Benjie Mallari’s ‘Walks of Life’ at Galleria Nicolas
The past is often remembered through the eyes of the powerful. It is through the deeds of great and ignoble men and women that we understand history. The power of visual art is to refocus this attention to ordinary people, whose lives are often many times more interesting as glimpses of another time.
Baguio-based painter Benjie Mallari possesses a practice that is attuned to this notion and his forthcoming exhibition “Walks of Life” exemplifies his unique approach. His paintings reflect not only the different characters that make up humanity, but also zeroes in on a specific historical time and setting: that of Philippine society before and a little after World War II.
“The images are from the 1930s to the late 1950s,” says Mallari. “They reference Old Manila, focusing on scenes from the iconic Escolta of that era.” His works center on subjects in the act of movement — crossing the street, coming home from work, on the way to school or market — and places them in the vacuum of an abstract background. In this manner, Mallari freezes his subjects as fascinating elements for observation.
His characters are removed from their contexts and placed in colorful abstract backgrounds. “I am hoping the backgrounds make my work more timeless and more modern making them more relevant to today’s viewers,” he opines. “Everyone remembers Old Manila in black-and-white. I want to bring that image into something more contemporary.”
Benjie Mallari has exhibited at the Tamawan Art Village. Before he moved to Baguio, he was formerly the head of the Art Section of Meralco, and an artist for various newspapers— including Sunday Malaya and The Manila Chronicle.
“Walks of Life” opens on Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m., at Galleria Nicolas, 3F Art Space Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City and runs until Oct. 9.