While Philippine contemporary art is largely secular, sacred art still exists and Catholicism remains one of its many influences. Reredos artist group, however, bids for sacred art to take a more prominent standing in the local art scene.
“Themes on faith have somewhat become taboo for most contemporary artists and we wanted to change this. We believe that the tradition of sacred art can be, and is a source of inspiration for contemporary artists and art-making. In the way Couturier and Congar’s Renouveau Catholique did during the onset of modernism,” says Michael Muñoz, who heads the Reredos artists that share a common interest in faith-inspired art.
“The way a reredos is set up behind the altar as a vehicle for worship, we want our artworks to be expressive of this faith,” adds Muñoz. Reredos is actually the ornamental wood, stone screen, or partition wall that sits behind an altar.
Starting in 2015, Reredos, a loose group of artists, conducted lectures and discussions on sacred art as well as initiated exhibits involving pioneering members of nine artists. “We are of diverse artistic styles. We are either into painting, sculpture, mixed-media, graffiti, street art, illustration, pursuing our own artistic interests, but at times we are brought together by our Catholicity. It was due to our common interest in faith-inspired art that we got to know each other,” shares Muñoz.
Reredos member Pia Soriano says the group celebrates art “that is not necessarily religious in nature but incorporates, is influenced by, or promotes a sense of the Divine in a Catholic sense.” Their group also seeks to beautify churches and places of worship. “It is a pity that our country is predominantly Catholic, but there is a dearth of beautiful churches, thus, the leaning towards devotional art,” she shares,
Given the opportunity to pursue their goals, Reredos returns to their second rust to art exhibit hosted by the San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation Inc. since 2018. Participated by 22 local artists, Para Sa Ina: Rust to Art Exhibit is a fully digital fundraiser in support of the teams who continue to work on the restoration of the historic basilica.
“San Sebastian Basilica is part of our heritage as a people. Personally, it’s a symbol of our nationhood and faith for the past centuries,” says Muñoz.
Curated by Asst. Prof. Mary Ann Venturina-Bulanadi, Ph.D. of the University of Sto. Tomas, the online selling exhibition features 35 unique paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces with rust collected from the all-metal San Sebastian Basilica.
To incorporate rust into her five artworks, Soriano combined chunks of rust in the resin mixed with pigments and gold leaf. She also grounded some rust and used it “like a pigment where I mixed it with a binding medium.” As a result, the rust combined with the gold leaf created a beautiful contrast between decay and non-decay. “It’s fascinating to think both elements react to external stimuli differently, but now that they are in resin, they are forever preserved. In a way, it hearkens to the image of time and the absence of it, or both temporal and eternal realities.”
No matter how tedious the process is, Aljoe “Jood” Clarino took his time to ground the rust particles to a powder-like texture and added gold powder. The resulting mixture was bound together with gesso paste that served as the foundation on the canvas surface. Then the images came from stencil cuts which then are spray-painted over the surface.
According to Clarino, the rusts represent our finite state while the gold powder represents the Church where the Blessed Sacrament, the presence of Jesus, is kept. “These are bound together to form our foundation as Christians. I have a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother. Everything she owns, I will support. I hope and pray the Church can still serve its parishioners and help the poor for years.”
Artist Lora Ledesma Domingo used the collected rust to be the main subject of her artworks “by letting it sit in the center like an island the middle of the ocean” and for her, that stands out like a prayer.
Reredos guest artist Juan Alcazaren is known for his penchant to keep the patina of rust on his steel welded sculptures. “For my piece for this exhibit, I encased rust flakes from San Sebastian in small resin half-spheres and attached them to cut-up sections of salvaged steel water pipes forming a heart-shaped rosary for our heavenly Mother. I treated each rust flake here as relic-like.”
Munoz says, “San Sebastian Basilica is part of our heritage as a people. Personally, I see it as symbolic of our nationhood and faith for the past centuries.” He felt the need to preserve the rust and shards since they are part of a holy place. So, for his art piece, he mixed the rust dust with beeswax to cast the flowers, then the rusted metal shards were coated with wax.
Eight Reredos artists, including Vincent Balandra, Paolo Icasas, and Robert Besana, joined the digital exhibit with the likes of well-respected artists such as Ding Royales, Lawrence Samson Castillo, Joe Datuin, Arlene de Castro Añonuevo, Julius Legaspi, Naning Estrella, Marius Black, Byaheng Lawton (Lawton Ladao), Derrick Macutay, Pol A. Mesina Jr., Al Perez, Danny Santiago, Bianca Tan, and Jun Vicaldo. The Para sa Ina exhibit pieces are still available for purchase until April 2022.
Images courtesy of San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation Inc.
For more information about Para Sa Ina: Rust to Art Exhibit, please contact the foundation at officialstore@savesansebastian.org or visit the official Facebook (www.facebook.com/savessbasilica) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/savessbasilica).
Image credits: Images courtesy of San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation Inc.