Nagcarlan Filtrographs

Took shots of the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery Historical Landmark (Laguna, Philippines) during a curators meeting of the National Historical Institute last January 15, 2010. Here are the filtrographed versions:

 

Art as a Poor Imitation

I have always thought that imitation is not flattery. So when I think of doing a photo manipulation similar to the works of Andy Warhol, I tend to become defensive and think of it as inspiration. And honestly, I feel that my Warhol-inspired works are far from excellent. The inspiration I get from Warhol is respect for the artist who lived in a time when digital art was not en vogue. I imagine the effort and time Warhol has to devote on every piece. Amazing! Now, with emergence of a lot of softwares on digital image enhancement, anything is possible.

I still don't know how to draw the line between imitation and inspiration or adaptation. As an artist, if ever I imitate or draw inspiration from known artist, I make sure it is paying homage to his
greatness for nothing is greater than the original.

Christian Tamondong and his Whimsy’s Park

Kindergarten doodles, distorted toy images, dripping paints in nursery room colors, and things from childhood are what one immediately notices in Christian Tamondong’s works in his one-man show billed Whimsy’s Park at Gallery Nine in Mega Mall few years ago.

“There is character,” said a viewer. And she was right.

Tamondong refuses to look at others work when preparing for a show. Any thing may catch his fancy. He, however, admits Francesco Clemente, whose explicit works Filipinos may not readily accept, tops his list of artists he admires. In a way, Clemente has influenced him. But for inspiration, he draws it from Basquiat, a black graffiti artist.His fascination for these artists has helped him come up with a theme that veers away from a local flavor which he quickly dismisses as colonial mentality.

For Whimsy’s Park, it is simply about childhood sentiments and memories. “Picnic”, the centerpiece of the show, reflects a “salo-salo”- a gathering in a park amidst differences, he fondly relates. The prominent fresh paint drips are essential in allowing a sense of freedom that Christian always sees in children when obsessed with colors. His colors, evident in anyone’s childhood, bring one to a time warp making him feel a juvenile once more.When asked if Whimsy’s Park is his childhood, he kept mum. Again, he referred to it as anyone’s childhood but with a smile, he lamented on how fast a community is devoured by urbanization that there is almost no Green left.
There is a feeling of relief with this second solo exhibit since he was able to convey his repressed sentiments. They were both joyous and melancholic since he believes “an artist has no stable emotions; he can be happy for a moment then down for the next.”

His first show at the Drawing Room is simply expressive for he simply wants people to know him as an artist continuously experimenting with style and everything. “My whimsical, somewhat cartoonish work, springs from my fascination with colors and shapes. I simply aim to capture life’s truth and fancy – calm and chaos, love and hate, thus imparting fun and humor.” The ambiance of the Boulevard, public plazas and game arcades are where he gets them.

A character he truly is. At first glance, one mistakes Tamondong for a band player – cool and hipped. He started out as a greeting card artist and later found himself winning in the centennial and millennium PLDT-DPC Visual Art National Competitions and the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) Annual Art Competition. These feats, however, were not the only parts of the equation that made him an artist. With additional dedication and discipline, Tamondong views his art on canvas as a continuing process and it doesn’t stop at Whimsy’s Park.