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| Photo by Mark Salvatus |
Siete Pesos is a group of seven
artists from Cagayan De Oro City. The members include Oscar “Oca” A. Floirendo,
Nicolas “Nick” Aca, Jr., Errol P. Balcos, Michael E. Bacol, Michelle
HollanesLua, Jericho VljustoVamenta, and Ma Rosalie Zerrudo. For this
interview, four members got together in an outdoor café in Divisoria, Cagayan
de Oro. (Interviewed on October 17, 2013 in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, Interviewer:
Mayumi Hirano)
*******************
O: Oca A. Floirendo / N:
Nick Aca / E: Errol P. Balcos / M: Michael E. Bacol
Congratulations on your participation in this
year’s Singapore Biennale. I understand that the Siete Pesos was formed for the
Biennale. How didthe group come together?
O: We
have been friends for quite awhile. Though we may have our own individual
practices, we maintain our interaction and from time to time have a number of
group shows as well as collaboration art projects before. We heard about the
biennale from the head curator Chitz Ramirez. A lot of us attended an open call
forum/ meeting held here in CDO by Mr. Abe Garcia (Mindanao curator) and Ms
Joyce Toh SAM senior curator. We were introduced for the first time what a
prestigious international art event like the biennale looks like. Needless to
say, we were intimidated, hesitant and challenged. During the open forum, I
shared my idea of applying for the biennale by using my father’s invention (motorela)
as my art piece/concept. Further discussions were made and I realized that my
fellow artists have their own inputs on my concept. I further realized, that a
collaboration with my fellow local artists friends for the motorela would be
far more stronger as an art piece/concept than just my own single vision. So
after the forum, I contacted all my friends and ask them if they want to collaborate
with me for the motorela project. Six of them answered yes, so we eventually
named our team/group as SIETE PESOS. Seven for 7 artists, seven for PHP7.00
regular fare, and seven for 7 standard capacity passengers in a motorela..
What are the plans for the
Singapore Biennale?
O: “Moving Forward” is a
concept and project that will use a utilitarian object like the motorela as a
“vehicle” of our expression of how we “move forward from the tragedy that we
went through as a city, as a community and as individual artists during the
typhoon tragedy “Sendong” to do this, we plan to acquire a used 2nd
hand body of the motorela and refurbished it with a lot of elements such as
metal brass etching, stainless steel grooving/embossing in okil inspired patterns
as well as okil inspired wood cuts…the process itself will include community
involvement so as to represent the community as well as the ourselves. we made
use of craftsmen in the motorela industry as well as our plan to give art
workshops for children in flood prone areas..
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| Installation at Singapore Biennale 2013, Photo by Mark Salvatus |
M: We
already gave 2 workshops for kids in the affected areas. We gave a blank pop-up
motorela card during the workshops so that kids can draw and color on it to
make their own versions. One workshop was with 60 kids and the other one with 25
students. We are going to exhibit the works of the children in the Singapore
Biennale.
O: We will exhibit them inside the motorela, sopeople can pull it out
from the shelves and read it. We collaborated to do the same workshop with kids
several years ago. This time, we refined the pop-up design. Beautiful isn’t it?
Actually, the workshop is not the first time for
us to collaborate. After the disaster of the storm Sendong, we had an
exhibition entitled “Watermark” in a gallery in Manila. All of us were involved
in this show. I see our project for Singapore Biennale an offshoot of the
Watermark show. I think these two are connected.
I learned that the tropical storm Sendong caused a
catastrophic damage in the Mindanao in December 2011.
M: In
Cagayan de Oro, it triggered flash floods along the Cagayan River. The houses
in my neighborhood, Consolacion, were affected also. Nick’s neighborhood was
also affected.
E: My
studio too.
O: Errol
had to climb up to the roof to save his life.
E: I managed
to go up on the wall, wearing onlyshorts and having a cell phone in my hand. Most
of my neighbors died. It took only few secondsfor the water to arrive, because
of the river. It’s a thick river, mixed with mud. The problem withmy housewas
that Icouldn’t get out. The door was locked because of the water pressure. There
was a hole on the door, so I went through the hole to escape.
O: It’s
a miracle.
E: I was
able to go outside, and climbed up to the wall of my neighbors. I stayed there
for one night. The rescue team came in the morning.
M: I
was lucky. When the flood came, our dog barked. So I was like “what's that?” I saw
water coming into the house. It came so fast, so I quickly went up.
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| © Siete Pesos |
Earlier, you mentioned about your previous
collaboration for the Watermark exhibition in Manila. I would like to learn about
the contemporary art scene here - Is there an infrastructure that supports
contemporary art in Cagayan De Oro? In terms of exhibition venues, what are the
options for artists to show their works?
O: We
have only few museums and galleries, and all of them are school-based. There are
no commercial galleries.
E: Before
Michael had a gallery called COBALT but it lasted only for a year, because there
was no market to support the space. There was also Sibay Creative Space somewhere
near the airport. It lasted only 6 months.
