TWO LANDSCAPES, TWO CHILDHOODS

When I was young I had the luxury and freedom to walk or run around our yard and our neighbors' yard, climb trees and play with my siblings and friends.

In our province the surrounding farms and marshlands offer marvelous landscapes that blend with the horizon in the morning or afternoon sun. These memories of childhood days when we have all those energies of youth are gone with it all those wonderful natural landscapes and its ecosystem, complete with insects, toads and mushrooms, are fast vanishing or completely a thing of the past.

Nowadays as globalization and materialism, enhanced and sped-up by the digital age, spread to the far reaches of remaining farmlands the seemingly inevitable urban expansion threatens to change landscapes from natural to manmade. And as shopping malls and airports sprouted all around the country like mushrooms those wonderful natural habitats are fast disappearing.

It is said that as we grow older we will eventually experience our second childhood especially when we approach the time where we once again act in a childlike fashion...no wonder why there are diapers for adults available in our supermarkets now. When that time comes to my life a different landscape awaits me and all those memorable natural scenery of my childhood will, sadly, only be a mirage.

A look at this large painting from far distance will show the childhood image of a landscape I cherish. But slowly moving closer towards it will gradually reveal a different reality that my next childhood has to face. Inversely, as I try to distance myself from the powerful allure but empty promises of this fragile digital age and patiently approach my old age each and every day, I will be daydreaming about those magnificent landscapes of old long gone.

If God the Father Almighty wills it, it is my plan to go back and paint landscapes and seascapes again when I grow old. Alas! What inspiration is there left for me now? Well, maybe a good memory of those beautiful sceneries would help. (Joel E. Ferraris)

ASIAN MOUSETRAP

Gone are the days, most probably, when kids had the chance to produce their own handmade toys. The process of making these things are fun in itself plus the pleasure of enjoying a sense of success and satisfaction after completing one toy made from scraps and found objects. That was my childhood. In those times of youth when the mind is ready for more creative challenges that are vital for growth the brain sends signals to the hands to do something creative. To me, the chance to build my own toy allows my mind to wander within the realm of imagination and creativity. These childhood privileges also protected me from becoming destructive.

I have proven that art has that alluring effect even to school bullies of my time when they always befriended me especially when they ask me to help them with their art requirements or whenever we build our toys together.

Nowadays, with the advent of digital toys mass-produced by big companies, kids and parents alike have the tendency to rely on these things to achieve a state of enjoyment and fun for both parent and kid. But the question is, did they miss something? Did we miss everything?

Back home in Hong Kong we have boxes and boxes of used and broken toys accumulated through the years. The funny thing is my kids played and enjoyed the packaging box more than the expensive toy we bought for them. It later dawned on us parents that kids who hunger for creativity will find their way, and by all means, to express that inborn gift. Let's hope that no amount of Mickey's ready-made attractions will distract their youthful motivation for imagination and self-expression. (Joel E. Ferraris)

MORNING PAPER

Despite the Internet's offer of delivering information and news quickly, still people are excited each morning to read the newspapers. And reading while turning its many pages is not complete sometimes without a cup of hot coffee. The paper, recycled several times, has an extra use as cover on our face once the need for a short nap comes.

This habit of reading the news everyday creates a situation wherein becoming so engrossed in those stories sometimes makes me oblivious of what is happening around me. Who's not affected by news anyway when money, money and money are the major causes of all anxiety?

YES PLS! These words are actually the Yen or Yuan, Euro, Dollar, Peso, and Pound whose symbols are arranged to form these words of request…or command. Money is what people in need ask for. It is what job hunters look for and what lottery addicts hope for. That's why we are so eager to grab the morning paper and read the news.

With those layers upon layers of good and bad news headlines printed on paper are being read while real life occurrences of these true stories behind each news fleeting all around us, the slight warmth of sunshine on our nape gives us that soothing feeling each morning. (Joel E. Ferraris)

JOB VACANCY series

Painted on top of layers of newspaper daily headlines and stories that I directly transferred from old newspaper to the canvas surface are bits and pieces of images that represent the Christian religion. These antique-looking remnants symbolize the gradual weakening and continued decline of religion and spirituality as they float in the midst of fleeting stories of social, political, economic and even religious turmoil. These juxtapositions of strong currents of life's pressure are real threats that could even shake the strongly faithful at times.

As drug addiction, among other abuses and tools of decadence, threatens not only the youth but even professionals in my country and elsewhere, with divorce taking its toll on family values and morality and where terrorism tops the list of all human excesses there seem to be no end to these sources of fear, frustration, despair and anxiety. The uncertain future now looks grim to the spiritually blind even more especially when global warming comes into the picture and makes these concerns more heated. And, in the course of people's struggle for survival, they tend to bring that feeling of hatred against their fellowmen into their graves as fear about the renewed nuclear arms race are fueled by distrust among powerful countries.

