Art is about creating, exploring, questioning, and finding answers.
It means to understand life better and to achieve real happiness.
Marrz Capanang
When I first met Marrz, he was gazing out from the bus window looking very sleepy and tired. It was in July of 2012 when I launched a collaboration project with Barotac Viejo National High School, my Alma Mater – every Wednesday, a group of local artists I invited would take over a class to share alternative resources and processes in Dance, Theater, Creative Writing, and Multimedia Arts. I had a challenging time looking for a volunteer-teacher for Visual Arts. Someone gave me the numbers of three painters living in Iloilo City.
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Only Marrz said yes. From then on, he travelled to our town for the classes. It was the beginning of our journey together.
“Sa likod sang magamo nga lugar nga bantog sa droga, prostitusyon kag krimen, may malapad nga mga talamnan kung diin pwede kami kadalagan, kahampang, kalagsanay. Madamo sang kahoy kag matinlo pa ang suba kag dagat para langoyan. Tungod dira, naging malapit ang akon buot sa natural nga kalibutan. Kag sa paglabay sang panahon, napinsar ko nga wala na sang mas may importante pa nga mensahe nga dapat ipalab-ot sa kalibutan, kundi ang pag-amlig kay tanan dira gahalin, tanan kita apektado.”
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[Behind a place that is famous for drugs, prostitution and crime, there were wide fields where we could run, play, chase after each other. There were trees and the river and sea were clean enough to swim in. Because of that, I became close to the natural world. As time passed, I thought that there was no message more important to the world than to tell everyone that we need to look after it because everything comes from there, and we are all affected.]
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As an avid swimmer and snorkeler, he discovered the magical underwater realm and has promised to share the message of protecting and honoring the sea. Calaparan is blessed with a very long stretch of beach – soft sand and intense sunsets. Over the years, he saw it turn into a wasteland of trash.
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“Isa sa handum ko na ang ikaduwa nga Artivism diri sa higad baybay hiwaton. Ma-focus naman sya sa edukasyon sang mga panimalay kag pamatan-on nga gaistar lapit sa amon baybay.”
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[One of my wishes is for the second Artivism to be held at the seaside. It should focus on the education of the households and the youth that live near our sea.]
A CHILDHOOD
IN THE HOOD
ART AND
ACTIVISM
Marrz is the grounding force of our creative ethical brand, Alima Community. Though I am mostly recognized for the venture and am often invited to talk about the project, our impact would not be as it is without Marrz’s leadership, commitment, and honesty. He holds the eco-design workshops, prepares all materials needed, crafts all our visuals, and oversees our consignment and accounting.
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“Lain ang balatyagon nga makabulig ka sa iban kag makita mo sila nga ga-uswag. Ang gina-aspirar sang artist nga mabag-o ang kalibutan, kag para sa akon, indi na ma-achieve kung ang art mangin para lang sa mga manggaranon.”
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[There is a very different feeling when helping others and seeing them prosper. The artist aspires to change the world, and to me, it cannot be achieved if art is solely for the wealthy.]
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Through his constant effort to share the power of creativity to those who don’t have opportunities to deepen their skills, we have observed how the six women we collaborated with blossomed into empowered artists.
Alima Community workshop | photos by Jonn Laserna
My important evolution is when I truly understand that art is not the driving force in my life but the benevolent force that push me to do something good and creative for other people and the land.
STORIES IN THE
INTERNATIONAL
PLATFORM
There was this one moment in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan when Marrz was asked to speak about the experience and impact of having an artist go out of his or her way to really be with people and work closely with them. I remember how his words brought light to the eyes of the participants:
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“There is no point in underestimating people in the margins of society. They have so much to offer. As an artist, it has been life-changing to receive the gifts of their wisdom, dignity, and humor.”
STRUGGLE AND RESILIENCE
“Kaisa, gakabalaka man ako kay Mama kay sobra na isa sya ka dekada nga bed-ridden kay kapila siya ma-stroke kag ginanerbyus. Kabudlay man kung paminsaron mo kay magluwas sa pagpinta kag pag-obra sang mga bagay nga lapit sa akon kalag, indi ko ma-antos nga pabay-an man sila.”
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[Sometimes, I get worried about Mama because she has been bed-ridden for more than a decade because of her multiple strokes and anxiety attacks. It gets difficult to take sometimes because other than painting and creating things that are close to my soul, I cannot also bear to leave her behind.]
