CIRILO F. BAUTISTA COMMEMORATED IN ZINE COLLECTION
The zine set is inspired by the multi-awarded poet, writer, essayist, critic and educator’s renowned epic poem The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus, comprised of The Archipelago (1970), Telex Moon (1981) and Sunlight on Broken Stones (1999)
Twenty-one visual art zines celebrate the life and work of the late National Artist for Literature Cirilo Francisco Bautista, through a compilation entitled The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus.
The zine set is inspired by the multi-awarded poet, writer, essayist, critic and educator’s renowned epic poem The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus, comprised of The Archipelago (1970), Telex Moon (1981) and Sunlight on Broken Stones (1999).
The trilogy, which took 30 years to complete, retells Philippine history and has earned Bautista a number of recognitions including the National Centennial literary contest first prize for epic poetry, the Manila Critics Circle National Book Award and the Book Development Association of the Philippines Gintong Aklat Award, among many others.
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Manila and La Salle Green Hills president, Bro. Edmundo Fernandez, FSC, wrote the introduction.
The anthology was designed by contemporary artists and architects, including Nel Banaag, Gringo Benedicto, Blic, Gab Brioso, Tricia Castillo, Julius Clar, Mariah Concepcion, Jackie Cruz, Bayani Galera, Winna Go, Miguel Infante, Doktor Karayom, Charles Mañez, Stephen Matti, Regina Morales, Walther Ocampo, Levyn Purcil, Robin Ravago, Gabby Rosario, Isola Tong and Thea Torres.
This collection is presented in book form. Meanwhile, a digital installation, House of Words, reimagines the Quezon City home of Bautista and his wife, architect Rose Marie, the former dean of DLS-CSB School of Design and Arts.
Using the concept of text as image, architecture students Tracie Bejar, Bea Carague, Jackie Cruz, Janelle Gan, Kevin Nuñez, Emilio Tenorio and Aaron Yu, together with multimedia arts students Marco Ajero, Gelo Fabian, Enrique Masias and Raine Sanciangco meticulously selected phrases and stanzas from the epic poem and recreated the Bautista house using environmental graphics and architectonic volumes.
Bautista shared his expertise as an educator at the Waseda University in Japan and Ohio University in United States. He was the only Filipino granted with an honorary degree from the prestigious International Program of the University of Iowa. He honed aspiring writers as professor emeritus at De La Salle University Manila, San Beda University Manila and Saint Louis University in Baguio.
The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus, which took 30 years to complete, retells Philippine history and has earned Bautista a number of recognitions.
He was a Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards Hall of Fame awardee, the 2012 Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Gawad CCP Para sa Sining awardee and the 2013 National Commission for Culture and the Arts achievement awardee.
The literary giant likewise served as an instrumental figure at the DLSU Bienvenido Santos Creative Writing Center and at the University of Santo Tomas Center for Creative Writing and Studies. He paved the way for the foundation of some of the most reputable writing organizations in the country such as the Baguio Writers’ Club, Philippine Literary Arts Council and the Iligan National Writers’ Workshop.
Produced by the Center of Campus Art (CCA), the zine set is curated by CCA director, architect Gerry Torres with architect Harvey Vasquez of Benilde Architecture.
The first 40 sets will be gifted to the family and literary friends of Bautista and to the artists who shared their talent for this homage.
Originally created as a physical exhibition in 2020, the virtual gallery may now be accessed at www.thetrilogyofsaintlazarus.com.