But humanity in general and individuals in particular is not without any hope and bright future. Created by Almighty God the Father and equipped with a manual on how to live in righteousness, people have a chance to walk a straight path. Deprived of genuine peace from a world under the control of the evil one, the faithful is guaranteed with the real peace that Lord Jesus Christ has promised. The question that confronts us, however, is how do we achieve that and who will teach us?

(read full text at SPIRITUAL JOURNEY...)

HIGH-RISE, HIGH PRICE

As families were forced by circumstances to flock to materially promising crowded cities, the need to cope-up with its lifestyle has put pressure on people especially parents.

The high cost of living plus the desire to maintain a family is a tricky predicament. For working parents, without longer and quality family time for children, there is the tendency to use substitutes to parental care by pumping more material entertainment that will eventually prove ineffective. And the need for a nanny to care for babies and toddlers or the option to enrol children to nursery schools at a very young age allows both parents to have time to work and support the growing family.

The very small "box", not ideally enough as a family dwelling, has the tendency to be filled with things to make it look and feel like an ideal home. Sadly, home is not at all measured by how much material objects are being pumped inside it. To raise the young cannot be perfected by the volume of expensive toys that their parents could afford. And to leave the kids to people they do not know very well give parents an uneasy feeling sometimes.

The image presented here is somewhat like those high-rise buildings or storage cabinets and boxes where objects inside them are almost visible as if they are seen through an x-ray machine. And having the chance to live in this place and adapt to its culture of moving from one flat to another, as dictated by the rise and fall of rental prices, or the proximity of children's school, made me realize that the more of these material possessions we have accumulated each year the more it becomes a burden to us.

So the Holy Bible is right – we cannot bring these things with us into the afterlife. Besides, it's pretty expensive to pay those movers. (Joel E. Ferraris)

STORIES IN STOREYS

Living in high-rise buildings means that being confined in those box-like dwellings placed one on top of the other gives one a feeling of claustrophobia. With entrance doors closed to "seal" occupants away from their immediate neighbors just across the lift lobby means that the surrounding windows inside these flats are the only source of semi-polluted air and sunlight, depending on the day of each year. In effect, windows serve as our connection to the outside world.

It's funny how most people nowadays are hooked on computers using recent Windows versions to peek into the virtual world while the surrounding real windows reveal the real world. Maybe the virtual world helps them to widen their view to cure or forget about claustrophobia.

Try to take time to look outside at those neighboring and distant high-rise buildings. The windows of all sizes and shapes dotting their facade, glowing in the night like Christmas lights, tell various unique stories of people and families, including pets, who are likewise busily hooked into their computers or plasma TV most of the time. And even those wallpapers, furniture and furnishings visible from a certain distance reveal their economic status.

All these sights we see in densely populated cities where the vertical development allows us to witness these stories in storeys where sometimes you see people party or fell out of their window.

I used acrylic paints and fabric of all kinds in this new series of art pieces to portray those many windows I see in the city. From a certain, distance the whole picture that these new painting series projects also seem to look like pixels floating over bar codes - popular icons of this age. (Joel E. Ferraris)

MANICURED CANYONS AND THE HOWLING WINDS OF HOMESICKNESS

The Grand Canyon is no doubt one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. It even inspired British artist David Hockney to do a large-scale modular mural of this subject in very attractive colors. In the same light the Hong Kong's skyscrapers and modern buildings, for one, viewed from a certain elevation also look somewhat like a spectacular canyon. This time it is man made, manicured and glossy. Hong Kong for example, like other cities of the first world, is famous as a playground of architects.

Like the Grand Canyon, these modern cities and their structures could be equally considered a place of danger to some, especially to foreign workers, who endure being away from home and family just to find greener pastures. But with increasing pollution causing greyer skies and where the grey areas about morality are taking their toll on people's lives these places inevitably become quagmires to others.

While experiencing the changing perceptions over the years, in the minds of foreign workers these extraordinary sites came to symbolize hope (as people are able to send much needed financial aid back home) and despair (as harsh realities of foreign city life finally revealed its evil face to them) depending on their experiences while living there.