O: Most
of the commercial galleries here were short lived, just because there is no
market. Think of the fact that it took us a foreign prestigious museum for them
to recognize the cultural value of motorela. I’d like to challenge the public
institutions here. They say that they have the budget for art, but nothing is
happening. We don't know where it goes. I have to say it's frustrating.
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| SIBAY Creative Space |
E:
Sibay Creative Space was an artist-run space. Before it became a gallery, it
was an artist studio, called Sibay Creative Space. It's just like a studio with
a wall showing alot of paintings. We were 6 artists before, sharing the rent. I
was the one who was living there. If you have a visitor from Manila or Cebu or
other cities, they can stay there for free, they just need to buy their own food.
There were many artists from Bacolod and Manila who stayed there also. The
space lasted for 3 years, and then in the end I was the only one paying the
rent. You know, artists have their own priorities like having a family. So you
cannot really control that. When I participated in an artist residency program
inAngono, I closed the space. I stayed there for 3 months.
How about art schools?
E: No,
there are only workshops. Artists study in Manila or Cebu, and most of the
artists are self-taught. Like me, I studied architecture, drafting.
O: I'm
a graduate of UP College of Fine Arts in Diliman.
Do you have active curators based Cagayan de Oro?
O: Nick
is a curator.
N: Not
really.
O: Yes,
he is a curator. He curates our shows, and also he is a curator for the Museum
of Three Cultures at the Capitol University.Manila-based curator, the late Bobi
Valenzuela gave us a seminar or workshop on curation. Here I also want to
mention, Claro Ramirez. He mentored us when he invited us to Manila for an
exhibition “North of the South”.
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| Group Exhibition, To The South, Museum of the Three Cultures Art Gallery at Capitol University |
M: There
is no professional curator here. Artists are challenged to curate.
E: It's
a kind of our work also. If you want to invite curators from Manila, you spend
money on airfare and stuff like that, and it can be very expensive. So we are
trying our best to do it ourselves. We of course do research.
O: We
do what the gallery managers do in Manila. Aside from making artwork, we spend
time on doing things like, making posters and invitations and call people.
E: I
even do hanging, lighting and cleaning. It’s alsoa part of curatorial work,
isn’t it? I cannot write, so I just needto get a writer to write about the artwork.
But aside from that, I do whatever needed. It’s important.
O: That’s
why artists cannot finish artwork before the show opening.
E: I
think curatorial work is different from art making, but we have to do it
because we don't have a curator.
Are there active crossovers among different
creative genres, like music, design, architecture and such?
O: We
do collaborations, especially with theatre groups. We organize performance or
live music during the exhibition opening.
E: I do
percussions. I have a band, and we sometimes practice. We have to do other
things to enjoy ourselves. In the past, we had a group called, Red Lambago. It’s
an art collective composed of people in theatre, music, literature and visual
art, performance art. This lasted for 3 years, I think. We used to have a
yearly show during the Independence Day, June 12th, which we called KAGAWASAN,
meaning freedom. It was a big event of performance, poetry reading, music and
fashion show. We held it in our friend’s bar.
O: One
of the reasons why these projects don’t sustain is because of money.
E: Some
are also busy with their own work. Until 2009 or so, we were very active as Red
Lambago but after some of the artists went abroad, activities slowed down.
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| © Errol Balcos |
There was also Oro Arts Guild. Can you tell me more
about that?
E: Yes,
that's one thing kept artists together. It was organized by some senior
artists, who were also members of a regional group of Art Association of
Philippines. Then they started to make their own group in Cagayan de Oro, which
was Oro Arts Guild. I think it was some time around 1994 or 1995. I joined the
group in 1996, when I was still a student. I met many senior artists. The group
had so many members because they were actively recruiting. I would say there
were about 50 artists, but in the end we became like 10. Some had different
ideas and priorities.
O: There
were also other groups. They formed their own groups in CDO according to their
own interests. Oro Arts Guild was more going into the contemporary direction,
and some members were into the realistic traditional expressions.
Did you work on a project together as Oro Arts
Guild? How did it function as a group?
O: We
worked individually and as a group. We also facilitated workshops for street
children for free without any support from the local government. We had yearly
exhibits, festivals at the local fiesta. We did it in museums, alternative
spaces like hotels or malls.
E: We
don't like working in hotels and malls, so we do it in the museums. Sometimes
the way the malls handled our shows was very discouraging. It can be very
unprofessional sometimes. When they have events, they would pull our exhibition
aside and after the event they would put it back. Of course, we don’t want it
to happen like that.
Do you have a strong network with other cities in
Mindanao?
M: Actually
we had a traveling show, called Panit Bukog, meaning “skin and bone.” It
included artists from Davao, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog and Zamboanga. We
had it for 3 years. We are planning to revive it by adding more cities.
Actually this traveling exhibition has influenced how we work – we became to
think and work in more contemporary terms. We went beyond the typical landscape
painting and still-life paintings. Mr. Bobi Valenzuela opened our eyes.
O: In
Davao. I think they have galleries. They even have art schools, such as Ford
Academy, Philippine Women’s University and University of Mindanao. Here there
is no college of fine arts. In Cagayan de Oro, we learnt on our own, because of
our mentor, Bobi. We want to credit him for bringing us to the contemporary
world. We started early. I would also say the Philippine Art Awards gave us the
opportunity to show our stuff nationally. Working outside Mindanao matures our
practice slowly. There was also Sungdu-an, a curated show that travelled around
the country, which Michael was part of.
