Self-portrait: An artistic portal into the soul of three Baysulangpu artists

Text by Ronelo S. Ladiao
Photos by Jeehan Fernandez

What if you're given a rare privilege to take a deeper glimpse into the unfathomed mind and soul of an artist? Exceptional and truly expressive visual artists that were molded by life's constant change and society's complicated realities. Their unique and diverse artistic touch harmonized their distinct personal perceptions and outside views of the world digging deeper into the depths of intellectual thoughts. Every artist has the right and prerogative to speak his heart out and express his most suppressed emotions how to change life, society and humanity. So make way for “Self-portrait”, a very rare and one-of-a-kind art exhibition by three versatile “ Baysulangpu ”   visual artists.

L- R . James Mark Salarda, Melvin Guirhem and Arnold Almacen.

“Self-Portrait” was formally launched last Monday, February 14, 2005 at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) Art Gallery . Though it was Valentines Day and love filled the air for lovers, the three dynamic artists of “Baysulangpu” expressed and revealed their infinite passion and dedication for arts that ceaselessly enthralled their invited guests and other art enthusiasts. Their artworks exuded and reflected versatility, hidden emotional desires and abstract view of the world shaded in sacrifices, darkness and struggles.

“My artworks were influenced by surrealism style which reflects fantasy-inspired themes and thoughts that spans from an artist's ego, fancy love affair, personal confusion, facial façade and self expression of my inner being” Melvin Guirhem spoke with steady voice and genuine honesty about his unfathomed artistic thoughts. Guirhem is a 24-year-old Architecture student from the University of San Agustin who happens to be a shifter from Civil Engineering course. He was a prolific artist who continues to improve his craft through the great influences by famous painters like Salvador Dali and national artist Jojo Legaspi . “I wouldn't exchange art for anything or maybe like a medicine, art can kill me or cure me,” he laughs vividly as he reveals his passion for art.

“ Cuberism , surrealism and lately minimalism were various artistic style that I've learned to embrace that enhanced my artistic strokes and fueled my passion to paint”, Arnold Almacen said with great conviction for his precious craft. At 25, he already achieved various artistic honors and experiences from Asian Art Awards, Art Association of the Philippines competition and many others that deeply changed him into one versatile artistic soul. Almacen is a graduate of Architectural Drafting in 1999 and presently pursues a successful career in photojournalism through his affiliation with a national tabloid and local daily newspaper in the region. “My artworks reveal various personal emotions and opinions on the degradation of our environment, morality of women today, social injustice, discrimination and sacrifices of artists like me to prove our worth in the field of arts” he says with strong conviction to his embraced destiny as a sage artist.

“The central core of my art lies in the value and essence of artistic pondering, meditation and interpretative abstract view of art itself as seen in today's social issues” uttered by James Mark Salarda , a 25-year-old Electrical Engineering student of Western Institute of Technology. His multi-colored and kaleidoscopic artworks were mostly abstract in nature that exudes deep thoughts of an artist like him. His artworks visually displayed the importance of self-meditation, concern for famine and hunger due to extreme poverty in the society today and humane issues that needs to be expressed in unfathomed point of view. “Social realism is definitely my artistic style on my present artworks and we hope that our art exhibit will create intangible change of heart for everyone and realize the value of art as medium of change” he ends with expressive words. I believe their artistic effort took inspiration from the darkened dilemma of our present world as seen in their unfathomed yet radiant “self-portrait' expressions.

(Express your artistic thoughts! e-mail the author at rslphoenix@yahoo.com)