Artist depicts Filipino’s rural life as idyllic

The Philippines is known among Koreans as a tourist destination, but little is known about the Philippine contemporary art scene. "Lahi," an exhibition by Filipino artist Edsel Hermoso Moscoso in Seoul, gave Koreans a chance to appreciate contemporary Philippine art. The exhibit "Lahi," which means ethnicity in the Filipino language, opened on March 5 at Gallery Nuri in the Korea Foundation Cultural Center in Sunhwa-dong, Seoul. It ran through March 9. Moscoso, a 55-year-old artist who has had dozens of solo exhibitions around the world, clearly relishes this rare opportunity to share 20 of his works with Koreans. His sepia-toned paintings give a glimpse into the simple life of Filipinos living in rural areas. "This is a true depiction of what rural life is like. It is fast disappearing with the onset of modernity. I feel a sense of moral obligation to chronicle this disappearing way of life. Give or take 25 years, you don’t know if you’ll still see this kind of lifestyle," he told The Korea Times. Growing up in his family’s farm in Antique Province in the Philippines, Moscoso made friends with the children of farmers who worked there. He also saw for himself how farmers, fishermen and market vendors lived. This would provide the inspiration for his paintings. "I find this sense of integration among rural folk with the environment. It is very interesting. If you become too citified, you lose the sense of attachment with the environment," he said. One of his paintings, ``Angels of Prosperity Co-celebrating with Traders and Farmers," shows cherubim hovering over a group of farmers and market people selling fruit. Another work, "Fishers of Humanity," depicts fishermen preparing a boat while women and children watch them. Moscoso’s paintings have been called ``Manscapes" by famous Filipino author Nick Joaquin. His paintings depict rural life as peaceful and idyllic. There is no background scenery, just solid geometric colors. Moscoso uses a linear drawing style for his work, which means he does not repeat any or overlap any lines when he’s drawing an image or figure. Mosocoso is not just a painter, but he is also a sculptor and an archaeologist. He has a fine arts degree from the University of the Philippines and also studied fine arts and archaeology in Italy. He has had several solo exhibitions in many countries including Italy, Sweden, Yugoslavia, Greece and Spain. Mosocoso hopes his exhibition in Seoul will make Koreans more aware of the Philippines’ rich culture. "We want to show a part of Philippine culture. We hope this will help change their perception (of the Philippines)," he said. The Philippine Embassy in Seoul organized the exhibition in cooperation with the Korea Foundation Cultural Center. For more information, visit www.kfcenter.or.kr.