Art is a risk.

In a third world country swimming in debt, a bachelor’s degree in fine arts is hardly the education a 17-year-old sees for himself or herself when picking out college courses.

Given Filipino society’s ever-changing preferences and the generalization that a life immersed in art is economically impractical, it is becoming more and more difficult for up-and-coming Filipino artists to build up a reputable name in the local art scene.

Despite these realities, however, there are a few Ateneans who have already managed to gather a considerable following among art enthusiasts. At the forefront of this distinguished group of young talents are Pam Celeridad, Alfred Marasigan and JV Calanoc. Coming from highly diverse backgrounds, these young artists have already managed to leave a notable mark on local art.

Citrus. Pam Celeridad. Oil on panel (14″ x 18″).

Pam Celeridad

If Pam Celeridad’s parents had their way, she would not be at the Ateneo taking up Information Design. Instead, she would probably be studying architecture at another university. Fortunately, her parents eventually caved in after seeing their daughter’s deeply rooted love for art, and as a result, the Ateneo community gained for itself a highly gifted artist.

At first glance, Celeridad’s art appears to possess an ethereal beauty that cannot so easily be put into words. When asked to describe her art, Celeridad describes her paintings as “realist.” Despite this, she has managed to push the boundaries of her chosen genre by tinkering with the creative process. “I see my subject as abstract, I paint it abstract, but the output is actually photorealistic,” she says.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Celeridad is self-taught. She started painting in high school and has come a long way since. “I’ve never taken classes,” she says in a mix of English and Filipino. “What really drew me to art would be the process, the endless possibilities of what you can do.”

It was only when Celeridad entered the university that her formal art education officially began. As a fine arts major, she finds that she prefers the Ateneo’s method of instruction over that of other universities. “They tell you what’s good, what’s bad, why you should do this, why you should do that,” she says, describing the Fine Arts Program’s emphasis on developing artistic taste.

As good as the Ateneo’s instruction in the fine arts is, Celeridad is saddened by the obvious lack of support from the rest of the school community. “I see na sa Ateneo community, medyo mababa na ang tingin sa art (I see that the Ateneo community has a rather low perception of art),” she shares.

However, this does not dissuade Celeridad from pursuing her craft. “People think life in art isn’t really economically practical. But most people forget that Ateneans are taught not to live a rich life, but a good life,” she says. “We’re taught that it’s not about the money. It’s about truth, beauty and everything else that’s truly essential in life.”

Looking forward, Celeridad says that painting is also about meeting new people and gaining new experiences. It’s about getting to push one’s self by testing the limits of what the mind’s eye can conceive——it’s about trying to look beyond the canvas. In her words, “It’s not how good you are; it’s how good you want to be.”

Microcosmos. Alfred Marasigan. Acrylic on canvas (20″ x 20″).

Alfred Marasigan

Alfred Marasigan is not hipster. At least, that’s what he insists when faced with what he considers the harshest piece of criticism he’s ever received regarding his art. “Hipster sounds ungrounded, which is very far from my sensibilities,” explains the information design senior. “In my opinion, art should be well informed, or it should mean something.”

Raised in Batangas by a chef and a botanist, the young Marasigan dreamed of becoming an architect——a far cry from the paint and canvas artist he is today. Nonetheless, his no-nonsense outlook has persisted to this day. He admits to being an academic person, unable to sacrifice his studies for the sake of art. But if the mild cubism found in his paintings is any indication of the dream he’s left behind, then the stars and skies he’s apt to render point to his dreams at present.

“It’s something that, I would hope… something that would connect [to] people. We’ve all seen the stars, all of us. We’ve marveled at the sky,” Marasigan muses in a mix of English and Filipino. It’s no surprise, then, that his work “Traverse,” which landed him in second place in the 2012 Maningning Miclat Art Competition, delves into the depths of outer space.

It took years before Marasigan finally settled into his current style. He admits that, throughout his life, he has just been following the advice of his superiors: “Create now, look later.”

The result was a hodgepodge of watercolors, illustrations and digital output that, according to Marasigan, had no direction. It wasn’t until his recent junior term in Australia that he decided to take a closer look.

Still, a big part of Marasigan’s current perspective on art can be credited to his Ateneo fine arts education. “Missy Maramara was very instrumental to my pursuit of the field,” he says, naming the fine arts teacher who, as the host of the School of Humanities open house for his batch of ACET passers, convinced the then-high school senior to choose the Ateneo.

Outside of class, Marasigan expresses his artistic inclination through Heights, where he serves as the editor-at-large. Heights aims to uphold artistic excellence in the school and to expose the Atenean to visual art. “We’ll do our best with what we’re given,” Marasigan says, defending the Ateneo’s fine arts program from those doubtful of its excellence. “Just because [Ateneo’s] a business school doesn’t mean we can’t produce great art or produce great output.”

Minimalist JV. JV Calanoc. Digital, photoshop.

JV Calanoc

Like many children who grew up in the 1990s, JV Calanoc first encountered art through the Disney Channel television series, Art Attack. Unlike most of us, however, Calanoc allowed his fascination to take root and bloom into something beyond PVA glue and cardboard rolls.

Today, Calanoc stands out as one of the premier student artists of the Ateneo. Unlike many of his peers, who fail to see beyond the domain of graphite and acrylic, Calanoc has managed to break away from the status quo through his paper sculptures and book carvings.

Calanoc is not the first person most people would expect to create avant-garde art, though. Unlike many of his fellow artists at the Ateneo, he decided to take up a management course instead of one of the university’s fine arts offerings. Calanoc does not consider his decision to take up a business course as something detrimental to his love for art, as he believes that he can seamlessly integrate the two disciplines in his future career.

Set design for plays in high school foreshadowed Calanoc’s foray into his current craft, but what inspired him to start sculpting paper and carving books was his experience at the first ever Ateneo Heights Artists Workshop. Ironically, he now cuts up his old copies of Heights folios for his work.

Calanoc admits that he enjoys the reactions when audiences encounter the novelty of his art. “I want people to see something different with my art, something they wouldn’t expect. Because when I tell them it’s paper, their faces are like ‘Are you serious?’ and ‘That’s just index card?’ and stuff like that. It’s nice, I like to interest people with my art.”

Going beyond the oohs and aahs, it can be seen that Calanoc has given heart and soul to his craft. This is mirrored by his admission that he puts a stupendous amount of effort in ensuring the immaculateness of his work. “Every sheet is important and you can’t make a mistake. If you make a mistake it will easily be seen and it will destroy the whole artwork, so I have to cut every sheet one at a time.”

While he describes his artwork as minimalistic, Calanoc’s plans for the future are anything but that. Staying true to his ambitious mindset, this graduating senior is dreaming big, as he aims to one day be able to have his own gallery opening where he can showcase his work. In the meantime, however, Calanoc will just focus on trying to nab the highly coveted recognition from the Loyola Schools Awards for the Arts before he graduates.