A voice for the voiceless
The dirty, beautiful, honest world of flesh peddlers, presented in the works of Max Balatbat
The dirty, beautiful, honest world of flesh peddlers, presented in the works of Max Balatbat
'It’s a castle of prostitutes, a market place for the flesh, and a palace of pleasure. A castle ruled by a pimp who guards his kingdom from the street corner.'
“Where I come from, puta is nothing more than a job description,” says Max Balatbat. Known for weaving the tales of unnamed whores into an unapologetic visual narrative that confronts viewers with the reality of the sex trade, Balatbat continues to be a voice for the voiceless. Using his art as a means of challenging conservative sensibilities by fleshing out the stories of those in the business of the flesh, he is not one to beat around the bush or self-censor for the sake of being politically correct. “For me, the pimps and the whores are a source of inspiration,” he says. “They have taught me so much. The street serves as one big university for me. They are my teachers. I have nothing to scream but their stories.”
The empathy the artist feels toward them is undeniable. Growing up, Balatbat lived opposite a fourstory cabaret spanning 5,000 square meters that he dubbed “Kastilyo”
(the Filipino word for “Castle”), drawing on his observation of the nightly festivities and the endless worldly amusement it offered--a temple of the flesh. Not only was Balatbat privy to the pimps’ and whores’ comings and goings, he mingled among them, recalling, “In fact, some of my friends and playmates were their children”.
In this sense, Balatbat was welcomed into the secret fraternity. There, he learned of its codes of conduct. “Undoubtedly, this is a job that is considered indecent,” he says, “but in our area people choose to look at it in a positive way. People do things for many reasons, and the resounding sound of an empty stomach drives those in this line of work.”
For Balatbat, the pimps and the whores imbue a refreshing sort of candor, stemming from a unique sense of self-awareness. “If they’re angry, then they’re angry,” he says. “If they are horny, then they are horny. If they are your friend, then they are your friend, and you can fight with them, but you can be sure that if you get into a fight with someone else, they will have your back.”
These early experiences became the cornerstone of Balatbat’s artistic expression. In his debut exhibit, he shares a narrative on the secret lives of pimps and whores. With each show, he has since been revealing a different aspect of their world.
His latest show, “Kastilyo” is no different. He puts the spotlight on the flesh-peddlers behind the scenes, using recollections of the cabaret as the setting for his latest installment: “It’s a castle of prostitutes, a market place for the flesh, and a palace for pleasure. A castle ruled by a pimp who guards his kingdom from the street corner.”
Though Balatbat is in familiar territory, he is by no means formula- ic in his approach, continuing to provoke, not only through his provocative topic, but also in his medium of choice opting to create three-dimensional works.
Drawn to the flexibility that instal- lations afford him, Balatbat says that the the beauty of the medium is that “there are no boundaries and constraints. Nothing and no one would stop you,” he says. “It also feels great to present it in its entirety, watching the viewer go around scrutinizing the piece, savoring every line, tangle, and paint.”
This is pronounced in ‘Trono,’ the striking red and black installation that offers a jumble of body parts writhing and thrashing, whipped into a shape of the chair, representative of the pimp’s throne. Most striking in the piece is the red skeleton gently propped up against the backrest, giving physical embodiment of “being worked to the bone, in the sale of the flesh.”
As an artist, Balatbat feels compelled to discuss realities that more delicate natures often turn a blind eye to: “Time and time again, most of them are ignored and cast aside by the system, overtaken by taunts from generation to generation.” The infinite and untold depths behind the lives of the people who work in the industry push him to demystify their world for the wider public. “There are still so many questions left unanswered,” he says.
Balatbat makes no secret of the fact that his artwork revolves around the lives of pimps and whores, often speaking to them about it. “They don’t want to attend the show though,” he says when asked whether his subjects have seen his representation of them. “They feel like they would be judged, but they’re happy enough that I talk about them.” Such a fear only further underscores the importance of Balatbat’s mission to speak on behalf of those considered the scorns of society.
Kastilyo is on display until Jan. 3, 2019 at Secret Fresh, G/F Ronac Art Center, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig, 1502 Philippines