Artist Rum Corvera pays tribute to the women who have shaped him
Many types of women filled Rum Corvera’s just-concluded solo exhibition “XOXO, Tiya” at the Village Art Gallery. Growing up, the artist was surrounded by strong beautiful women who served as the inspiration for his latest exhibit.
“When I was invited to do a solo exhibition by Village Art Gallery, we knew we wanted to focus on women. The clearest idea didn’t come to fruition until I was binge-watching my favorite show at that time, 'Downton Abbey.' I started to dig deeper. I was surrounded by strong women, from my aunts in our small Filipino community in the middle east to my teachers who taught me not only about academics but also life in general,” he says.
The gorgeous collection features the different “tiyas” in Rum’s life who taught him about values and morals. “These women helped shape me with their values and morals. As I grew older and started working, I encountered other versions of ‘titas’ or ‘tiyas’ who were more glamorous with interesting personalities, which were different from the ladies I grew up with who were more modest. I got to hear them tell gossip to each other and intriguing stories over a fabulous soiree. Over time, I get to see that my friends and I are at that point in our lives where we often joke around saying that we are now part of the ‘Titas of Manila.’ So sometimes I place myself in the shoes of those women I worked with just to visualize what it would be like them, how their minds work, and how they feel. I found that beyond the glitz and glamour these are powerful women who are sensitive and inspiring but are still being judged by society. So I decided to dedicate my exhibit as sort of a love letter to these strong beautiful women who became part of my life whom, someday, I aspire to be,” he says.
For those who still believe that women can’t do anything beyond the kitchen, Rum’s stories would tell you otherwise.
“Tiya is my idol. I hope that someday I could be nearly as strong, independent, loving, sensitive, and inspiring as them. They may be flawed but they worked around it and made it their own. Being gay sometimes I felt judged by society as well and I find that my struggles resemble that of women who are trying to make it in this world, where society thinks of us as the lesser. We both strive to achieve perfection or flawlessness to avoid any judgment by other people even by today’s standards,” says Rum.
‘I decided to dedicate my exhibit as sort of a love letter to these strong beautiful women who became part of my life whom, someday, I aspire to be.’
Like women, Rum chose to be brave in this exhibit, experimenting with new techniques and mediums. It makes sense to choose women as his subject. In a world still ruled by men, women are still trying to find their place in this “equal” society, much like the LGBT community who still aspire to be accepted as themselves.
“I tried something new with my pieces for this exhibit, which was a gamble. I hadn’t really done it before. I don’t really know if it will work well but I guess the outcome says otherwise. I always love to experiment and to try something new, so I guess that’s what excites me the most in this whole journey. Before, I thought my favorite part was when my pieces were sold (laughs hysterically) but now I think it’s how people will go out of their way just to show support. I’ve had some friends and acquaintances intentionally travel from north to south just to view my exhibit and I think knowing that they did that genuinely and that they like my pieces, it makes all the hard work worth it,” he says.
What stood out in his collection is Tiya Aliya, with her gigantic earrings and polished leather bag trying to balance teacups on her head. Her face was perfectly contoured with makeup and eyeshadow. In the depths of her eyes are her stories of hard work and the journey she has taken to get to where she is now.
“Tiya Aliya is the piece that I used for the exhibit’s poster. I chose her because out of all the pieces in my exhibit she was the most Asian looking while most of them have western features. I dubbed her as ‘one of the prettiest faces I’ve ever made’ because that’s how drawn I was to her. Apart from that I believe she embodied the whole message of the exhibit. I believe my style for this show has a hint of art nouveau, contemporary art, and symbolism,” he says.
While Rum did a fabulous job honoring the various women and the different “tiyas” in society, women also served as the people who shaped Rum into the person that he is now.
“I think they did a fantastic job since I turned out to be gay, but in all seriousness, I became more sensitive, loving, and compassionate, which I think is important, especially as I deal with people with varying personalities. I became fully and unapologetically accepting of who I am and what I can do. I also learned that no matter what you do in life, people will always have something to say, so might as well live your life according to your rules and give them a show,” ends Rum.