Artists, culture of art , Baguio City Philippines
To Baguio City Artists,
Art will remain the most astonishing activity of
mankind born out of struggle between wisdom and
madness, between dream and reality in our mind."
Magdelena Abakanowicz. It is not surprising that
Baguio City has produced a fine crop of Artists, whom
through their trail and error, have persisted in
finding beauty, expressing pain, compassion and
insight into filipino culture. Baguio has an
underlying essence of Art and Cultural traditions that
has gone on through the years of our existence.
Sitting there staring at one particular painting, this
is what I saw: Little children huddled up in the
dark, mouths open, screaming; their hands covering
their ears with an absolutely terrified look in their
eyes. It was almost as if the painting itself was
screeching and screaming. I have never in my entire
life seen art with such desire and emotion flooding
off the canvas. Clean strokes and simple features of
the children are a subtle emphasis of human
characteristics. This painting held a realism, but
had an unimaginable quality of the expressed fear.
This is but one of the many paintings done by talented
Filipino Artists. In a culture that by the outside
world is considered so poor, we as a cultural are rich
in our artists; as they are bringing back awareness
into our communities.
They continuously raise social, political and
cultural issues that demand attention. And for this I
thank you. Thank you for allowing the world to
again
appreciate the happiness despite the poverty. To
appreciate again the hardworking woman and the caring
father. To appreciate the nonsensical off-key voice
of the local karaoke bar singer. To find appreciation
in all aspects of our culture and to finally lift this
veil of poverty we hold over our heads.
You see it in the display, the strokes, the thickness,
in the colors, in the expression, spaces, shapes, and
tones. Art is not a piece of literature that you read
with your eyes, but it sets a tone, an emotional
expression that relates to some part of you. It
speaks louder than words read off a page. And it
says: Listen. Listen to what the Philippines is
saying. This is what the people are saying. And as I
listen I have great expectations and predictions for
this unveiling.
Baguio city is full of voices speaking through their
art. These aspiring artists can submit their work to
rballungay@webcoastdesign.com A multitude of artwork
can also be found specifically in the village, but
it's very easy to find paintings in local coffee
shops, and cafes throughout the entire city. You can
learn more about the community of Baguio City at
www.baguiodirectory.com To all the Baguio Artists,
keep the art flowing and Thank You!
Live for art and in Art
Every great work of art has two faces, one toward
its own time and one toward the future, toward
eternity. Daniel Barenboim
Lynn Kalashian
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Written by: Lynn Kalashian
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