Art is the most
resilient and flexible platform of self-expression. But, aside from this, it
serves as a dominant tool to convey messages and urge movement through its
various forms of representation. Upon walking through the Jose Joya gallery
featuring Josua Cabrera’s work, I was able to take a glimpse into how he laced
together his artistry and his socio-political commentary.
It is without question that
majority of his pieces have a strong underlying theme. Most of them being
editorial cartoons, it is easy to assume that they hold strong social relevance
depicting the common conflicts in the modern Philippines. They all have varying
degrees of intensity. One piece showed
the consistent traffic issue here in Cebu, particularly in Mambaling, for which
the piece was named. His comedic approach to this local problem makes it easier
for his audience to relate with this situation and also sends a deeper message
of how we need to take measures to address it. Furthermore, several of his
pieces featured more widely-known controversies such as corrupt politicians,
poverty, and his critical take on President Rodrigo Duterte.
In addition to this, he also has
pieces that resonated on cyber-bullying and how we live in a time where people
are consumed by social media. These imply how we, as Filipinos, acknowledge the
issues we are dealing with and yet ignore them by not taking action to resolve
them. It shows the behavior that Filipinos
associate with our own identity. There are good ones like having a sense
of optimism in dark times and standing firm with determination. However, more
than most of his pieces show traits we wish we didn’t have but unfortunately
do. The most common is our lack of discipline, our sense of “ningas cogon”,
being easily swayed by prejudice, still having a patriarchal society, and so
on. Evidently, most of his works depict how problematic we are as people,
however, he managed to depict his socio-political messages and urges his
audience to take action through his comedic approach. This is very effective
considering that it becomes more relatable, which eventually makes it personal.
And when things get personal, people get involved.
It truly shows how art can change
a person’s perspective. People change people, and art is a medium that serves
as the trigger for change. I am glad to have walked through the gallery and
have seen Mr. Cabrera’s magnum opus. It made me reassess the kind of society we
have and the state of social and political issues we are currently dealing
with. Not only did it inform and educate me, it gave me a different perspective
and a sense of lightheartedness in dealing with the daily pressures brought
about by the conflict in our country. It was not merely an act of observing and
interpreting artworks, walking through the gallery and seeing the stories in
the editorials which made me realize that it was a different experience of
realizing the need to partake in the affairs of our nation.
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