Curatorial Notes

After months of discussions and long days of working together, a group of 18 artists unveils two six-feet tall paintings for Art Fair Philippines. This is one of the many projects lined up for the young artists under Tuklas , a mentorship program spearheaded by Alfredo Esquillo and Renato Habulan.

Habulan was one first the mentees of the Tuklas Program when it started in the 1970s through a sponsorship from the Center for the Advancement of Young Artist. Having been trained by the best minds in the Philippines through the program, Habulan has been passing on the mentorship he received to younger artists, including Esquillo who he met as a college student in the 1990s. The two artists sought to sustain the mentorship that they received and built the Eskinita Art Farm to host an artist residency under the recently revived Tuklas Program.

“We noticed that the young artists would start enthusiastically, joining activities and art shows, but eventually, they fade out of the scene or lose their way. Through this mentorship, we can ensure that they are able to continue to create and develop as artists.” Esquillo described their objective. “Through Tuklas, we create a tradition of mentorship: From generation to generation, we hope that these new artists will become the mentors for the next generation,” he added.

For their work in Art Fair Philippines, Tuklas mentees formed two groups led by each mentor: Tuklas Norte of North Luzon and Tuklas Sentro of Central Luzon. The mural by Tuklas Norte is titled Tablado. It depicts the Philippine political scene as an absurd tragic comedy skit. The artists framed the composition within a theatrical stage with a boxing ring at the center populated by characters from each participant. Tuklas Sentro’s composition titled Butterfly Effect portrays clashing forces that influence our times. They used the framework of Rorschach blots to make a collage of equal weight, while evoking the image of wings in a cockfight.

The members valued their process of collaboration: “it was not only a conversation about imagery, the discussion led us into a deep dive into current events so that we were able to give depth to what we are creating,” they shared. “Collaboration is a beautiful tradition in the Philippine Art Scene which is unique to our country,” Esquillo remarked. He cited the triumvirate of Philippine Modern Art: Galo Ocampo, Botong Francisco, and Victorio Edades who worked on similar collaborations before. It was continued by the social realists through their protest art, and was carried on by ABAY group, and later the Salingpusa group. “It is vital to continue this tradition of mentorship and collaboration because this may be a mark of our artistic culture”

Words by Carla Gamalinda

Additional info:

The proceeds for the two murals will go to the health fund of Eskinita Art Farm and will be used for preventive medical check-ups of the Tuklas members.

Tuklas Norte is composed of Anne Lacaba, Ben Albino, Lymuel Bautista, Jayme Lucas, Marvin Quizon, Lawrence Cervantes, Steven Natal, Kinoo Padlan, Frenk Sison, and facilitated by Alfredo Esquillo.

Tuklas Sentro is participated by Ianna Engaño, Carlo de Laza, Joen Sudlon, Mark Laza, Orland Espinosa, Anne Lacaba, Ben Albino, Lymuel Bautista, Jayme Lucas, Joshua Limon Palisoc, Bry Barrios, Marvin Quizon, Alfredo Esquillo, and facilitated by Renato Habulan

About the Artist

Tuklas is a year-long mentorship program with Eskinita Art Gallery’s founder and director Alfredo Esquillo, as well as the gallery’s resident curator Renato Habulan. The program includes mentoring sessions, assistance in production, and an invitation for a solo exhibit at Eskinita Art Gallery.

This program is open to all artists—visual, performance, experimental, among others —who have never been featured in a solo gallery exhibition. The artist may or may not have received formal art training, but have decidedly committed to pursue their art as a career.