ART IN BATANES
“YARU” IN THE IVATAN LANGUAGE MEANS COOPERATIVISM OR BAYANIHAN. Such value is deeply ingrained in the Filipino spirit. And for the Ivatan, the people of Batanes, it is in their blood to come together and contribute for a common cause.
The Yaru Nu Artes Ivatan at the end of Abad Street in the town of Basco is the one and only art gallery on this island province. It is a testament to how four years of being together has collectively brought the local artists to greater heights.
“Nasa dugo na namin ang art (Art is in our blood),” says local artist Jaypee Portez.
The group of the same name was formed in 2006, with a government grant and on the initiative of then Fullbright scholar Margarita Garcia Asperas. With 13 artists, mostly not over 35 years of age, the youthful group consists of Marrel Pajanil, Jaypee Portez, Leslie Joy Merina, Xavier Abelador, Rhodelyn Come, Gerald Gonzales, Olan Gonzales, Javier Ponce, Michael Malupa, Sammy Vargas, Terasa Belaya, Mary Grace Santos and Victoria Abad-Kerblat.
Ivatan art may be unfamiliar to those outside the smallest Philippine province. In the past, the artists’ works have been exhibited in Manila at the Museo Pambata and the GSIS Museum, in Makati for Art in the Park, and in Baguio at the Tam-awan Village. Yet the identity of Ivatan art is one that is still hard to articulate in words, and to simply interpret it
may not do justice to this thriving art community.
Their illustrations perhaps say it best. Their works reflect inspiration from National Artist Fernando Amorsolo with realistic themes and depiction. A lot of landscape paintings are in the gallery and also on the walls of local offices in the province, such as the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Batanes Heritage Foundation.
Portez explains matter-of-factly: “Kung ano’ng nakikita namin sa paligid, ‘yun ‘yung pinipinta namin (What we see around us is what we paint).” There’s a sea glass-framed portrait of a farmer walking his carabao by the roadside by Virgilio Gordo. There’s a painting of locals boarding a boat to bring them to the farther island of Itbayat by Roel Salonga.
There’s a group of children with a sharpened pole in one hand, feet in ankle-deep water looking for fish to catch. There’s a depiction of a community putting a cogon roof on their church.
By default, there’s also a lot of abstract art. Heavily influenced by recognized art matriarch of the province, the late Pacita Abad, the artists have their own rendition of vibrant abstract art. Abad’s multicolored circles literally run around the whole island with paintings on tricycles, mosaic on walls and welcome arches.
Another artist, Leslie Merina, renders the popular theme of mother and child on a circular canvas, depicting her own take on being a young mother herself. She also dabbles in mixed media using paper clay in making replicas of Batanes stone houses.
Apart from having the gallery, the group gathers regularly to paint, collaborate and hold workshops and lectures. “Kami ang samahan ng
nagtutulungan ng mga artists (We’re a group of artists who help each other),” shares Merina. They hope to help upcoming artists and, like what “Yaru” means, collectively improve the art scene in their community.
“Sana lalo kami dumami at para sa local na komunidad, maging proud sila na may maipagmamalaki ang Batanes sa mga artists niya (I hope we increase in number and for the local community, that they may have Batanes artists they can be proud of),” she adds.