BAGUIO, Philippines – A museum in Baguio City is closing out 2024 and welcoming 2025 with group shows that showcase a mix of styles by emerging and established artists from the city and Benguet.
At the main gallery of the Tam-Awan Village is the Fire and Traditions exhibit, which features pyrography works by pioneer Jordan Mang-osan alongside Carl Taawan, Eden Cawang, Gustavo Montero, Jeck Anton, and Rhesa Payangdo.
Tam-Awan Village, supported by the Chanum Foundation, hosts artists and their works as well as art enthusiasts on a hill in Baguio, dotted with Ifugao and Kalinga huts and trails that showcase indigenous artistry and craftsmanship.
Mang-osan explained that pyrography involves the use of an electrical burning pen, while solar drawing harnesses the sun’s heat through a magnifying glass. As the organizer of Baguio and Benguet’s first pyrography group, he considers this their debut show.
The exhibit’s 19 works highlight the growing number of pyrography practitioners in the area.
Cawang, for instance, discovered pyrography during the COVID-19 pandemic when lockdowns limited access to art materials, prompting artists to adapt.
Montero’s interest in bladesmithing stemmed from his background in Filipino martial arts. His exploration went beyond utility to embrace artistry, combining pen-and-ink drawings on wood sourced from the forests of Ifugao. The three works he is exhibiting incorporate symbols of prosperity, with blades contrasting the female subjects at the heart of each piece.
“They serve as protection for the nurturing female forms,” Montero explained.
Taawan, meanwhile, extends his cultural photo documentation of the Cordillera region into a new mixed-media format, combining leather tooling with pyrography.
Payangdo credits Mang-osan for inspiring and mentoring her in pyrography. Her pieces, often based on photographs, scorch human and animal forms onto paper. One of her most striking works is a portrait of a woman known as Lola Unsaya, who was 99 years old when she passed away in their village of Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet.
Women empowered
At the Ugnayan gallery, the exhibit Empowered Voices: The Art of Four Women features works by Lin de Lazo Bulayo, Freya Jadormio, Chriztane Estrada, and Kesayah Dacaimat. Their artworks span various media, including acrylic on canvas, woven tapestry, wire art, and mixed media, tackling a range of themes.
Bulayo’s portraiture captures familiar faces and forms with a nostalgic touch, blending paint and Pentel pen on large canvases.
Jadormio’s works mix magic realism and nostalgia, often placing a striking female figure at the center of each frame.
Dacaimat’s creations reflect her love and appreciation for life. Her wire art depicts spider webs, while her tapestries evoke the serenity of calm waves and undulating mountains.
Estrada, drawing from her psychology background and a reservoir of memories and emotions, juxtaposes natural elements with dream-like imagery, leaning heavily into surrealism. Of her four pieces, only one features a human form.
Speaking about her large-scale work, Estrada said, “It combines elements of femininity with strong brushstrokes. I want to show that women are not fragile but powerful.”
Bulayo curated the women whose creative voices shaped the exhibit. The 26 pieces present diverse and unique perspectives.
The Tam-Awan Village exhibits will run until January 10, 2025, at Pinsao Proper in Baguio. – Rappler.com