IMMERSE WITH ‘THEM’
Children are often referred to as the hope of our country, the leaders of tomorrow and the key to a better future. Yet, generation after generation, the question arises: Where is the future now and will it ever come?
Social realist artist Marvin Chito Natural, in the hopes of addressing this question, framed the answers by shedding light on the situation of children; those who are often burdened with the responsibility of holding the future of our country in their hands. The artist displayed them for everyone curious enough to know, with his first solo exhibition in Cebu entitled Them.
“I do not expect my art to provide all the answers. I only hope it asks the right questions,” said Natural.
Them hopes to give a glimpse of what could be a challenging and bleak future for our very own children, the children of our times and the children of our society. The artist hopes to bring some deep, critical and substantive stories of children.
As a social realist artist, Natural uses art as a mirror to reflect the ills of society. Once people pay attention and look at themselves in this mirror, it yields the powerful blow of a hammer and will help mold the present situation.
“Any serious artist cannot be both blind and deaf with what’s going around. There is a reason as to why one becomes an artist. I often see it this way; he is a priest or a prophet to his people using his art, be it music, writing or any other forms of art.” said Natural.
Every piece of artwork displayed, provides its own storyline posing political, environmental and societal issues each pertaining to how these things affect children and how they are playing their part.
“I have lots of influences; first, in the biblical sense as Christ said “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” There is also
this painting of Carl Bloch, where Jesus is portrayed as pulling the child out from a crowd. I think everything we do in society we owe to these people. It’s for them,” said Natural.
This self-taught, award-winning artist paints stories specifically captured from his own lenses, and through his own experience as he immerses with them; the future of our country.
“That kid with the mask, she’s my daughter. She’s wearing a gas mask because in our place there are lots of power plants. It is quite visible that there is no clear urban planning. Our house is in between two power plants so wherever the wind blows we still have a problem. The child with the Duterte band leans more on the political side. The child with a respirator is a comment on the environment. The child with the goggles on is about our marine ecosystem. Those children I painted who are taking a bath are happy because of the abundance of their water but in the future our resources will be running low. I remember before we used to just take a bath beside the road from water overflowing from springs. Now, water is paid for and sometimes there’s none. The allocation of water is even scheduled, in a span of just a few years,” said Natural.
Art is a powerful instrument indeed, but without a hand that will wield this instrument the purpose it stands for remains unfulfilled as this becomes a dormant object full of potential just waiting to be noticed.
Them was launched last Nov. 24 in Qube Gallery, Crossroads, Banilad, Cebu City.