BIGGER THINGS. The theme of Alfred Marasigan’s work centers on how he wants the Philippines to aspire for bigger things. Photo by Adrian F. Begonia.
ALFRED MARASIGAN took home second place for his work, Traverse, at the 5th Maningning Miclat Art Competition. The senior information design major received his award last September 27 at Sining Kamalig, Ali Mall, Cubao.
Although busy with academic requirements and completing two other works for the Shell National Student Art Competition, Marasigan decided to take up the extra challenge of joining the said competition.
After taking into consideration the size requirement for the entries, Marasigan started on his painting, which is acrylic on canvas, 24 inches on all sides.
The theme for this year’s competition was “The Philippines in My Mind.”
Similar to writing a paper or an essay, Marasigan said that his creative process often starts with a “thesis statement” or his essential message.
“My personal view on the state of the Philippines is that sometimes we’re small-minded. It may be a cultural thing,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English. “So I was thinking, I hope we could be more involved in bigger things. That was what I wanted to show.”
Putting meaning
Employing mild cubism, Marasigan portrayed his vision of the Philippines as the top-view of a small boat, floating in the middle of a vast ocean that reflects the starry sky.
“Inisip ko ang cliché kung may mga bata na naman (I thought it would be cliché if I included children),” he said, although he mentioned that this did not mean he disliked the works of the other competitors, around half of whom painted children.
“[One] of the consistent metaphors I’ve been using are stars,” he said. “You can do a lot of things with it. It’s like black and a dot. It’s up to you how you’re going to interpret it. If it’s bright, then it’s a star. It can also be a firefly. Or it can be flour. It’s fun since you can play around with its meanings.” He added that he wanted to put stars to represent aspirations.
“One sentence to describe what [the painting] wants to say is that I would want the Philippines to brave uncharted waters,” he said, adding that this is why he named the painting Traverse.
“You’re not just braving the waters; you’re braving the sky as well. So it’s something that’s supposed to be uplifting. Sailing through a lake, you’re safe. In the sea, it’s a bit dangerous. But imagine sailing through non-water, and you’re floating. There’s that sense of awe,” he said of the painting.
Pushing boundaries
Marasigan said that his education contributed greatly to the content and style of his art. He cited his philosophy classes and his lessons from his Junior Term Abroad in Australia as some of the things that have “informed” his art.
He counted expressionist painters Mark Rothko and Lyonel Feininger as some of his main influences. Disney and pop culture are among his inspirations as well.
Marasigan said he plans to pursue painting even after college. After having an exhibit last November 16 to 27, he said he found being pushed to create works for such projects enjoyable.
“If it’s self-imposed, you can [choose not to work on the art]. But if you committed to something, you really have to do it. I am pushed to finish it because someone needs my work—someone needs or wants to see it,” he said.
“I think I want it to be my legacy. We’re in college; we don’t hold the world in our hands yet, but we’re next in line, so we ought to start thinking! Who knows, we might end up in history,” he said.
“What will happen to art if I do my best? Even if I’m just one person, what if my work becomes revolutionary?” he mused. “What will happen to art if I push its boundaries?”
More opportunities
Marasigan shared that when he was first invited to have an exhibit with fellow information design senior Pam Celeridad, the exhibit’s curator was surprised to find out that there are Ateneo students who paint.
“That’s also one of the reasons why I paint,” Marasigan said. He noted that people think no one does art in the Ateneo because they find its presence wanting.
“[You] are equipped with the information, if not the technique, to make art,” Marasigan said regarding his artistic education in the Ateneo. “Just because it’s not part of the core curriculum doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.”
Invitations to join competitions, not just in painting but also in other fields of art, are commonplace in the School of Humanities (SOH), especially in the Fine Arts (FA) Program.
Third Year SOH Executive Officer Sam Co said, “Our professors all try to get us to join [competitions]. If you go to the FA Program [office], you’ll see a lot of different posters tacked to the corkboard [related to] the arts—anything from painting to dancing.”
“As for SOH Sanggu, I believe our approach is different in the sense that we hold our own competitions and encourage our constituents to join them as well,” Co said.
Aside from the efforts of the SOH Sanggunian, Third Year Art Management Course Representative Selina Garcia said that there are other ways for Ateneans to get involved in the arts, with the help of the university.
“I believe Ateneo can be more involved in the arts by circulating announcements regarding competitions and art-related stuff like exhibits,” Garcia said.
“It seems that this information barely gets past the students of the fine arts. You would be surprised to know that there are many students who are interested in the arts and are great artists outside the FA Program, and it would be better for them to have an equal chance in trying their hand out in these competitions or participating in it.”
She also noted that students ought to be encouraged to visit the Ateneo Art Gallery more. “It would also be great if there would be someone to explain the artworks or the importance of these in art history—not only that some of them had won competitions, but also that some of these paintings have started movements in the art world in the Philippines—so that the students will have a better appreciation of the art.”
