Guramoy kan Salingoy was an art exhibit which ran from March 3 to 30, 2023, at the V-Gallery and Museum of Naga College Foundation featuring artists from the Salingoy Art Group (featured image by Naga City Deck).
Curatorial Notes by DENNIS B. GONZAGA
“Guramoy”, in the vernacular, suggests the hands and the fingers in the process of kneading, forming, shaping, manipulating, alternately crushing and crafting. It is creativity in its raw and in its artisanal aspect. Art is always a work in progress. Work. Progress.
Art is artisanal. It is as much a triumph of the body as it is of the soul. The heart attunes itself to the emotional threads and strings that hold the world together. Yet it is the hands that make manifest this bond, that translate the abstractions of the spirit into a manifest form. We talk of artistic expression in the parlance of creatives as the “obra maestra”, or the “magnum opus.” There is greatness and power in the craft. But rarely do we afford attention to the “obra” or the “opus”. The greatest masterpiece is still but a project and triumph of the hands. Before the sheen and polish of the hanged piece, it begins with a splattered palette, an unkempt roll of canvas or paper, a scattering of pigment tubes, and of the callused and dirtied hands that evolve and curate the chaos into order.
The exhibit is a reminder that art is never a static experience. Creativity is never confined within the frame and the mount. Beyond what our visual faculties allow us to discern are stories of hands painstakingly putting together the spontaneous exclamations of the imagination. Art is artisanal. Each work of art represents a set of hands at the cusp and cradle of art and creation.
About the curatorial notes writer
DENNIS B. GONZAGA: Writer, critic and academician. Faculty, School of Graduate Studies and Research; Head, Research and Public Engagement at Museo de Isarog, Partido State University-Goa, Camarines Sur. Former Humanities faculty at Ateneo de Naga University. Curator of The 416 Art Space in Naga City. Advocate, Nueva Caceres Heritage Movement. AB Political Science, Ateneo de Naga University; MA Asian Studies, University of the Philippines.
Participating Salingoy Artists
RYAN ABECINA is a highly skilled and passionate artist who developed his talents at a young age. He currently holds the position of CEO and Production Director of Mazur Studios, a digital animation outfit.
Featuring: “Pagkamoot”
Follow Ryan Abecina on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/ryan.abecina
CONCEP BUENAVENTE is a self-taught visual artist, Her painting lead style is Pop Art and her medium, other than acrylic, is coffee. Her art is available on RedBubble.
Featuring: “The Rose”
Follow Concep on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/concep.buenavente
DARIO BUAN ENCINAS always had an eye for the extraordinary. Through he did not have any formal training in art, he persevered to hone his skills in various media. He works in watercolor, oil, and acrylic. He has participated in prestigious art exhibits in the country and abroad.
Featuring: “Quince Martires”
Read full article about Dario Buan Encinas… https://dateline-ibalon.com/2023/03/the-mundane-and-familiar-as-fine-art-dario-buan-encinas/
Follow Dar on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/dar.encinas
REINAH AGUILA LEDESMA is a self-taught visual artist from Lagonoy, Camarines Sur. She is a licensed teacher but chose to become a full-time artist doing wall murals for a living.
Featuring: “The Greatest Gift of All”
Follow Reinah on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/ledesmareinah
JUNIE LINSOCO is an interdisciplinary artist working mostly on visual effects and multimedia design. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Digital Illustration and Animation at the Ateneo de Naga University.
Featuring: “Reverie”
Follow Junie on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/linsocojunie
MANUEL DONDON MEDENILLA is a visual artist and a single parent to two children. He once sold a painting in A. Mabini Street, the art district in Manila at an early age of 17. He was mentored by painter Hermel Alejandre.
Featuring: “Partner”
Follow Manuel on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/manueldondon.medenilla
NITOY PEÑERA is a visual artist who attended high school at the Bicol College of Arts and Trade. He has been a well-known visual artist in Naga City, from the 80’s to the present. His paintings are in the style of Art Nouveau.
Featuring: “Pastores”
Read full article about Nitoy Peñera… https://dateline-ibalon.com/2023/01/nitz-penera-a-self-taught-artist/
Follow Nitz on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/nitz.penera.5
ROMUALDO “ROMMEL” PEREZ studied Fine Arts Major in Advertising Arts at the University of Sto. Tomas. A freelance visual and graphic artist, his paintings exude the nuances of surrealism and social realism. He joined in numerous international art competitions where he emerged among the top finalists.
Featuring: “Ecce Homo”
Read full article about Romualdo “Rommel” Perez… https://dateline-ibalon.com/2023/01/watercolor-artist-of-the-peripheries-rommel-perez/
Follow Rommel on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/Pinturakid
ALMA BELLA TADLE is a mother and an artist who once made visual aids for students before becoming a full-time visual artist.
Featuring: “Bicol Express”