Alcoseba: A Three-Man Exhibit of Darby, Tony, and Vidal Jr.

CEBU, Philippines – The year-end exhibit for 2015 at Qube Gallery sheds some light over the long-standing question of whether artists are born or made. The exhibit presents works by three visual artists of one bloodline - Vidal "Ondo" Alcoseba Jr., his brother Antonio "Tony" Alcoseba and Tony's son, Darby Vincent Alcoseba.

The Alcoseba family holds a special place in Cebu's creative arts arena, owing to the fact that five Alcosebas across four generations have made indelible marks in Cebu's visual art scene.

Jose Trinidad Alcoseba - the grandfather of Tony and Ondo, fondly known as "Noy Peping" - was a founding member of the Cebu Art Association formed in 1936. This group is widely attributed to be the first artist organization in the country, first headed by Julian Jumalon.

Noy Peping's passion for the arts inspired his children (Vidal Sr., Wigberto and Leo) and grandchildren to follow in his footsteps. Vidal Sr. - the father of Tony and Ondo - was very much popular among art cliques and circles.

Over the years, both Tony and Ondo have made their marks as visual art maestros - Tony earning a distinction as master of the watercolor medium; Ondo carving a reputation for abstract expressionist paintings. Darby Vincent - the son of Tony - didn't stray far from his forbearers' career paths being a full time award-winning artist himself.

Titled "Alcoseba: A 3-Man Exhibit of Darby, Tony and Vidal Jr.," the current show at The Qube Gallery at Crossroads, in Banilad, is a collection of the series of works made by two generations of artists. The works have been apparently crafted by an innate love for colors; punctuated by an amalgamation of the 'standard' and the 'unorthodox'.

Turning the commonplace into something unique, each of the show's pieces bear the mark of their creators' individual flairs - transcending ideas, actions and aspirations into wall-mountable visual tableaus that are open to individual viewer's interpretation.

Rendering scenes that raise questions about bogus sympathy, the validity of social commentaries, the value in celebrations and the irony in a currency's devaluation, the exhibit does not exactly have one binding theme - save that its showcased works are crafted by members of the Alcoseba family.

As such, one could presume that its presentation would lead to a straight answer to the question mentioned at the opening of this article. But it doesn't, in the strictest of tenses. It also steers viewers to other pertinent questions: "Just what is art, really?", "Why do artists do what they do?" and "What compels an artist to create?"

Far be it for the show to leave its viewers high and dry, one may discern an answer by simply dropping by the exhibit. It runs until Monday, January 11.