Maverhick: Calle Real

The infectious youth of Jecko Magallon’s ‘Hunol’

THE Iloilo art community’s enfant terrible Jecko Magallon opened his first solo show the only way you’d expect him to: By taking the irreverence and attitude of street art and slathering it all over the pristine white walls of gallery i – literally of course.

The 20-year-old Ilonggo artist-on-the-rise unveiled his first solo show – candidly titled “Hunol” –on Nov. 24 at gallery i in Iloilo City, giving his audience a peak into his creative process by also mounting a live art piece, a practice he’s already carried out a few times before.

With “Hunol” the emerging artist seeks to branch out further, from street art to local galleries, without forgetting to anchor on his roots.

“Hunol means to plant [in Hiligaynon] with extra care and effort,” shares Magallon. “Carefully to make sure that the plant will live and thrive. In time, [it hopefully will] grow and will [be able to] stand on its own.”

One of Iloilo’s most promising new artists, Magallon is more popularly known for his public art flourishing around the growing metropolis – most prominently seen along Ortiz Street in Iloilo City Proper. But evident in both his mural and canvas pieces is his distinct signature aesthetic: Toeing the fine line between graffiti, Pop Art, and Neo-Expressionism, but injecting his own infectious and youthful insight.

In a bit of self-deprecating humor, the young artist names one of the portraits in his gallery of rogues “Child-like, Not Childish” – arguably how the naïf may describe his works as they fail to grasp the depths of Magallon’s characters.

In pieces “Instant Gratification,” “Are You, You” and “Instagram to Kilogram,” Magallon pokes fun at the present generation’s obsession with social media, subverting symbols of vanity and validation (YouTube buttons, IG likes, glaring screens) for his own use; in “Grow Younger,” “Depressed Means Deep Rest,” and “Awkward Doesn’t Exist” he taps into the growing pains of a young adult.

Clearly inspired by New York art mavericks Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, Magallon channels the iconic duo through pop culture references and the off-kilter phrases he uses to complement his uninhibited characters – even paying homage to Warhol and the The Velvet Underground’s banana print and Basquiat’s infamous three-pronged crown.

Aside from allusions to the Disney’s Mickey Mouse ears and artificially-sweetened Coca-Cola soft drinks, Magallon hints at inspiration from the unrivaled the Beatles the most – the British band’s signature yellow submarine making a cameo in handful of his pieces. It reaches fever pitch in “I Get High With a Lil Help from my Friends” – recasting 1967 hit “With a Little Help from My Friends” with his own close circle of pals, every square inch as trippy as the original “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” album cover.

With his first solo show, Magallon hopes to plant seeds of growth in his own pursuit as a budding artist, and hopefully gain the encouragement and respect of Iloilo’s veteran artists whom he describes as already “big trees” in the local art community.

“‘Hunol’ describes both me and my exhibit,” relates the emerging artist. “Still developing and trying [to establish roots]. But [in the near future] this plant will grow ready for the bigger world, to grow as a tree and achieve its purpose.”

Photos courtesy of Eric Barbosa Jr. and ATMOS.PH.

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, by Rhick Lars Vladimer Albay

Advocacy

Tumandok Threads

IN Kinno Florentino’s vision for Iloilo, the past and the future blend seamlessly into a hablon dress. He sees Iloilo’s women clad in garb inspired by our province’s Panay-Bukidnon communities, standing tall and proud against the city’s most iconic sites ¬– the Arroyo Fountain, Calle Real, the Molo Mansion ¬¬– their eyes fiery, staring fearlessly into the future.

Tubok, named after the Tumandok / Panay-Bukidnon tradition of ornate embroidery Panubok, is the first solo exhibit and fashion project of Kinno Florentino, a fourth-year Fine Arts student of the University of San Agustin. In Tubok, Kinno adds a unique spin to our province’s indigenous traditional costume, envisioning them worn by the modern Ilongga, all the while encouraging the preservation of local customs.

“I wanted to innovate the clothing, but still keep in mind Ilonggo culture,” said Kinno, expressing that fashion is his favorite art medium. “Panubok is one of the many unknown icons of Panay identity, and [it] should be learned [by coming] generations.”

Kinno shares he was once frustrated that Visayas’ indigenous people (IP), especially the communes of Central Panay, were not given as much attention as tribes from Luzon and Mindanao. Finding out about our island’s Panay-Bukidnon communities, he was awestruck by their vibrant and distinct customs.

For research and to stay true to the Tumandok tradition, Kinno visited the IP community in Barangay Garangan, Calinog four times in a span of six months, immersing himself in their culture. What he learned was the art of traditional embroidery and how it has been passed down from generation to generation for more than hundreds of years.

“[I saw that] through Panubok, our ancestors were not only able to share their traditions but also pass down knowledge and education,” recalls Kinno who sees his exhibit as a way to stir greater conversation about our province’s indigenous people.

A self-described “ambitious and demanding perfectionist,” Kinno expresses that he had to fight through a lot of time constraints to make his show perfect – finishing the fashion pieces in just over a month, and completing the all the wall-mounted paintings with just a week’s notice.

Kinno used local products to design his dresses, mainly the famed hablon of Miag-ao, embroidering them with traditional ornate patterns inspired by the Panay-Bukidnon panubok. “Each Panubok pattern has an exact meaning and is usually associated with animal features such as bird’s eyes, and snake skins,” shares Kinno.

To complement his fashion show, Kinno translated his designs to canvas. “The paintings of these clothes worn by Ilongga models set in different Iloilo Heritage sites will show how the modern women embrace their ethno-cultural identity and independence through fashion,” expressed the young artist.

Kinno dedicates his first solo exhibit to the Panay-Bukidnon community, showing earnestness to instilling a sense of Ilonggo identity and culture in coming generations. “It is important to preserve the identity of the Panay-Bukidnon and the stories that they tell,” muses Kinno, his eyes fiery, staring fearlessly into the future.