The sight and fury
November 25, 2005 | 12:00am
Juan Caguicla doesn’t like to be called an artist. Nothing big about it though, he stresses. It’s just that the term applies to many things the young photographer claims he has no connection with, too many weighty allusions and obscure meanings. Despite having long hair up to his waist, body tattoos and general disdain written perpetually over his face, he still won’t have any of it. "I take pictures," he says flatly. "That’s it."
Only that isn’t just it. His work is easily recognizable: killing Giselle Toengi four different ways, four different places; Dalinian eggs covering a martian Filipina; Ronnie Lazaro scaring and screaming rape and abortion against Amanda Griffin and Georgina Wilson; an LVN Technicolor romance with Cronenbergian gynecological instruments for operating on mutant women; Mark Gil with only smoke and mirrors covering his guilt and grief at a dearly departed loved one; police brutality and beauty; Cthulhu madness…to name but a few. Combining the soul of a classic style and the imagination of an anarchist, Caguicla’s work is as distinctive as his appearance.
Educated at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts in Diliman, Caguicla enrolled in a photography class as part of his requirement for a degree in visual communication. At the time, he was toying with the idea with the idea of becoming a painter while seriously dressing up like a rock star. But he soon found himself enraptured by the medium of photography and the process of film. He became insatiable for any bit of information or instruction about cameras and photographic techniques. Soon after, he waved goodbye to his band-mates in a grindcore outfit he doesn’t even care to name and sold all his guitars to buy his first proper camera. It wasn’t long that he started skipping class to do his first commercial jobs. Deciding in his third year of college that his studies were interfering with his education, he dropped out and became a full-time photographer.
Caguicla hasn’t stopped working since. Aside from doing advertising/commercial photography for the likes of Rockwell and foreign cosmetic brand Shu Uemura, his editorial work has appeared in all the major glossies. He also regularly contributes to the pages of YStyle. In 2004, he was tapped by the United Nations to travel and take pictures of Uzbekistan and its citizens for the UNICEF catalogue – an experience that can be summed up by the Kafkaesque predicament of being hauled off his feet by four armed uniformed men for looking too intently at a building. "It’s an interesting life," says Caguicla without too much emphasis.
His ongoing exhibit hosted by the Alliance Francaise called "Works 2004-05" is a scrapbook of sorts, "a chronicle of interesting times" to crib a title of a Gregorio C. Brillantes’ book. Consisting only of black-and-white photographs, they showcase Caguicla’s sense of cinematic drama and delicate shadow-play. All of his subjects are female, eidolons that haunt their landscapes with terrible beauty.
"Again, they’re just pictures I took," he says once he hears me mention "eidolon" – a word he’s never used in his life.
Will he allow me to use it though?
"That’s you’re job: to write. I…" He raises his eyebrow as if to allow me to fill the blank.
Juan Caguicla’s "Works 2004-05" is on display at the Alliance Francaise Annex, 2nd Floor, LRI Building, Reposo St., Makati. Show will run until Nov. 30.
Only that isn’t just it. His work is easily recognizable: killing Giselle Toengi four different ways, four different places; Dalinian eggs covering a martian Filipina; Ronnie Lazaro scaring and screaming rape and abortion against Amanda Griffin and Georgina Wilson; an LVN Technicolor romance with Cronenbergian gynecological instruments for operating on mutant women; Mark Gil with only smoke and mirrors covering his guilt and grief at a dearly departed loved one; police brutality and beauty; Cthulhu madness…to name but a few. Combining the soul of a classic style and the imagination of an anarchist, Caguicla’s work is as distinctive as his appearance.
Educated at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts in Diliman, Caguicla enrolled in a photography class as part of his requirement for a degree in visual communication. At the time, he was toying with the idea with the idea of becoming a painter while seriously dressing up like a rock star. But he soon found himself enraptured by the medium of photography and the process of film. He became insatiable for any bit of information or instruction about cameras and photographic techniques. Soon after, he waved goodbye to his band-mates in a grindcore outfit he doesn’t even care to name and sold all his guitars to buy his first proper camera. It wasn’t long that he started skipping class to do his first commercial jobs. Deciding in his third year of college that his studies were interfering with his education, he dropped out and became a full-time photographer.
Caguicla hasn’t stopped working since. Aside from doing advertising/commercial photography for the likes of Rockwell and foreign cosmetic brand Shu Uemura, his editorial work has appeared in all the major glossies. He also regularly contributes to the pages of YStyle. In 2004, he was tapped by the United Nations to travel and take pictures of Uzbekistan and its citizens for the UNICEF catalogue – an experience that can be summed up by the Kafkaesque predicament of being hauled off his feet by four armed uniformed men for looking too intently at a building. "It’s an interesting life," says Caguicla without too much emphasis.
His ongoing exhibit hosted by the Alliance Francaise called "Works 2004-05" is a scrapbook of sorts, "a chronicle of interesting times" to crib a title of a Gregorio C. Brillantes’ book. Consisting only of black-and-white photographs, they showcase Caguicla’s sense of cinematic drama and delicate shadow-play. All of his subjects are female, eidolons that haunt their landscapes with terrible beauty.
"Again, they’re just pictures I took," he says once he hears me mention "eidolon" – a word he’s never used in his life.
Will he allow me to use it though?
"That’s you’re job: to write. I…" He raises his eyebrow as if to allow me to fill the blank.
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