Philippine printmaking celebrates 50 years with Tirada exhibit at the CCP

The Cultural Center of the Philippines joins in the celebration of 50 Years of Philippine Printmaking with the recently opened exhibit Tirada commemorating the founding in 1968 of the Printmakers Association of the Philippines that has recently morphed into Association of Pinoyprintmakers.

Benjamin Cabrera beside his work Heroes Hall, Heroes All

Raul Isidro beside his work Kites

As seen in The Strike of Print, an essay by exhibit curator Patrick Flores found in the exhibit’s accompanying brochure, tirada is a term among printmakers that signifies a strike: to pull off or pull out a piece of work in a series of multiples. It also means labor or effort, a decisive action.

Virgilio Aviado beside his works The Boxer, The Cruncher, and Dutch Interior

Rodolfo Samonte beside his work Curvation No. 9

It is written in it that the exhibit is built around a range of concerns: the aesthetic integrity and intelligence of the work of the print and the status of the printmaker as an artist; the validity of appropriation within the artistic system of the print; the capacity of the print of respond to socio-political reality; the self-consciousness of the print as a medium; the place of the print in art history; and the processes by which the print plays out in the ecology of the popular. The essay has further details of each concern.

Jun-Jun Sta. Ana beside his work

Yas Doctor beside her work 

A walkthrough for the press was recently and I was able to see not just the works but also hear some of the artists like Ambie Abaño, Virgilio Aviado, Mars Bugaoan, Benjamin Cabrera, Joey Cobcobo, Yas Doctor, Raul Isidro, Henrielle Pagkaliwangan, Rhoda Recto, Rodolfo Samonte, and Jun-Jun Sta. Ana give context and insight about their respective works.

Henrielle Pagkaliwangan beside her works Umaga, Dapithapon, and Gabi

Joey Cobcobo beside his work
Purong Utos 1-10

And in the 50 years of Philippine printmaking, there had been countless artists across generations, including National Artists for Visual Arts like Bencab, Ang Kiukok, Jose Joya, Cesar Legaspi, Arturo Luz, and Vicente Manansala, who have dabbled into this art form as evidenced by the over 300 works from more than 100 artists that are included in this exhibit.

Rhoda Recto beside her work Up the Cold North

Mars Bugaoan beside his work

I admit that I was overwhelmed by the numerous terms regarding printmaking like aquatint, collagraph, drypoint, lithograph, mezzotint, monotype, serigraph, etc. and barely had any idea what most of them mean. But prints remain to be an accessible and great and affordable way for an art enthusiast to begin a collection.

Ambie Abaño beside her work Soliman

The exhibit Tirada is located at the Bulwagang Juan Luna (CCP Main Gallery), Pasilyo Vicente Manansala and Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino (2^nd & 3^rd floor hallway galleries) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The exhibit will be on view until July 15, 2018. Viewing hours are from 10:00 AM-6:00 PM but extends up to 10:00 PM whenever there are evening performances at the CCP Main Theater.