Hubon Ilonggo opens decade strong with tour de force ‘Come Together’

HUBON ILONGGO, the city’s single largest artists’ collective, has opened the new decade with a tour de force group show at Cinematheque Center Iloilo’s exhibit space – assembling some 109 art pieces by 81 creators for the plethoric “Come Together.”

Curated by Ilonggo veteran artist Rock Drilon, “Come Together” predominantly features a diverse series of 1 feet by 1 feet artworks by different Ilonggo painters, all arranged in uniform succession – seemingly evoking a technicolor checkerboard.

The Cartesian display rekindles nostalgia for a similar group exhibit hosted at the same venue some five years ago, in late 2015: the revelatory “Collective Effervescence,” a mammoth exhibit that gathered nearly 300 art pieces, a brilliant show of force from a creative community that was only just beginning to find solid footing in Iloilo, then led by the former Iloilo Visual Artists Collective (IVAC).

The title “Collective Effervescence” directly borrowed from the sociological concept that inferred the power of shared experiences – postulating how communal gatherings tended to empower and intensify group actions, until the whole eventually became greater than the sum of all its parts. “Come Together” channels this same gestalt electricity, five years down the line.

Whereas “Collective Effervescence” was a compelling declaration of unity from a then still fledgling community of artistes, “Come Together” is a definitive call to action – as Hubon Ilonggo regroups, seeing a new era afoot for Iloilo’s burgeoning art scene.

“The message of ‘Come Together’ is to reconnect,” shared newly elected Hubon Ilonggo president sculptor Tyrone Dave Espinosa, highlighting the collective’s role in championing the local art community to new heights.

Among the more than a hundred sundry artworks are two oil sketches by 2017 Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines awardee Kat Malazarte: “The Brave” and “The Tenacious,” telling portraits of a pair of her fellow young artists. Meanwhile, Jzy Tilos expands on his “Taglugar” series with nuanced depictions of striking engkantos, as Bryan Liao experiments with his signature metalwork to meld malleable lotus-like flowers.

Aryanne Malanguis, a fresh face in Iloilo’s art circle, contributes the mixed media “Kolektibols,” a primal assemblage of clay-sculpted faces. On the other hand, Carren Evangelista shows ingenuity – deftly rendering evocative hands, even while only using coffee paint as her medium.

“Come Together” runs until January 31, 2020 – on exhibit at Cinematheque Centre Iloilo, Ground Floor B&C Building, corner Solis and Iznart streets./PN