Delleva's Debut

CEBU, Philippines - Imagination: it is either what limits would-be artists, or elevates them and sets them apart from the disappointing pack. Without imagination fuelling an artist, there would be a dearth of surprises to spring upon audiences. There would be no unexpected pleasures, and sheer wonder would never strike an unwary museum-goer.

So, when we encounter artists with real imagination, we are awestruck. Delight floods our senses, and we have no other choice but to acknowledge the presence of genius.

Such was our reaction when we came face to face with Jay-R Delleva's break out collection, exhibited at the Orange Gallery in Bacolod City. Entitled 'MgaDagway Sang PobrengEspirito," Delleva's first one man show was a serendipitous discovery. We stumbled across canvas upon canvas of pure imagination, bursting with ideas and concepts and possibilities. Creatures from a different world, strangely familiar and yet bizarre at the same time, presenting us with flights of fancy rooted in everyday reality.

The statement that accompanies the exhibit takes a grim perspective of this collection. Purportedly, the collection is "an expression of human existence under the forces of change and the bigger scheme of life in the contemporary reality. It manifests the mixed-confused Filipino psyche, the embodied loss of folkloric myth to the urban contemporary world and the human struggle for identity and survival."

Perhaps this is the message Delleva wants to convey. After all, there are images of guns, of death, and of mysterious traps. And of course, who can miss his overriding visual theme: creatures with animals perched on top of their heads. If Delleva wanted to depict confused psyches, nothing could be as apt or as literal as a beast riding upon one's head.

Yet despite these weird and sometimes, even foreboding images (not at all helped by the deep bags underneath his denizen's eyes) there is still an innocent atmosphere permeating Delleva's canvasses. There is much to endear and to captivate.   The prime example of this, perhaps, is "Lonesome Gazer," where a back-pack toting kid with red spectacles gazes at a lone star. A bulldog is his accessory of choice, and his canine companion similarly peeks at the vast, cloud-filled sky.

"The Playground" shares this mien. A toddler wearing a bunny wabbit sits upon a rocking horse, surrounded by curious owls and birds staring at the even more curious sight before them. Much more strange, though, is the mask worn by a rocking horse: a ferocious feral dog that doesn't quite belong.

There are other (and much more) foreboding narratives waiting in "Luring the Pigs." Here, a trio of pig-headed tourists wander through a fairground, and one cycles his way into a door. We all know it is a trap: there is a skull atop the cavern. Behind the suddenly two-dimensional door (but this should have been three!) skulks a fox -helmeted figure. Is this the animal that supposedly symbolizes the crafty scheme that lured the unsuspecting victim? There are cheery balloons, indeed, but the sky is ochre tinged with charcoal - exactly the environment that should be wrapped around the impending doom.

There are still so many stories that are told by this young artist in his wondrous works. "Beauty and the Beast" features a gun-toting suitor. Is he going to propose a gun-shot marriage? Or does he actually want to end an illicit affair? Or is this as mundane as a hold-up of an innocent shopper?

"The New and Improved Pinay" has her child not only on puppet strings but on a dog leash as well. What improvement does this signify for the Filipina? That our women can now control their children with iron fists? Or is that not her child, but her spouse reduced to insignificance, seeing that he's hiding beneath her voluminous skirts?

Delleva weaves strange and inventive tales, sure to entertain us, the jaded audience. Quite a feat for someone so young. Only thirty, Jay-R graduated with an arts degree at La Consolacion College in Bacolod. He showed promise quite early, having been a Finalist at the 38th Shell National Student Art Competition(Watercolor Category) and twice a semi-finalist at the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence Awards (Oil and Acrylic, 2006 and 2010).   He hasn't been confined to these media though, as in 2004, he won third place in the Sculpture Category at the 37th Shell competition.

No doubt there are more accolades ahead for this young artist. With his imagination to waft him afloat and beyond our limited horizons, we can only wait, mesmerized, for where his wind will lead us.