Joseph Firmeza confronts reality
“The youth should never be ignorant. Scandals, unplanned pregnancy and curiosity towards sex are products of ignorance.”
‘Iloy’ (Mother).
Perhaps one of the most sought after artist of our time is Joseph Firmeza. His impressive Muelle Loney Series is a marvel for those who enter the Amigo Terrace Hotel Presidential Suite. His strokes complete the beauty of Days Hotel’s rooms, the Promenade and the lobby; of Bourbon Bar and Restaurant, Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine’s mural, the marvel of Calle Real at the glass panel of Gourmet Club, the serenity of the Archbishop’s Residence in Jaro, the wall of Saint Paul University of Iloilo through Horses Masks or “Equus” and the collection of artworks of the Provincial Council for Tourism, among others.
For Joseph, art is making a connection with one’s own being, relationships, memories and personal experiences.
“I confront my reality. My work is an expression of my desire to define, describe and document the world and myself. The idea is to create visual images of whatever attracts or distracts me. It can either be figurative or abstract and simultaneously beautiful and ugly. I do not intend to copy things. Through marks and images I tell my story of how things appear to me,” he said.
‘Sermon sang Bulag’
(Sermon of the Blind).
“Story telling is the oldest form of communication. It takes courage to tell a story. My story tells about my island and the passing of time, from a time based on nature, the sun, wind, moon, and tides to a clock based existence. An identity lost and the resistance over its non-existence, the colonial mentality, and the Filipino Diaspora,” he added.
His recent works
The works on this page were exhibited during the group show entitled “Women in the Age of Crisis” at The Podium. It was sponsored by the United Nations Fund for Population. According to Joseph, these works were censored even if his reason for such was to educate the youth. “The youth should never be ignorant. Scandals, unplanned pregnancy and curiosity towards sex are products of ignorance,” he said.
‘Sa Taguangkan Sang Akon Iloy’
Life is priceless. I started fighting for my life in my mother’s womb. My mother had the option of abortion being an unwanted child born out of wedlock. I came in this world premature, given 24 hours to live with my left lung unable to function.
‘Si Filipa’.
My work deals with the idea of how important life is and to see or witness the purpose of such a beautiful existence. A mother can conceive in ignorance or love but it also deals with how women carry their babies in the womb. We can’t take life for granted yet the mortality rate speaks for the unborn.
‘Iloy’
My idea of motherhood is one of strength character and beauty. No matter the outcome of what her children will turn out to be. She gives her life for her children. My work also visualize the beauty and strength of my mother land my island. Whether she is abused rape and taken for granted by her children her character strength and beauty endure forever.
‘Lawas’
My work deals with how ignorant we can be with our bodies. How our body is easily associated with sin. How we become insecure with our body, we become an insecure society. We are created in the image of god so our bodies must be beautiful.
‘Si Filipa’
My work deals with a mother who lives only with the words of bible and forgetting her god given motherhood. Repent and go back to the lord she says she spends more time in the church rather than at home. Her husband enjoying the company of a 16 year old, while her children are dysfunctional caught between morals and pleasure.
‘Sermon sang Bulag’
My work deals with the blind leading the blind.
‘Tag-pila’
My work deals with the idea of the transformation of women into decent prostitutes using and selling their bodies for finer things in life for comfort and money. Women are becoming commodities for pleasure and are used as money making slaves. They can be seen in church in government in universities social events malls and even exported.
‘May-Iloy’
My work deals with Mother and child relationship. Everything goes through the mother our genes traits and character. Being a mother takes more than just having children she shapes and molds her children into what they will be with the values, traditions and beliefs. Mothers have the ability to pass on ignorance and lies too. Mothers have influence over their children and they breed their own kind. Is my experiencing a motherless society?
‘Duso-butong’
Push and pull produce people. That’s what we learned in high school so much for sex education in a catholic school where even the black friars do push and pull and produce babies too. My work deals with the ignorance of sex.