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He vividly remembers the moment he arrived back to an empty house when his Mother had to be rushed to the hospital earlier in the day. It was as if there was an inexorable void in his chest. His Mother has always been a constant inspiration to Marrz, so seeing her go through very limiting situations teared him apart.
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But this did not stop him from intending wholeness in both his personal life and as an artist:
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“Gakabuhi ako gihapon sa realidad sang akon ginatuohan, pero ang gapalibot sa akon nga mga kabudlay parte man na sila sang akon pagkatawo. Indi pwede nga mapalutaw lang ako kag maglikaw. Kag kung ano ang ara sa akon mga napinta, luyag ko nga amu man ang akon ginakabuhi. Indi nga ako kag ang akon taliambong duwa ka sulianay nga kalibutan.”
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[I still am conscious of the reality of my belief, but the hardships that surround me also make me who I am. It is unacceptable that I should just float and escape. The things in my paintings, I want them to reflect my life. I do not want that me and my art are two opposite worlds.]
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I used to walk Marrz to the waiting shed after our workshops in 2012 – he had to take the bus back to the city. Sometimes, I had to walk with him under the downpour. We would walk quietly and talk a bit in between – about art and life; about our philosophies and flaws. I’d send him off, and he’d gaze out and smile at me from the bus window.
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That particular year, July had lots of rain.
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It did not stop us from following the direction of the Sun.
I realized that making art is a way to understand life more, for your own benefit and for you to share.
Written by Kristine Buenavista
an article from projectiloilo.com
Solo Exhibits
2022 | Tahud [Reverence] | Art Underground | San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines
2018 | Panakayon sang mga Tinubo [Meandering Natives] | Mamusa Art Gallery | Iloilo City, Philippines
2018 | Pasisiring [en.trance] | Gallery I | Iloilo City, Philippines
2016 | Pangut-angut | Kulay-Diwa Contemporary Art Gallery | Parañaque, Philippines
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Selected Group Exhibits
2022 | Laum | UPV Art Gallery | Iloilo City, Philippines
2021 | Enlightened | Himbon Art Gallery | Iloilo City, Philippines
2020 | Reminisce | SM City Iloilo | Iloilo City, Philippines
2019 | Aggregation | UPV Art Gallery | Iloilo City, Philippines
2019 | Ortigas Art Festival | Estancia, Capital Common | Ortigas City, Philippines
2018 | Bayluhanay | Eskinita Art Gallery | Molo, Mansion | Iloilo City, Philippines
2018 | Hand in Hand | Paseo Art Gallery | 3rd Level, Glorietta, Ayala Center | Makati City, Philippines
2017 | Southwind | Galerie Roberto | Manila, Philippines
2016 | Duna (a VIVA ExCon Art Exhibit) | SM City | Iloilo City, Philippines
2016 | Concurrents | Orange Gallery | Bacolod City, Philippines
2015 | Abstract Conversations | UPV Art Gallery | Iloilo City, Philippines
2015 | Rebirth of Sins | House of Frida | Bacolod City, Philippines
2014 | Clouds, Apples and the Subconscious | Cinematheque Art Gallery | Iloilo City, Philippines
2014 | Sinirayo-Scenario | Ysobel Art Gallery | Taguig City, Philippines
2013 | 50 Ilonggo Artists Exhibit | Ayala Museum | Makati City, Philippines
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Residency Program
2019 | Cultural Art Residency | Haarlem Artspace | Wirksworth, United Kingdom
2015 | Danjugan Artists’ Retreat | Danjugan Island | Negros Oriental, Philippines
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Art Conference
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2019 | Wild Conference by Slunglow | Temple Newsam | Leeds, United Kingdom
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Awards
2016 | Finalist | Philippine Art Awards
2015 | Grand Winner | Philippine Art Awards – Visayas
2015 | Grand Winner | NCCA-PCEP: Bayaning-Bayan sa Ating mga Katutubong, Epiko, Mito at Alamat
2012 | Finalist | NCCA Cebu First National Painting Competition
2011 | Semi Finalist | Metrobank Art and Design Excellence
2009/2008 | Finalist | 42nd/41st Shell National Student Art Competition
2008 | Grand Winner | DAR Regional On-the-Spot-Poster-Making Competition
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Curated Art Exhibit
2021 | Enlightened | Himbon Art Hub | Iloilo City, Philippines
2021 | Parcels | Himbon Art Hub | Iloilo City, Philippines
SHORT CV