Cautionary tales on canvas

Nature, for many artists, is the ultimate muse. From its lush flora and majestic bodies of water to the wonders that happen in its sky, the Earth has given a bounty of inspiration for humans to paint, capture in photographs, and describe in song. Just look at the masterpieces of Vincent Van Gogh and Fernando Amorsolo, see how they immortalize the beauty of nature.

But as time goes by, and as humankind makes technological advancements, it seems to come at a cost: the deterioration of nature’s beauty. And among the people who cannot just turn a blind eye to what is happening are Filipino artists. Barren lands, dying animals, and heating landscapes have replaced what used to be idyllic pictures of nature.

This April 22, the entire globe again puts its lenses on the planet that needs healing. This year, Earth Day is observed with the theme “Invest In Our Planet,” which focuses “on the effects of climate change on the planet that we all share and what efforts are being made in the real world to mitigate it” and to encourage “business leaders to get on board with a sustainable future or get out of the way.”

To mark this occasion, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle chats with Filipino visual artists as they present artworks that paint a dark future if people do not take action against global warming and climate change.

Where nature and sci-fi meet

In Rene Bituin’s world, nature plays a great role in his creative process. But unlike other artists who present the environment’s influence through expressionist takes on landscapes and florals, his works are far more contemporary, even surreal, and prophetic in some ways. His early works have, in his own words, “predicted a grim world that manifested in recent years.”

His canvases are cautionary tales of what the world might be like in the years to come—No human in sight, just trees and natural rock formations that meet elements of brutalist architecture and outsider art. Sci-fi, fantasy novels, and mythologies are also present in his pieces with black and neutral tones giving the mood of anxiety and dread.

“In painting, it is up to me to create the image that visualizes the narrative I’m trying to tell and this could take on several layers of meaning and interpretation,” says the artist. “It’s a buildup of forms and lines... Painting is how I feel but I choose not to explicitly lay it out to the viewer.”

A call to action

For contemporary artist Mikiboy Pama, art without substance is a waste of craft. A painting should not just demonstrate beauty or the artist’s skills, but must stop people, make them look beyond the image, and urge action. Since early in his career, it has been Pama’s mission to make his viewers see the world through his art. If the headlines aren’t enough to make people notice, trust that his portraits are constant reminders of what’s happening now and what’s ahead.

If being “woke” is a unique trait of the Gen Zs, could we consider Pama a Gen Z artist? His works are inspired by local and global current events, even politics depicted through social realism and other experimental concepts. The latest concern he is trying to convey through his canvas is climate change.

“I believe this is a vast and critical subject to tackle since this is where global politics and capitalism get involved,” Pama says. “We can’t deny the reality. The main issue today is climate change. This is what’s happening.”

How do we sleep while our beds are burning?

In 2019, the local art scene witnessed what the future might hold for humanity through Vincent Padilla’s exhibition “Romancing the Inevitable.” Sculptures of heads, big and small, with unique designs and hollow gazes were seen in Intramuros, aiming to educate people about the consequences of their actions toward the planet. This time, the visual artist stays true to his mission of prophesying the future through his recently concluded exhibit dubbed “Lying Between Critical Faults.”

What’s unique about his paintings is that they are made by chance, much like tarot reading, looking through a crystal ball, gazing at the stars, and other forms of future telling. There is a sense of spontaneity in Vincent’s paint pouring process. While he manipulates the clouds on the portraits, that control is not applied when it comes to the terrains.

“My work tackles the issues of global warming, our critical fault as human beings, as being too self-centered and apathetic to the planet,” he muses. “I present images of what could happen if we, as Earth’s occupants, don’t make a drastic change to reduce our carbon footprint, which will eventually bring us to our demise.”

There are 52 ways you can do to restore the planet’s wellbeing. To know more about them, visit www.earthday.org.

Hello, readers! Do you have a story you want us to feature? Send us a message on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter and let’s talk about it.