Take a stroll on the other side

By Stephanie Maureen F. Asi, Staff Writer

09/04/2008

Dark, convoluted images, hair-raising animal heads propped in mannequin bodies, gas masks, aliens, spiked bracelets and chokers —these are usually not part of your “everyday” art. These do not show images of the flowery, light and cheerful paintings and sculptures that most of us deem as art pieces. To some, these are nothing but grotesque interpretations reserved for the glum and the pessimistic. But one man has dared to explore this side of art and after three successful collections, he is proving that more people are understanding this take on art — making the unusual more usual without losing that sense of bewilderment and awe.

The “other” side of art that Igan D’ Bayan’s pieces present may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It may be even deemed as its darker side, the “road less travelled” when it comes to art. It entails an open-mind and inquisitive thinking to be understood. Once appreciated, it becomes all the more clear that his works are just truthful depictions of what goes on in this artist’s mind, and maybe even in ours.

Not your usual artwork

Recently, D’ Bayan mounted a solo exhibit at Crucible Gallery in Megamall. His third exhibit entitled Studies in Unnatural Histories presented the artist’s latest works consisting of 15 paintings and three sculptures. Although it bears D’ Bayan’s trademark of peculiar and convoluted interpretations, it differs from his past two collections. Noticeable is how D’ Bayan now alludes to the Filipino’s history and possible future. Icons such as the baro’t saya, barong Tagalog and the rosary, which are related to the Filipino, are present in most of the pieces. Looking at the entire collection, it could be said that this is indicative of D’ Bayan’s neo-nationalism.

“In the first (collection), Apocalypse Jukebox, I painted neo-psychedelic portraits of figures in various stages of decay and dread and assembling disparate elements such as video-game symbols, characters or situations from prog rock songs, TV iconography... As for the second show, Long Live the New Flesh, the conceit was to present monstrous, mutated figures as if they were sitting down for a portrait, and to paint them as if they were emerging from a thick chiaroscuro soup... with available lighting provided by... something so artificial that it has become extraterrestrial. For the third exhibit, I wanted to become who I am: a Filipino painter. I wanted to question institutionalized history and the very texture of memory, how the past is portrayed and documented, how the present viewer inevitably pours his or her own prejudices into it, and what the role of the artist, another faulty documenter, another biased memoirist, is in all this,” D’ Bayan explains.

These pieces adorning Crucible’s white walls would certainly stop you on your tracks even if you are inside a shopping mall and eager to hit your favorite stores. For one, it would make you go back and check if what you saw by the gallery’s window was correct. “Did I really see a mannequin with an animal head?” you might ask. If you caught sight of these bizarre images before you went past that window, you may stop out of sheer curiosity and try to make sense of the images. Is that painting really a human with a cockroach’s head? Is that really an image of death or kamatayan?

With works entitled Adam and Eve at the Dawning of the New Republic, In One End and Out the Other, Urine Nation, Bought and Sold, Philippine Gothic and They Blinded Me With Science 1 and They Blinded Me With Science 2, among others, spectators would certainly be curious of the collection. Among the most popular are Philippine Gothic for the paintings and They Blinded Me With Science 1 and They Blinded Me With Science 2 for the sculptures.

Worth seeing also is the artist’s self-portrait entitled Self-Portrait as a Misfit Monkey in Pursuit of the Proverbial Banana. In the painting is a man with a monkey’s head clutching a banana with his left hand. This “monkey-man” is wearing a typical black sleeveless shirt for men, but with a big drawing of a skull. It also wears a hat to complete the ensemble. He reveals that he painted himself as a monkey because he wants to depict “how the Filipino has been regarded during the time of the Spanish and American Occupations [as] the brown monkey.” He explains “[it] is my intepretation on how we Filipinos are often regarded abroad... I often feel like a circus monkey when I am on assignment in other countries. What more my desperate countrymen who work menial jobs just to earn a living, to provide for their families, to pursue the proverbial banana?”

Equally fascinating and a favorite among most visitors is the Philippine Gothic. This would have passed for your typical nationalistic painting with a man and a woman donning the barong and baro’t saya, if not for the skull the woman is holding and the cockroach head of the man. “It’s my take on a despotic First Couple... imposing an iron-hand rule across the land while presenting themselves as a pair who has a divine mandate and who spreads the propaganda that the man and the woman sprang forth from the earth itself... a pair whose image is of the people, by the people and for the people. But there is an underlying sense of gluttony, violence and dread in the picture,” D’ Bayan explains.

Among these, perhaps the first one to catch the eyes of passersby are the sculptures. Frightening as well as interesting are the sculptures entitled They Blinded Me With Science 1 and They Blinded Me With Science 2 with mannequin bodies painted much like anatomical models, but with heads that do not resemble a human’s, but instead of some animals’. D’ Bayan reveals that these are real animal heads. One is a pig’s and the other is a cow’s. “These anatomical models of a bull-man and a pig-man... are presented as a way of conjuring an artificial, unreal, irrational past. Like a bogus origin of our species,” he shares.

Honest art

Provocative, intense and passionate, these art pieces would soon grace the walls of those who found appreciation for D’ Bayan’s works. Surprisingly, advocates of D’ Bayan’s works are not just the typical goth or fellow artists, but people with very different interests such as lawyers, doctors and art collectors. He has carved for himself a niche in Philippine art and even internationally with a following among foreigners as well. This shows how D’ Bayan’s works have found its rightful place. An amalgam of various influences from arts and literature, his works resonate these influences ranging from the great minds of the literary world, artists both the recognized and unheard of, popular art, everyday events and many others. It reveals the intense and unusual thoughts that must be racing in his mind.

While some may perceive his art as pessimistic or connotative of doom, D’ Bayan’s works are actually thought-provoking and honest. It strips art of its “cheery” side, exposing its naked core and revealing the artist’s honest perception of what he sees in the world and life. Even I, who am a fan of the colorful art, found his works interesting, but not at first sight, I must admit. His works either immediately captivate you or repulse you. I must say that at first sight, it did the latter for me. I guess this must be the understandable reaction of someone like me who loves sunshine, rainbows, cupcakes and butterflies in art pieces. And yet, these works grew on me perhaps because of the meanings they suggest and the artist’s unpretentious representation of how he sees life and the things around it.

Works like these definitely stir one into feelings of gloom and sense of wonder all at the same time. But they also spur you into thinking. And when his artwork does find its rightful place in your home or office, it is surely one that your guests will talk about. Take a stroll to the other side. You’ll be surprised for these are usually the ones packed with great stories.

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