Rediscovering Realism

CEBU, Philippines — A creative comeback to the basics appears to be the underlying motif for art exhibits and creative presentations in Cebu lately, what with the month’s lineup of shows that belong in the figurative/representational art ring.

Exactly where this renewed interest in “painting scenes as they appear” comes from is tricky to pin down, but one thing is for sure: the past month’s exhibits prove that realism still has a place in contemporary art and that Cebuano talents are one in uplifting realism’s relegation as a commoditized form of art.

Two of the January’s art exhibits that belie the assumption that realism is too literal to have any space for creative exploration and expression were “Aninaw” and “Queen City Colrs and Hues.”

“Queen City Colors and Hues”

January 11 to 31, Cebu City Museum

“Queen City Colors and Hues” was top-billed by an impressive roster of talents. Essentially the year’s opening exhibit at the Cebu City Museum, the exhibit presented artworks by Cebuano masters Mariano “Mar” Vidal, Jose “Kimsoy” Yap, Publio “Boy” Briones, Wilfredo “Boboy” Cañete and Ramon de Dios, among many others.

The show presented how Cebu appears to its exhibiting artists, these talents who have been at the forefront of Cebu’s creative arts movements in the past couple of decades.

In a way, “Queen City Colors and Hues” and “Aninaw” proved Cebu’s standing as a bastion of the great traditions and practice of Filipino figurative art.

“Aninaw”

January 5 to 27, Montebello Villa Hotel

Artworks strewn by process-oriented methods in artmaking may have been included in the exhibit “Aninaw,” but it was the show’s curated selection of landscapes and lifescapes (content or subject-oriented works) that made it stand out.

With a title which translates to “vision,” the show was top-billed by artworks made by graduates of the University of the Philippines Cebu’s Fine Arts Program. It was a creative presentation of the sights and scenes that have captivated the fancies of its exhibiting artists.

More than being the opening highlight of Montebello Villa Hotel for 2018, “Aninaw” also doubled as the debut show of a new creative collective in Cebu.