Do You Believe In Rodel Tapaya?

Rodel Tapaya, "Kagat Daliri", detail

Rodel Tapaya mounts an exhibit of paintings in a style he knows best, what art writer Professor Alice Guillermo labels in her essay, The Hauntings of Rodel Tapaya, as cultural surrealism. He continues to mine our Filipino folk traditions for narratives that he can translate onto his canvases. This time, he casts his eye on superstitious beliefs, adages passed down from those wives of yore, practices that still come alive in parts of the country untouched by urban jadedness.

Rodel paints of good fortune that may be dispersed by sweeping with brooms in the evenings, and also about the dangers that may befall those who use their forefingers to point at a rainbow. He cautions against stepping over a sleeping boy lest one stunts his growth, and advises anxious women to steam an unfaithful husband’s clothes over a lit stove to ensure his return to the fold.

You won’t find any groundbreaking attempts from Rodel in this show. He sticks to a formula he has made his own. I do continue to enjoy the way he paints his landscapes, as he does for Kagat Daliri and Dating Daan. He uses deep, rich colors and loose strokes that make them blend into beautiful patterns.

A few years ago, when he first started showing solo, Rodel made a series of portraits of people in his neighborhood: the gossip, the bully, the mayor. He brings back some of those characters here for a series of what he calls reverse paintings. Painted on plexiglass sheets, these works call for finishing touches to be applied first. Except for the piece Lot-lot Kunot, I’m not sure if I like how these fared done this way. They seem to lack the texture—and character—of his other portraits.

Rodel just made the list of 15 finalists for the Signature Art Prize 2011, an award sponsored by the Singapore Art Museum and the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation. It recognizes outstanding work in contemporary art from within the region, pieces produced in the last three years. For this year, jurors selected the finalists from 130 nominated works. Aside from a Grand Prize winner chosen by the jurors, the finalists also vie for the People’s Choice Award. Vote for Rodel’s mural, Baston Ni Kabunian, Bilang Pero di Mabilang at http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/signatureartprize/index.php

Believe It Or Not runs from 8 to 22 October 2011 at Glorietta Art Space, 3f, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati. For more information contact Pinto Art Gallery, phone (632) 697-0115 or visit www.pintoartmuseum.com