Three veteran Visayan artists from three islands of the Visayas are currently exhibiting their works in a show titled Pikas sa Usa ka Dagat at the UPV Museum of Art and Cultural Heritage (MACH) West Wing Lobby.
PG Zoluaga, Javy Villacin, and Raymund Fernandez have been friends for several decades and have strengthened their mutual bonds through their constant involvement with the Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibit and Conference (VIVA Excon), the longest-running artist-led biennale in Southeast Asia. They qualify among the older pioneer members of the exhibit conference. All share a love for sculptural elements and move easily between painting, sculpture and performance, especially music.
The three also have connections to UP. Zoluaga initially studied in the then UP College Iloilo. Villacin studied Fine Arts at UP Diliman and eventually taught at UP Cebu. He is now retired. Fernandez is also a retired faculty of UP Cebu.
These three artists, all Baby Boomers, grew up in the aftermath of the Second World War, lived during the Cold War, and were acquainted with the anti-establishment cultural phenomenon, sharing a common tendency for material and conceptual exploration.
This show presents an opportunity for comparisons by way of identifying not only differences but also commonalities among the three.
And because they come from different islands of the Visayan, this show is another taste of Bisaya art stimulating conversations on what the term may really mean.
The exhibit, which runs until 30 September 2023, beats the drum for the forthcoming VIVA ExCon 2023 in Antique in November.
