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Murals by Brian Barrios in Manila, Philippines
Brian Barrios works primarily with wheat pastes, and had made a name for himself as a wheat paste artist by the age of 15. He garnered local and international attention for his artistic talent, putting up rural scenes of Filipino life and culture around Metro Manila.Barrios is now working with Anakbayan, a radical youth organisation in the Philippines known for its political activism. His own street art, which includes posters and murals, is characteristically charged with political messages and critique.Scroll down below for more works of Brian Barrios. More
- in Art
Evoking Fire and Air, Intricate Paper Masks by Artist Patrick Cabral Honor Filipino Culture
Art#festivals
#masks
#paper
#Philippines
#sculptureMarch 15, 2021
Grace EbertDetail of “Lupa.” All images © Patrick Cabral, shared with permission
Encircled by oversized crowns of paper, two new masks by Patrick Cabral celebrate Filipino culture through elaborately fashioned works defined by their colors. Titled Mananayaw ng Langit at Lupa, or Dancers of Heaven and Earth, the ongoing series was commissioned by the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art for the Dinagyang Festival. The cultural celebration is held annually the last week in January with the Ati Tribe competition, which involves warrior dancers performing to loud chants and drum beats, as the main event.
Preserving the tradition in paper, Cabral’s masks both mimic the performers’ costumes and draw on the detail and intricacy of his earlier animal figures. “Lupa” is brilliantly colored and embodies the passionate spirits of a dragon or crocodile, representing Earth, fire, and light. “Langit,” on the other hand, is more subdued with bird-like features, peacock feathers, and a quiet expression. It symbolizes air, flight, horizons, and dreams. “Both animals are important because birds are used in ancient sea navigation, which our ancestors are known for, and the crocodile is the biggest animal native to the Philippines…I want one to look calm and the other chaotic. One is a feather. One is fire,” the Manila-based artist says.
Cabral currently is working on an exhibit for the Philippine Pavillion at the World Expo that shares the “courage of our ancestors, the people who brave the angry ocean from Taiwan to the Batanes Islands.” Follow that project and explore a larger collection of the artist’s painstakingly constructed works on Behance and Instagram.“Langit”
“Lupa”
Detail of “Langit”
Detail of “Lupa”
Cabral with “Langit”#festivals
#masks
#paper
#Philippines
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