Inspired by childhood in PHL, Pinoy artist wins in Canadian art contest

With a piece inspired by his childhood experiences in the Philippines, 28-year-old Guelph-based Filipino bested 14 other finalists to win in the 17th edition of the RBC Canadian Painting Competition, reports said.

 

Quoting the competition's judges, a report on Globe And Mail said Patrick Cruz's victory was “based on his decidedly contemporary attitude towards painting."

 

"His brave approach, maximalist aesthetic and wild graphic sensibility set a provocative tone for emerging art in Canada in 2015," it added.

 

Cruz told CBC Radio Canada that his piece, "Time allergy," an acrylic on canvas, is partly based on his memories of the colorful art on the sides of jeepneys he saw while growing up in Manila.

 

Its title is also a reference to a quote made by Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz in reference to the concept of structured time introduced by the Spanish to the Philippines.

 

Cruz explained to CBC, "We were kind of allergic to this idea of modernity and modernization."

 

Filipino artist Santiago Bose also inspired Cruz's work with his unconventional mixed-media work and critique of superstructures such as religion and conservatism. Cruz said his own experiences with migration also show in his work. 

 

"It made me research how cultures get displaced because of economic turmoil or other factors that play in those circumstances," he told CBC. "These ideas have been orbiting in my mind for a while. So when I make work, that's always at the back of my head. It's like a cloud that's just looming all the time."

 

Though he has no clear plans on moving back to the Philippines, Cruz will put part of his $25,000 prize into the 2017 edition of his triennial experimental art show the Kamias Triennale.

 

Set at his father's old home in Kamias, Quezon City, the inaugural edition of the art show attempted to "address the conditions of art as somewhat temporal and fleeting." It will feature as guest artists the likes of Maria Taniguchi and Kat Medina. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News