Overview
Buen CALUBAYAN (b. 1980) is an artist based in Manila, Philippines. His work unfolds at the intersection of art, labor, and education. He critically examines established systems, such as linear perspective, in his treatment of painting and landscape, and he endeavors to reconstruct both the inner and outer worlds of the body to challenge traditional models of power and oppression. His artistic practice emphasizes the importance of practical systems inherent in everyday life and the value of experiential learning, questioning the Western visual frameworks that have been instilled in us and reinterpreting alternative perspectives through painting, drawing, video and installation.
The exhibition held on the 3rd and 4th floors of the gallery space presents 21 new works that articulate the artist’s thematic concerns with critical pedagogy and sensory practice through the languages of painting, video, and installation. The exhibition title, “Amoy Araw,” means “smells like sun” in Filipino, referencing to the lingering traces of movement and rhythm, as seen in the scent left on children playing outdoors or on workers after a day’s labor. Here, the concept of “rhythm” signifies the fundamental force that enables the movement of light, bodily motion, changes in the environment and landscape, and the creation and transmission of knowledge. This exhibition is a presentation of his explorations into the dynamic rhythms that form the basis of learning, memory, and communal experience.
CALUBAYAN’s artistic universe is grounded in long-term, in-depth research. Under the broad framework of “critical pedagogy,” he investigates the history of landscape painting, educational practices, and indigenous land struggles and integrates art history with socio-cultural issues to explore the inseparable dynamics of the senses, knowledge, and politics through the language of art. He considers “movement” and “rhythm” to be the essence of learning, urging a rediscovery of one’s body and senses beyond fixed conventional viewpoints. As part of the concept of “grounding”, he deconstructs traditional learning and advocates for relearning and collective study. The exhibited works present his reflections on these themes and his strategic methods of practice through a diverse array of approaches. They interweave studies on the institutional frameworks of landscape painting and art history, Waldorf pedagogy, projects that revive memory and engage in art therapy, indigenous land struggles and education, along with practices that investigate movement and sensory experience. The video installation displays the collapse of natural rhythm against a contrived urban landscape, while the paintings and chalk drawings probe the interplay between the body and its environment. Additionally, diagrams and drawings reveal how basic actions, such as walking, breathing, and moving, influence perception and sensation. Additionally, the artist’s notes and sketches serve as a guide to his creative world.
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