Exhibitions

“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.” So wrote Dr. Jose Rizal over a century ago. It is an enduring message, especially in these trying times, when the truth is often muddled, blurred, and spun to serve dubious ends. When the problems of our nation become a burden to our minds, we can still find solace in the achievements of the patriots who came before us.

Visual art plays an important part in keeping this memory alive. In fact, historical scenes have long been regarded as crowning the traditional “hierarchy of genres” as set by the 17th century French Académie royale. In the past, Filipino artists used the device of allegory to project themes of independence amidst historical scenes—the most known example being Juan Luna’s Spoliarium. But by the Modern period, different visual techniques – such as cubism and surrealism – were interwoven into the depiction of history.

This is how we look at the practice of Juanito Torres, who has gained a name for himself for painting events of Philippine history in a surrealist manner. He sees, for instance, as in “This is My Country” (Remembering the Philippine-American War 1899-1902), the American eagle – as a symbol of American imperialist ambition in the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century – as a plucked chicken among eggs that fry in a pan in the face of Filipino patriots like Macario Sakay. The mix of straight-up depictions with surrealist edges marks Torres as not just the premier historical painters of his generation, but one of the most respected contemporary artists active in the country today.

Juanito Torres will open his latest exhibition, “Kalayaan (Freedom),” at the Podium Mall on Thursday, 1st of June 2017 in the run-up to Independence Day. Organized by Galerie Joaquin Podium, the exhibit presents a chance for the public to examine and understand not only Torres’ practice, but the role of visual art in the development of national identity.

The exhibit will run until Tuesday, 6th of June 2017 at the Atrium, The Podium Mall, ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City. For more information, please call Galerie Joaquin at +632 634-7954, or email podium.galeriejoaquin@gmail.com

In Juanito Torres’ work is a flair for drama and an eye for action. A product of the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines, Torres has always been the creative sort. Sensitive and soft-spoken, Torres grew up in the countryside and still prefers the environs of his home province of Bulacan to the hustle and bustle of the city. “To wake up in the morning with fresh air, the view of the fields, with my pet dogs and poultry all around is the life I have always wanted to have,” he says. But living in Bulacan, a province where the first capital of an independent Philippines was located (in Malolos), was to leave an effect on the talented young artist.

Torres is first and foremost a contemporary artist. He went to high school at the Philippine High School for the Arts—a school that also educated the likes of Leeroy New and Don Salubayba. His practice is built on a consideration of concept, which he received in a UP Fine Arts program that was influenced by the mind of Bobby Chabet. But Torres is also an ardent Filipino—and while his peers examined contemporary issues from the lens of sociology, Torres chose to dig deeper.

A good example of this is his "Gathering of Heroes," a large work that features many figures of the 19th century Philippine Independence Movement and the Philippine American War--including Rizal, Melchora Aquino, Antonio Luna, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and Emilio Aguinaldo. The painting represents a totality of the effort that independence required, arranging the figures (often from different parts of the timeline) as one would arrange a group of superheroes. Indeed, the painting recalls Jim Lee's run at Marvel Comic's X-Men title--particularly the cover of X-Men #1. Thus the painting posits that the efforts of the heroes of independence as akin to comic superheroes.

His works are in the collections of many historical museums, including the Juan and Antonio Luna Museum in Ilocos Norte, the Mabini Museum in Batangas, and the Katipunan Museum in San Juan. He also has paintings in the main collection of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. In this way, he has become the unofficial visual biographer of the Nation.