Animal Kingdom
Brent Sabas taps into the unknown world of pets with his distinctive art, giving them a voice on issues relevant to the human realm
Graphic illustrator Brent Sabas has built a career in the advertising industry for years. But it was with his anthropomorphic paintings that he made waves in the local arts scene as a consummate visual artist, thanks to his exposure to the UP College of Fine Arts (UP CFA) where he finished BA in Visual Communications and his participation in the art collective group Ang INK (Ilustrador Ng Kabataan). His burning passion to exhibit artworks of his own propelled him to eventually put up a solo exhibition titled Ethos in 2018 at Galerie Stephanie. “I’m really new to these solo gallery exhibitions and it has been stressful because I’m doing it on top of my advertising day job, which is already draining my energy,” he says. “But it’s fulfilling and I get to reflect on the time to see my works evolve through the years.”
He considers his art as figurative, empowering his subjects with strong reference to the real world. Influenced by the various media he consumed during his childhood, Sabas has created masterful pieces devoted to young audiences. Using animals as references in his paintings, one would find the young boy that lives inside Sabas in his distinct youthful artistic identity. “My love and passion for art started early on,” he shares. “My dad used to buy me local comics every Friday, the same day X-men: The Animated Series was aired on ABSCBN. I would draw these superheroes and comic book characters almost every day and on everything; from my paper pads and notebooks to flyleaves and cigarette cartons, and even our walls,” Sabas recalls.
Being active in Ang INK has somewhat solidified his identity as an artist, polishing not only his style but also his understanding of his mission as a visual storyteller for children. “Core values are formed when you are a kid, that's why exposing them to children's literature is essential because they teach the basic values of becoming a better individual,” Sabas says. “Kindness, sympathy,
“I believe all art is political no matter how cute they are as it is a reflection of the creator's current environment and state of mind” —BRENT SABAS
love—things they will carry on with them as they grow up and become adults and, maybe, eventually as future leaders of our society.”
Ang INK is the only non-profit organisation for children's book illustrators in the Philippines. It is now celebrating its 30th anniversary and recently had a show called INK Story: 30 Years of Ilustrador Ng Kabataan in Arete at the Ateneo de Manila University. Over the years, it has released books that discuss serious matters like child molestation, cancer, homosexuality, parent separations and many more that help kids deal with their traumas. There are also socially relevant books, from dictatorship and Martial Law to the pandemic and community pantries, which teach the kids history and current events in such a way that is easier to digest.
Sabas shares that the idea of using animals as metaphors is actually one of the many things already inherent in our culture as Filipinos. Buwaya (crocodile), for example, refers to corrupt officials; tuta (puppy), for blind followers or lap dogs; or baboy (swine) for someone with a dirty disposition. “The connection between the terms used and their slang definitions is not always related. The buwaya once it eats, would not crave for more and could survive for several days without
consuming anything. Or the baboy, is actually a clean animal and one of the smartest too. Human beings placed them in dirty pens, that's why they became dirty,” the artist explains. “We as a society have these shared concepts of animal metaphors whether good or bad and we use them every day, and I think that's what makes my characters relatable.”
He surprisingly confesses that he is no paw-parent. “We have six noisy and loving dogs. I consider myself as a ‘paw-tito’ as my sister is the ‘dog queen’ of the house,” he happily shares. “She and her husband brought in the big dogs so she's mostly the one looking after them. I just give them hugs and scratches, occasional baths and make sure the smaller ones are not bullied.” The artist further gives his two cents on his stand on animal rights. “I hope luxury brands would stop using animal skin and fur for their products,” he says. “I've watched documentaries on the production process of these items and you just realise how far people would go in the name of luxury. It's unnecessary.”
With his signature of making anthropomorphic images speak about socially relevant topics and making satire out of our own crises and issues, Sabas attempts to elevate his young audience’s threshold of understanding. “I believe all art is political no matter how cute they are as it is a reflection of the creator's current environment and state of mind,” he says, making a quick reference to what Nina Simone said in her documentary. “I have a conscious effort to make that extra push to convey my point of view and to expose the truth especially in these times when fake news is so rampant,” he shares. “Art is like a mirror because it reflects the times and it exposes myself to me.”