Tam- awan Village Artists opens Pine Dreams for Baguio Day
Baguio City – Highland artists unveil dreams for Baguio city.
The Tam- Awan Village Artists (TVA) immortalize on canvas hopes and dreams in celebration of the 115th Founding anniversary of Baguio City.
Opening on September 1, 2024 at the Level 2, SM City Baguio Sunset Terraces, dubbed as “Pine Dreams,” puts together the work of over a dozen artists led by Chanum Foundation President and solar artist, Jordan Mang -osan who has completed two of his latest sun drawings for the exhibition.
Displaying his latest works, “Once Upon a Time in Baguio,” and “Once Upon a Time in Baguio Market Day,” pays homage to the old market with early scenes of the first settlers solar drawn into wood in a 48 x 36 frame.
Mang osan holds the distinction as the only professional solar artist in the Philippines, maximizing the heat of the sun to etch on wood using a magnifying glass, his musing on art, life and society. In 1996, Mang osan, co-founded Chanum Foundation which manages Tam-awan Village, that has grown to become an artist hub and a tourist destination.
Mang osan also opened his home studio, Roofless Art Studio (RAS), in Bayabas, Pico, La Trinindad, Benguet.
The TVA show done in cooperation with SM City Baguio is a collage of work from artists with different genres and practice, coming together to pay homage to the city which has nurtured their muses.
TVA artists include; Clinton Aniversario, Mark Tandoyog, Alfonso “Ponso” Dato, Alfred “Dats” Dato, Eden Cawang, Marco Dispo Cañas, Aaron James Alcausin, Ja B, Chriztane Estrada, Iwag Palatao, Kesayah Dacaimat and SiLan and guest artist, Norman Casilen
Anniversario is a multi- media artist who has expertise in photography, word carving, painting and furniture design, he was raised in Baguio City where he trained as a medical technologist, but decided to art practice. He has had several solo and group exhibitions in Baguio City and in Metro Manila with works also shown in Singapore and at Gangwon Art Fair in South Korea in 2016.
Tandoyog is a nature lover and draws inspiration from his treks and runs, using these experiences for his artistic development. He also uses stories from his parents on culture and heritage for many of his art pieces, combining pop culture with the heritage of the highlands.
Ponso views life and its social impact and expertly displays it on his canvas. He invites viewers to reflect on his pieces which often is a mirror of the society and nature which surrounds him.
Dats favorite subjects come from ordinary things, events and people which he immortalizes, making them masterpieces. The natural beauty of his surroundings, people and places become his inspiration to create art.
Randy Nimer is a medical technologist by profession but an artist by calling, his love for photography has taken him into an artistic journey to many places displayed in his work, travels, interaction with people as well as his eye for the perfect shot, often depicting heritage and culture as well as the humanity in his subjects.
Cawang goes by her ‘Ayonna’, and traces her interest in drawing and painting to her early childhood. Her work depicts the culture of the Cordilleras, everyday scenes and portrait to give viewers an idea of the way of life in the highlands. She also teaches art to be able to help mold the next generation of artists.
Silan is an artist with a deep appreciation for nature where she draws inspiration. She has created a way to merge her love for nature with creative instincts, often attributing art as more than a visual experience; it’s a meditative practice.
Dacaimat uses watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink to express herself in her sketches and paintings, also a crafter, she utilizes wire to create wire jewelry and accessories. Her art mostly depicts how women, and nature affect life.
Casilen has been a Baguio-based artist and was inspired to do woodwork because of his early exposure to antique dealers. He is known for using his artistic expression and rich cultural background to create pleasing design which maintains its functional purpose.
Palattao is affiliated with the Gaddang ethno- linguistic group, and presents a wide range of subject matter, from portraits to genre scenes, allegorical and historical scenes, mystical, biblical, and mythological scenes, as well as landscape and is known for his meticulous detailed work.
Alacausin is a self-taught artist from Urbiztondo, Pangasinan and experiments with different mediums, as a form of self-expression, inspired by his fellow artists.
Estrada is a self-taught artist from San Jacinto, Pangasinan but is now based in the Baguio City with an expertise in digital art, creating designs on any canvas. Her paintings are a mix of abstract and realism which the artist creates with a unique thought process.
Cañas is a 21-year-old is an artist from Bolinao Pangasinan, and focuses on portraits, paintings, murals, sculpture and egg tray paintings. He is a BAGI member, an artist group in Bolinao town and a resident artist at Tam-Awan Village.
Ja B is a self- taught artist from the Cordillera and is known to create pieces depicting the female forms with indigenous tattoo designs focusing on intricacies of the faces and the finesse of human form inspired by his heritage.
Ja B, is the current president of the TVA and leads artists and artisans into their creative journey with the Tam awan Village Gallery with its partners and stakeholders.
Pine Dreams runs until September 15, 2024.
