Banner Statements

In our everyday walk, we encounter people of prominence. We find them on newspapers, see them on television and hear them talk over the radio. For Julius Sagrado, these personalities made an impact in his life. Yet, it is up for you to decide whether or not they have wronged you.

            Last March 27, 2012, Sagrado debuted his first solo art exhibit which he entitled Paskin. This is a Cebuano word which means banner or billboard. This exhibit is his entry point to being a professional artist and his exit to his student life in the University of the Philippines (UP) as his thesis into finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts.

Julius Sagrado speaks about Paskin

            This thesis however, is unlike no other. Sagrado together with his classmate Ebenezar Morrok, made their theses in our own Cebuano language. Mentor and Fine Arts professor Raymund Fernandez was proud to have his own students use their native tongue in writing their research paper. “Dili naman gani ko maka antigo og Bisaya, kay anad man kog English sa eskwelahan. (I can’t even speak Cebuano fluently because English is used in the academe),” Fernandez said noting that his students made him realize the beauty of this language.

            According to Sagrado, Paskin was guided by different kinds of observers from the society. These images are parts of our community that we always see due to good news or a controversy. But the artist leaves the decision to the viewers whether or not to judge these images on the good side. He wanted to bring back the importance of the banner or karatola which brings the public information.

Boxing Champ is his "Kampilan"

            The titles of his paintings on canvass are the objects that fascinated him during his childhood that remain in his memory until now that somehow relate to the prominent person. For instance Manny Pacquiao’s image was titled as Kampilan; Former President Gloria’s as Tugnaw; and Chief Justice Renato Corona’s as Tabon.

            According to Humanities Professor Ligaya Rabago – Visaya, Paskin is an exhibit that “needs a viewer who is very critical about society, particularly the Philippine society.” Because of the prominence of the people in these paintings, one needs to scrutinize properly their role in our society today.

            Sagrado used subtle colors on the subject such as grey, lavender and beige which he blended very carefully to create a slightly distorted image. For the background, he used bright pastel colors to let the subject stand out. He said that this is a pop art technique which he learned from the artist which made this movement famous, Andy Warhol.

             The set of paintings were not done with ordinary paint. Sagrado integrated his love for printing t-shirts on the canvass by using silk screen techniques. He also used galvanized iron roof, automotive paint and newspapers to create a single image. Talk about the diversity in medium!

His Favorite in his set entitled "Bol"

            When asked of his favorite work in his set, he pointed to his own rendition of the former president Erap Estrada. “Ang slogan ni Erap kay Erap para sa mahirap. Daghan man daw siya’g nabuhat pero para nako wala gyud kaayo. (Erap’s slogan was Erap para sa mahirap. They said he did a lot of things for our country but for me, there was none). He also explained that out of the eight paintings, Erap’s face was the one closest to the real Erap. It was also unique because it was not a rectangular canvass but a circular one, a rare in paintings.

            Vienne Fortalejo, a product design major in the same university, said that the paintings look simple at first glance. “However, the process is hard that due to the different layers of paint used it becomes real to me and I guess to the rest of the viewers as well,” she added.

Who says she's only in the Senate?

**Published in the Sun.Star Newspaper last April 3, 2012

            

Simple as it may seem, all that Sagrado wants is to raise the banner higher for people to see the reality amidst the controversies going on.