Will you share your ideas in regards to the
possible development of a sustainable platform for contemporary art in Cagayan
de Oro? What are the roles of artists in this effort?
O: For
me, I want to nurture the knowledge to understand the value of culture. I guess
instead of being frustrated and grumbling about it.
M: As
a painter, I try to share my talent to the community. I also reach out to the
children. I’m planning to teach the schools in our barangay by organizing art
workshop.
N: I
try to show what’s happening in the city through performance. Most of the
times, what’s happening here is tragic.My performance is based onpolitical,
environmental, ecological issues.
O: You
should see his performance. He literally intervenes the landscape of the city. I
think it's important that he actually does it in the public space. I would like
to raise awareness of cultures for people here. Artists pay bills also. Corporations
and government asks us to do things for free. They will say it’ll be a
promotion for us. That’s the kind of mentality I want to change.
E: There
are people who want to buy and collect artworks here. So I try to tell them to
be careful with buying art, because they don’t necessarily have the knowledge
of art. You have to know who made it, and where the idea comes from. This basic
thing is important especially in a small city like this,because there are artists
who copy other artists’ styles.I always tell them to consult the artists,
before you buy an artwork. I think it’s important for people to learn about art
to develop appreciation before becoming a collector. People can just say “oh,
this is beautiful.” But it’s dangerous. It can be just a copy from Internet, or
magazines and books. Sometimes, ignorance creates a bad impression of arts in CDO,
so I continue to share my knowledge for the betterment of art.
M: We
get together with younger artists over beer. It's up to them if they want to listen
to us. Anyway we share our ideas with them.
X
Oscar A. Floirendo (b.
1970) received
his Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) at the University of the Philippines,
Diliman. He has exhibited in galleries and museums such as Manila Contemporary,
MO Space, Ion Art Gallery (Singapore), Cultural Center of the Philippines and
the Philippine National Museum. His works are often mixed media and process
driven, revolving on social and contemporary commentaries. He was a selected
participant in the 2009 Sungduan 5, a national exhibition by the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts. He was awarded as one of the Top Ten
Mindanao artists in 2007 and 2009; and won the Juror's Choice Award of
Excellence of the Philippine Art Awards in 2008.
Nicolas
“Nick”Aca,
Jr. (b. 1969) received his Bachelor's degree of Architecture in 1995 at Cagayan
de Oro College. Presently, he is a resident artist and gallery curator of the
Museum of Three Cultures in Capitol University. Aside from a prolific mixed
media artist, his performance art deals with issues in the environment,
poverty, and local politics. He has been participating in group shows in manila
and performances in the Cultural Center of the Philippines. As one of the Top
Ten Mindanao artists of the Philippine Art Awards 2009, he believes that the
pursuit and production of true and good art require honesty of intention more
than a truthfulness of perspective. If these are present, then all else will
follow; the artist fulfills itself.
Errol
P. Balcos (b.1976) is a self-taught
artist with a formal education in Architectural Drafting at Mindanao University
of Science and Technology in the Philippines. He has participated in group
exhibitions in galleries and museums such as Manila Contemporary Gallery, West
Gallery, Yuchengco Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Manila and the Philippine
National Museum in Manila. Aside from being one of the Top Ten Mindanao
Finalist of The Philippine Art Awards 2007, he also won the Juror's Choice
Award of Merit in 2008 Philippine Art Awards. He was a selected participant in
the 2009 Sungduan 5, a national exhibition by the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts. A painter and a sculptor, his works dwells on figurative
subjects that tackle social realism and contemporary issues.
Michael
E. Bacol (b. 1977) received his formal
education from Mindanao University of Science and Technology in the Philippines
taking up mechanical engineering technology. He worked as a mechanical
engineering technician before becoming a full-time visual artist and art
teacher. Michael is a self-taught artist and one of the most promising young
artists to emerge from the community of Cagayan de Oro City. He is an active
member of Oro Art Guild Inc. His works combine sensitivity and mastery in
craft, resulting in works with very strong socio-political, socio-economic and
socio-religious orientation. He has exhibited extensively with galleries such
as Cultural Center of the Philippines, Finale Art gallery, Philippine National
Museum, Manila Contemporary and Yuchengco Museum. For the past few years he has
won national recognition as a finalist and semifinalist in Metrobank's “MADE” art
competition, and in 2003 he was selected to participate in Sungdu-an 3, a major
travelling art exhibition organized by the National Commission on Culture and
the Arts. In 2005, he was a grant recipient on the six-month residency program
at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California and International
Studio and Curatorial Program in the Big Apple sponsored by the Asian Cultural
Council in Philippines and New York. He also qualified as a finalist in the
Philippine Art Awards- Philip Morris Art Competition in the year 2008 and 2010.
Michael has dedicated his life in the field of arts with a burning passion that
will never be extinguished.
© Siete Pesos and the author
© Siete Pesos and the author