‘Art has no borders’

‘Art has no borders’

Manuel Baldemor
(PHOTO: Leah Woolner)

Filipino Painter Manuel Baldemor in Montreal:

By Leah Woolner
Exclusive to The Philippine Reporter

MONTREAL–A closing reception was held in honor of the renowned Filipino artist, Manuel Baldemor, whose painting exhibition, titled Images of the Homeland, was on display in Montreal during the second week of June. The paintings were shown at an exhibition space located in Cote-des-Neiges, one of Montreal’s most vibrant multicultural neighborhoods and home to many members of the Filipino community.

Baldemor, whose primary residence is in the Philippines, was in attendance for the reception, along with the Philippine Ambassador to Canada, Madame Petronila Garcia, as well as Montreal City Councillor, Marvin Rotrand and borough Mayors, Russell Copeman and Anthony Housefather.

From left: Anthony Housefather, Russell Copeman, Marvin Rotrand, Manuel Baldemor, Petronila Garcia.
(PHOTO: Leah Woolner)

Baldemor’s trip was organized in part by the Philippine Embassy, which planned his visit in accordance with their Philippine Independence Day activities, and in part by local Filipino organizations. The artist’s visit to Canada began in Ottawa, where he was exhibiting another series of paintings at the National Gallery of Canada and will continue across the country for two other shows in Toronto and Vancouver at the end of the month.

Images of the Homeland was a breathtaking display of over twenty-five of Baldemor’s acrylic paintings. True to the title, Baldemor described the series as evoking, “the theme of nostalgia for Filipino folk customs and rituals.” Awash in a sea of bright colours, many of the paintings visually narrate familiar Philippine landscapes and cultural traditions that transport the audience into different regions of the country.

Hailing from Paete, Laguna, the artist attributes his upbringing in the countryside and in a region known for its woodcarving, as a formative influence for his iconic “folk” style. While Filipino culture has been the main inspiration for Baldemor’s painting and printmaking, the artist explained how he is also passionate about learning and living in other cultural milieus: “Most of my exhibitions in the past 15 years have been in Europe and so, I also portray the art and culture of what I saw there. For me, art has no borders.”

Fiesta Land (PHOTO: Leah Woolner)

The phrase, “art has no borders,” is a fitting description for Baldemor, who has been an “artist in residence” in many different countries all over the world. Recently, Baldemor had a 6-month residency in Mexico, where he held a series of painting workshops for children, in addition to creating his own work.

“I have many different influences, but in the end, I ‘philippinize’ it,” Baldemor said with a big smile. “My main purpose of travelling is to observe, absorb and record in my own visual language.” As seen by the paintings in Images of the Homeland, the artist’s “visual language” often employs bold lines and abstracted forms, as well as plenty of intense colours. “My colours are so warm, because we don’t have four seasons” Baldemor laughed. “In Europe, they were so amazed that my colours were so bright and they compared my work to stained glass or mosaics!”

As a professional artist for the last 50 years, Baldemor has had a prolific career—Images of the Homeland was his 204th solo exhibition. The recipient of many national and international awards, he cites the continued use of his artwork as the designs for UNICEF cards as one of his proudest accomplishments.

A number of speeches, notably by City Councilor Rotrand and Mayor Copeman, were given at the reception before Ambassador Garcia and Baldemor provided the concluding remarks. Addressing both “Canadians with Filipino heritage and Filipinos in Canada,” the Ambassador began her speech by discussing the improvements that the Philippine job-market has seen during the last year, as the “fastest growing economy in Asia.”

In the spirit of the Independence holiday, the Ambassador remarked, “my compatriots, we celebrate the 117th anniversary of Philippine Independence with a renewed sense of pride in our history as a sovereign nation and a more positive outlook for future generations of Filipinos.” Ambassador Garcia thanked the “distinguished Filipino artist” for giving “artistic flare” to this year’s Independence Day celebrations, as well as the city of Montreal for co-hosting the event. At the end of the reception, Baldemor warmly thanked the audience for showing their support, and reiterated his pride in representing the Philippines, as well as his gratitude for being able to visit Canada.

After his exhibitions in Toronto and Vancouver, Baldemor will be traveling to New York City, Mexico City, the principality of Liechtenstein, and Geneva, for upcoming shows, before returning home to the Philippines by Christmas.

5 Photos courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa.