Monterona wins international mural contest
PNT News Staff
Vancouver artist Bert Monterona is one of five winners of an international mural contest- Mural Fest held recently in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The competition attracted over 80 artists from all over the world. He just returned from Winnipeg where he stayed for one month to paint the 25ft.x38ft mural that on the Confederation bldg in the Exchange district of Winnipeg.
His mural – Women for Peace and the Environment uses women as the centerpiece for the message that they are the key in finding a “balanced and equitable paradigm”. Monterona says the women in his painting find their own independent identities by developing a more holistic view of the world, redefining their relationships between men and women in terms of their social, political, economic and spiritual equality.”
The 2007 festival is the second international festival sponsored by Graffiti Art Programming (GAP). The jury was looking for thought provoking material to create conversation with themes ranging from the environment to censorship. Other artists whose works will be shown with Monterona include Jesse Reno from Portland, Oregon, Cyrus Smith of Winnipeg, Ian August also of Winnipeg, and Marco Scarpato of Belgium.
Monterona says his work makes a call for all women and men of goodwill to take the responsibility for sustaining life, environmental protection, preventing wars and building a culture of peace.”
The 49-year old Monteroana is a full-bloodied Lumad from Bukidnon and studied at the Mindanao State University in Iligan City where he finished his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education majoring in Architectural Drafting. Based in Davao, Monterona was first exposed to the visual arts during his school days and had his first solo exhibit at the age of 19. Since then, numerous solo and group exhibits followed in Mindanao, Manila and abroad including Australia, U.S. Japan and South Korea. His Canadian exhibits include the Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, the Maple Ridge Gallery, Place des Arts, and The Kalayaan Centre. He was also featured artist during the 2006 World Peace Forum in Vancouver where his inter-active work about peace building was installed at the University of British Columbia.
Monterona has won several awards and grants among them the ASEAN Arts award(finalist every year 1996 t0 2001) in 2001, best entry in the Art Association of the Philippines annual art competition in 1998, Asian Artists Award, Vermont Studio Center, USA, 1998, Australian Art Council-Artists Regional exchange awardee in 1995 and an exhibition and travel grant from the People’s Theatre Festival Society and Hongkong Arts Centre in 2000.
He became involved in political art during the time of the repression of the Marcos era, meeting like-minded artists who sought art as a tool to expose the realities of Philippine society. He was Mindanao Coordinator of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts from 1996 to 2001.
“My works depict the ritual of life that is beyond the trappings, ceremonies and physical appreciation of our Lumad brethren,” he says of his paintings. He attempts to demystify the exotic as an affirmation of their being human. His paintings therefore do not portray the women in traditional postcard poses but shows them in the struggle for the land and culture, with faces gaunt from the wind and the vicissitudes of life.
His subjects and themes attempt to reflect the beliefs, dreams, aspirations and struggles of the indigenous people, while it condemns the maneuvers of the exploiter and the oppressor.
“Continuing Revolution’ shows a tribal woman up in arms in resistance, flanked by two AK rifles. Around her are figures of the Spanish conquistadors and tribal warriors locked in struggle. Below her is the new generation of her peoples still fighting to keep their land and cultures from the new exploiters and oppressors.
Just as the eagle or the bear holds special significance in Canada’s native culture, the lizard in Monterona’s paintings reflects the same place of honour.
He refrains from glossy or romantic portrayals of countryside scenes in the tradition of Fernando Amorsolo, icon of Philippine art whose works were glorified by the American colonizers to depict a serene society devoid of oppression and struggle. Instead, Monterona’s paintings are stark and realistic depictions of the peoples’ struggle especially the tribal people for national liberation. His work attack the root causes of the problems of Philippine society – from the continuing imperialist domination to the influences of the church and the miseducation to which Filipinos are subjected.
He believes that artists should not be confined to the studios but need to immerse themselves in the community. His sojourn in Vancouver where he busied himself in knowing the country’s art and culture as well as associating with his own expatriate Filipino community is but a continuum of his quest for unity in the midst of diversity. This multi-faceted man is not only an artist but also an art educator and cultural worker – an ‘artist-activist’ in every sense of the word.
His works can be seen at www.bertmonterona.com. |
