Wrapping is the art of protecting, concealing and presenting a gift. It connotes value, not just the monetary value ascribed to the gift, but, conversely, how the giver values the recipient. Artist Salvador J. Ching presents several motifs over the 60 artworks that make up his latest exhibition dubbed as “Pabalat.” Common to all of them is the artist’s nostalgic reinterpretation of Filipiniana symbols and images.
Artist Salvador J. Ching draws inspiration from all sorts of wrappers in his 16th solo exhibit at Art Lounge Manila. Dubbed as “Pabalat,” it may pertain to wrapper, particularly of gifts. But it may also mean the cover used to protect books against dirt, or the ornate cutout wrappers of local Bulacan pastillas de leche, or the dying folk craft of making them. As such, the title opens up the exhibition to all manner of associations connected with wrapping.
Wrapping is the art of protecting, concealing and presenting a gift. It connotes value, not just of the monetary value ascribed to the gift, but conversely, how the giver values the recipient. It tells of the person’s esteem, but also of his taste and personality as choices are made as to how a gift will be presented. It also is a product of the social relations wrapped with gift-giving. With series titles like Alay, Offering, Bagahe, Pagsuyo, Pambalot, it is not a stretch to imagine the exhibition as connected to the act of gift-giving.
Several motifs crisscross over the almost 60 artworks that make up the exhibition. Common to all the works are the nostalgic imagery of Filipiniana, a motif which Ching, a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas College of Fine Arts, has consistently used in various forms since his early years, and which has garnered him awards in prestigious art competitions when he was starting out in the 90’s.
Inspired initially by the “Larawan” series of National Artist BenCab, whom he admires for his use of photographs that documented the dress and life-ways of the Filipino during the colonial periods, Ching, who grew up steeped in the culture and history of Bulacan, has successfully adapted the imagery into screen-printed images over the years. This striking technique is a signature motif of Ching, and can still be seen in all the series presented in this exhibition.
Created from a box of photographs Ching has inherited from his own grandmother, Lola Loleng, his work becomes a reminder of the genteel and cultured past of his family, of Bulacan, and of the country in the colonial period. The city of Malolos, where Ching and his family hail from, is a historic place where the first Philippine congress was hosted, and the first Philippine constitution drafted by Filipinos was made.
At around the same time, Jose Rizal praised the efforts of the women of Malolos who formed a peaceful movement to lobby for educational reforms to enable women to take up higher education and call for greater participation of women in politics and other aspects of the social life then in an effort to assert their rights and equality. Ching’s Lola Loleng was the product of a society that was beginning to empower women, as she herself was a teacher in Malolos, during the American colonial period.
The image of the brown paper bag is also transformed into photographic screen transfers on canvas, which are juxtaposed with the Filipiniana imagery from the colonial period, hinting at the central ideas of the exhibition. And lastly, the form of the brown paper bag is transformed into resin sculptures on which Filipiniana imagery is also printed on.
PABALAT as an exhibition, could be associated with the gifts of our history and our culture. Ching has created a wonderfully colorful presentation worth thinking about and appreciating. As he posits, “As Filipinos, what can we pass on to our children and the rest of the world, but the good in our culture?”
The exhibition is ongoing until October 7 at Art Lounge Manila – Podium, Ortigas Center. You may also check their social media pages, FB: @artloungemanila IG: @artloungemanila, for more details.
