REKINDLING HUMANIT Y’S CONNECTION WITH NATURE
How Roger “Rishab” Tibon creates a fusion of nature and art
How Rishab Tibon creates a fusion of nature and art
“It is just intuitive for me to create art in any form I do,” said Roger “Rishab” Tibon.
don’t think much of trying to please anyone—I create art because I enjoy the process, the exploration of the subjects.”
Known for bold and vibrant paintings that are visually appealing and intellectually stimulating, Tibon specializes in works that are playful, whimsical, and surrealistic, yet strikingly charged, deliberately and subconsciously, with strong philosophical undertones.
Since his childhood days, Tibon knew he was an artist. “I never had formal education. I developed my skills through reading books, watching other artists paint, and practicing whenever I could,” he said. “The urge and passion were so strong.” Throughout his impressive program of self-apprenticeship, Tibon did freelance, before working as an artist/ designer during the 1980s in the nowdefunct Alemars bookstore. He also further refined his visual repertoire as an art director at the Cebu branch of Olbes, Ogilvy, and Mather. After his work with the agency, Tibon moved to Baguio City, pursuing painting full time—a decision that also helped shaped his aesthetic identity.
“When I lived in Baguio City, I was influenced by the different Cordillera cultures,” he said. “Because of that, I painted tribal portraits adorned with indigenous elements, patterns, motifs, and so on. But later on, I tried to move away from that and adopt a more universal theme.
From the very beginning of his professional career, Tibon was drawn to painting people in informal and surrealistic portrait forms being inspired by the works of the genre’s luminaries such as Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, and Joan Miro. Tibon also took to the works of
Pablo Picasso, Diego Velasquez, the Pre-Raphaelites, Leonardo Da Vinci, as well as contemporary pop surrealists, magic and hyper realists.
Though Tibon continues to create distinctive surreal portraits. He has modified his portraits over the years toward a more contemporary rendition of surrealism. He has also integrated pop elements such as anime, marvel characters, toys, imaginary flora and fauna, on his subjects. These modifications were further enhanced and exemplified in his Incognito series, which saw the subject’s face covered with masks—a “chimera” of different animals or with a patterned Zentai suit. In Tibon’s solo show in last year’s Manila Art, titled “Veiled Iconography,” the portraits were covered with translucent veils and bedecked with his unexpected images.
The integration of natural elements underscores Tibon’s propensity toward nature, an inclination heightened during his time in Baguio where he marveled at the indigenous people’s ability to continue with their way of life without negatively impacting the environment. As such, Tibon created nature installation art pieces, which he was regularly invited to participate in Biennales, Symposia, and Residency Programs.
“Most of the time, these events are meant to promote current issues such as climate change, nature, and environment, biodiversity, promoting wetlands protection, and so on,” he explained. “I do these using indigenous materials found locally and with the help of local community, students, and professionals.” Tibon shared that these events served as a vital platform to discuss relevant and significant issues related to the environment.
As for his process, Tibon shared that he does not do studies or preliminary sketches. “I work directly on the canvas guided with initial inspiration,” he said. “I just let my conscious/ unconscious mind do the thinking and I just paint whatever it presents. I don’t know what will come out of my finished work. For me, it’s the feeling of not knowing how it will turn out and the feeling of elation afterwards that makes painting enjoyable.”
To date, Tibon has participated in a number of shows, biennales, symposia, art fairs, and exhibitions, with his work reaching South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Germany, US, Australia, Hong Kong, and China. Such recognition is trite when compared to the authentic pleasure that creativity offers him. “For me, ‘artist’ is just a label. It doesn’t hold much value for me personally,” he candidly shared. “Of course, we need these labels to make life easier, especially as a means of communicating or categorizing people. I just do what I am good at and passionate about.”
For Tibon, art is not only a livelihood, it is the life blood of existence. “There are various reasons people do art—fame and fortune, and there are those who do it for the sheer pleasure of it,” he said. “I learn from my art, from the underlying philosophical undertones I discreetly put in it. My artworks are like mirrors that I can ponder on and hoping some viewers may discover it or make up their own.”
The integration of natural elements underscores Tibon’s propensity toward nature, an inclination heightened during his time in Baguio where he marveled at the indigenous people’s ability to continue with their way of life without negatively impacting the environment.