There's a burgeoning art scene in Roxas City. Following the successful run of the Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference (Viva Excon) Biennale in November 2018 led by Black Artists Asia, the seafood capital is welcoming a new outdoor art space in the heart of the city.
Planta is just across the river from the cluster of cultural heritage structures of Roxas City. It recently hosted Primero, an arts and crafts fair which formally introduced the murals painted by the group, Vinyl on Vinyl (VOV) of Manila with the help of fourteen local artists hand picked by Lloyd Develos. This project is the gift of Atty. Blas Viterbo who owns Planta, a former power station and ice plant, to his hometown.
The first mural (above) is of a hand lifting the curtain to reveal a wider perspective of what Capiz has to offer. Alternatively, it may represent how artists from neighboring towns perceive Capiz from an artistic point of view. A monitor lizard has planted itself on the hand of Dr. Maritess Viterbo, the wife of the owner. It symbolizes resurrection, fortune and divine wisdom. The patterns of its skin can be found in the woven textiles of the indigenous people of Capiz.
Carabaos are the workhorses of the Filipino farmers. There are three carabaos in the mural symbolizing a nationalistic vision of a united group of farmers and laborers. It also represents the 3 main island groups of the Philippines - Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. (Check second to last image below showing the three carabaos together.) Farming is one of two core industries in Capiz.
The carabaos and the fisherman were painted by Archie Oclos, a recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines 13 Artists Awards for 2018 and the Ateneo Art Awards Grand Prize. Oclos' works tackle socio-political issues, particularly the plight of the indigenous people and farmers.
The portrait of Jenny Santi (the author of The Giving Way to Happiness) is at the center of this 361 ft. long by 15 ft. high mural. She reminds me of the Filipina woman immortalized by Fernando Amorsolo.
Butterflies signify metamorphosis and evolution while books embody knowledge and information that is freely shared.
Dr. George Viterbo, the father of Atty. Viterbo, is shown here holding a blue orb which illuminates shared knowledge and wisdom. Behind the doctor is the Capiz Evangelical Church which was established by American missionaries. It stands as the symbol of the close affinity of Milagros Viterbo, the matriarch of the family, with the Baptist Church.
While Dr. George Viterbo had every opportunity to practice medicine abroad, he chose to stay and serve the people of Capiz. He often extended his services for free to the disadvantaged patients who came to him for help. He is depicted here as the Rebel Doctor.
The artist is drowned by the enormity of these horses. Yet they would not have emerged from the blank wall without him.
The four horses represent the four sons of Atty. Viterbo and Dr. Maritess Viterbo.
Fishing is one of two important industries in Capiz. Roxas City is the capital of the province of Capiz and the seafood capital of the Philippines.
The seven fishes in the fisherman's net allude to the 7 artists from Manila, Boracay and Cebu while the fourteen fishes swimming in the waters below represent the local artists. They worked together as a team to complete the murals and shell mosaic in under a month.
This abstract mural explores the historical and contemporary facets of Roxas City and perhaps its future. The unfamiliar script painted in white across this colorful wall spells Capiz in Baybayin, a pre-colonial indigenous script used in the islands until it was replaced by the Latin alphabet.
The shell mosaic is a historical perspective of Roxas City from the 1900s. Measuring 3.6 m high by 17.7 m long, the mosaic consists of approximately 45,000 seashells collected from Baybay Beach in Roxas City. Lhee Taneo, a Cebu-based artist, created this mosaic from 7 different types of shells including talaba, litob, wasay-wasay, ilok-ilok, torotot, tahong and pios or capiz shell. Lloyd Develos sketched the layout.
The goals of the artist are for the viewer to "concentrate on the intricacy of medium manipulation and to elevate the use of indigenous material seashells from craft to fine art".
The artists behind the mural and the shell mosaic:
VOV Team: Dennis Bato, Anjo Bolarda, Melanie and Andrew Gritzka, Archie Oclos, Roberto Sanchez and Lhee Taneo.
Capiz Team: Eduardo Aligno, Lugin Aparri, Lenny Areno, Julius Arro, Alfredo Bacas Jr., Saturnino Brodeth Jr., Lloyd Develos, Kinyo Dilia, Aiza Dordas, Roberto Oquendo Jr., Cornelio Fernando, Joey Taladtad, Roberto Tulo, Fernan Villareiz
"Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable." George Barnard Shaw
Planta is on Primer de Mayo Street in Roxas City. Schedule of hours are posted outside the gate of Planta. There is no entrance fee as of this writing.
Roxas City is served by three daily flights from Manila. There are hourly air conditioned buses from Iloilo to Roxas and public utility vehicles (PUV) between Kalibo and Roxas.
* Sources of information:
Cheryl Anne del Rosario, Ang Panublion Museum
Video by Asphire Animations, @Vitezon.Inc. with artist, Lee Thaneo, talking about the shell mosaic she created and posted by her on Facebook on September 29, 2019
Video "VLOTBAE Capiz Mural at the Planta" by Asphire Animations. @Vitezon.Inc
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Images by TravelswithCharie