Cobcobo’s crossovers

Now that artists are encouraged to cross the space between different artistic media and come up with hybridized forms of expression (which are, consequently, almost always installation art), rare is the practitioner who can compartmentalize the genres, employ masterfully their respective techniques, and pull off a startling and anxiety-free work that, while following the rules, evokes something wildly original and resonant.

Such an artist is Joey Cobcobo, who is well-versed in painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation art and video and sound art, among other fields. His recent exhibit, “Perata X Pinirata” at Art Informal, testified to his versatility.  The subjects and themes range from religious motifs to symbols related to his Igorot-Ilocano heritage.  The 30 artworks constitute a kind of narrative of his artistic growth in a decade.

Showcasing his fluency in both representation and abstraction, his paintings are rooted in and nourished by a palpably authentic contemplation on identity, self and one’s place in the world. Master printmaker Pandy Aviado remarked in the exhibition text for the show: “(Cobcobo’s) present is a juxtaposition of shapes and images that unfolds through time.”

Portrait of a puppet maker: In his community engagement in Yokohama, Japan as part of the artist residency program he received from Koganecho Bazaar, Joey Cobcobo interviewed artists and artisans, one of whom was Orimo Sachiko, a kami puppet maker. She is one of the subjects in Cobcobo’s current exhibition, “Grand: Ojisan/Obasan,” on view at Pinto Art Museum.

For his current exhibit, “Grand: Ojisan/Obasan” on view until Dec. 13 at the Pinto Art Museum in Silangan Gardens, No. 1 Sierra Madre St. Grand Heights Antipolo City, Joey picks up the thread of his “Lola 101” show which he began in 2009 at the Avellana Art Gallery and revisited in 2013 in a multi-gallery exhibition shown at Avellana, Ortigas Foundation and BenCab Museum and for which he was shortlisted for the Ateneo Art Awards the following year.

In this ongoing project, Joey interviewed grandparents about their life and recollections using a recording device. “After an hour of conversation, I needed to plot my summary immediately through visual imprints of portrait by rubbing, inking and tracing flowers, leaves, fruits and stems,” Joey explains in his artist statement. Usually, the organic materials are sourced within or near the vicinity where the subject lives.  These objects establish the vital connection between self and geography. The imprinted cloth is adorned around the edges with embroidery done by Joey’s mother and is hung on a line and secured with wood clothespins. In the background, the interviews are played in a loop, giving voice and identity to the portraits.

Tracing his roots: In his early works, Cobcobo explored his Ifugao-Ilocano heritage, such as in the painting, “Eros and Tanatos,” which was part of the “Perata X Pinirata” show at Art Informal last September. This work from 2004 would become a springboard to more nuanced examinations of the artist’s identity in the world.

For this particular series at Pinto, the CCP Thirteen Artists awardee interacted with male (ojisan) and female (obasan) seniors of Yokohama City, Japan, where Joey resided for two months as part of the artist residency program he received from the Koganecho Bazaar early this year. There, he interacted with the local artisans, interviewed the personalities that would become part of the exhibit, and even made a water pump using traditional materials for the community. During his stay, Joey was aware of the value of establishing connections: “I must build good relationships with people around me, collaborate with them properly, understand their culture as I dig up my own identity.”

By bringing this project to another country, Joey underscores the common humanity of old folks from two different cultures by presenting their time-worn faces in playful impressions on pieces of cloth and personal histories through audio-visual documentation. While the project is girdled by the looming mortality of the subjects, Joey draws our attention to the pulsing vitality that resides at the core of every ojisan and obasan, the fierceness of their devotions and the small and grand narratives that constitute and give structure to a long and varied life.