Artist Melvin Culaba is the first person to admit that his subjects are not pretty. He chooses to zoom in on what ills the society, rather than what is comforting to the eye. Background Check, Culaba’s ninth one-man show, will run at West Gallery, Quezon City, from October 21 to November 24.
With the continuing advancement in digital photography that allows even casual photographers to take excellent pictures, Culaba is even more determined to take a step back and do the complete opposite-going back to traditional painting, with its raw, unhinged strokes pervading the canvas. Culaba chooses to paint what “people don’t want to see,” including the widespread poverty and social deviation that continue to persist in the streets. He also adds an element of personal experience in his works, as he is inspired not only in exposing such “ugly” realities, but also how people close to him have been affected by such realities.
Background Check features works that do not only concentrate on a central figure, and instead cover every corner in the composition. Each object is there for a reason, helping Culaba complete his idea about that particular social phenomenon. “Senior Citizen’s Discount” features a child vendor out in the streets offering items at 50% off. An older person’s hand is seen reaching out. The busy metropolis background speaks of increasingly lesser accessibility to travel, consumerism, and street prostitution.
“Reversal of Fortune” tackles the concept of what is beautiful, either in appearance or in the manner of dreaming to aspire for a higher position in society. “The Ticket” features another child laborer, this time sleeping at an overpass after a hard day’s work. It seems that all his hard work has gone to buying into his vices, such as purchasing pirated CDs and cigarettes. Culaba plays into the fantasy of that child of wanting to become a superhero, and clutching a ticket to a popular carnival ride.
“Consummatum Est” references the Holy Week celebration when people expect themselves to be a little kinder to each other, yet consumerism still prevails. “In Touch” features a sari-sari store vendor peddling all sorts of things, with Culaba inserting references to Chinese-made products and a superficial way of keeping communication lines open via cell phone “loads”. “Eyes on the Prize” tackles people’s fascination with game shows and the promises they seem to give people of a better future through large cash prizes.
Culaba says that it takes more time to complete a composition than painting it on the canvas. He uses many symbolisms to express his ideas, challenging his viewers to see beyond the literal and to realize how powerful the visual medium is in reflecting the real big picture, more than it does with enhanced, eye-candy images.
Culaba is a graduate of fine arts from the University of Santo Tomas. He has been a finalist at the Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards from 1995 to 1998 and in 2006, and also won at the Art Association of the Philippines annual painting competition and Metrobank Young Painters annual competition. He was also a recipient of a full residency grant at the Vermont Studio Center in 2005.
Documentation
