at Art Informal, 277 Connecticut St., Greenhills East, San Juan City. A public opening of his show will take place in Art Informal on Aug. 11, 6 p.m. For inquiries, call 725-8518.