Using phonecards to depict a modern but crowded city skyline, which is clearly recognizable from a certain distance, underscores the gravity of how foreign workers were forced by circumstances to work abroad and how they value their families back home. (Joel E. Ferraris)

HIGH-RISE BLUES

Cities that are deprived of vast land areas have no way to expand but vertically. This means that dwellings are constructed like boxes piled one on top of the other and sometimes reach up to seventy floors or more. In each level, where the common access is provided for by lifts, the sociofugal design of a cluster of flats or apartment units discourage social interaction. Each family is to its own.

Children that were born or have grown up in this reality are hungry for the wide lawns to run around and stairs to climb up and down. These were the complaints of my kids and whenever they visit the province the experience to stay in a split-level bungalow makes a strong impression on them.

Another dilemma is, the lower the flat level the noisier and more crowded the surrounding environment but the rent is cheap. In contrast, the higher the flat level is the better the panorama when one looks out of the window but here the rent is high.

If you're lucky you will have the clear view of those distant mountains and the clear blue sky. Or in another bedroom window, the panoramic view of the sea gives a soothing relief after one busy office day. But once you're unlucky to fall prey to property agents that rip you off and give you a flat in one crowded estate the only window view that you will get is just a slice of the sky, where sunlight finds its way through those concrete canyons to dry your laundry hanging in the living room window. (Joel E. Ferraris)

PRY, BUZZ, SEE (privacy)

The advent of cellular phones, computers and all those digital gadgets allowed people to communicate more and to be easily connected. To be abreast with what's going on all around the world means digging into a mine full of information through the Internet. And nowadays it is easy to get things done so fast or do business with ease right in the very comforts of homes, offices or any place as long as the laptop, cellular phones and other gizmos are within reach.

Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve it is a fact that people value their privacy the reason why there are separate bedrooms or separate toilet cubicles and a very sensitive way of using clothing. Even our private lives, our inner thoughts and sensitive feelings are very much valued.

But what is surprising now is to see how individuals, so engrossed in phone conversations right in the middle of a crowded place using their latest model cell phones, could carelessly burst their bubble called privacy and allow it to overlap and blend with the other people's bubble.

Aside from surveillance cameras conspicuously situated who-knows-where that act like an all-seeing eye, the solitary situation of a person in front of his computer in a closed room cannot escape the naughty eyes of hackers, intruders and their Trojan horses.

The availability of products of advanced technology allows people to intrude, to spread news or rumors and to become witness to some truths, half-truths and all kinds of lies sometimes. But, like a boomerang that flies back to its thrower, these acts we do could someday make us become unwary sitting ducks.

Come to think of it, this move by people to watch every move of their fellowmen will not be a burden at all on one's privacy if each person walks in the path of righteousness demanded by an all-seeing and all-knowing God. People that live in truth, in honesty, and integrity are trustworthy because they know fully well God the Father Almighty's commandments that teach man to be righteous. And He watches and knows everything.


This wall installation, using (surprisingly unused) plastic bubbles that I bought from a junk shop near my studio situated in an industrial area in Hong Kong, attempts to present a picture of how the digital technology has connected people in the whole world today. By using colored strings the viewers are able to visualize the busy connections and hotspots once they are all online. (Joel E. Ferraris)

DIGITAL DREAMS in different versions

When someone asked me why I gave this title to this series of new works I jokingly replied with a question, "Are our dreams digital or analog?" This is in reference to the flood of new and more advanced digital video and cameras and the gradual disappearance of analog devices.

Actually, the title is meant to fit the image it represents. In this age of everything turning digital it is surprising to discover that for the last five years that I have bought CDs, VCDs and now DVDs the design of their case has evolved. The change was so fast that older designs are not available in the market nowadays.

In utilizing these old CD/VCD/DVD cases collections plus recycling those old, broken ones I tried to preserve them by turning them into works of art. By exposing their designs and shapes and by enhancing them with textures and colors they are unrecognizable at first glance. But the addition of real CDs of different colors one will realize they once existed.

In the years to come, especially now that the problem of overflowing rubbish and landfill management become headaches especially in big cities, surely these once junk pieces now somehow serve as archeological finds long before their time of discovery comes.

FREE FLOW: going with the flow

KOA ART GALLERY floor plan

There were 12 artworks in FREE FLOW exhibition some of which were sets of several artpieces combined. They were as follows:

1. DIGITAL DREAMS (v2)
2. DIGITAL DREAMS (V4)
3. PRY, BUZZ, SEE
4. HIGH-RISE BLUES
5. MANICURED CANYONS AND THE HOWLING WINDS OF HOMESICKNESS
6. STORIES IN STOREYS
7. HIGH-RISE, HIGH PRICE
8. ASIAN MOUSETRAP
9. JOB VACANCY
10. ONE COOL MORNING IN BORACAY
11. MORNING PAPER
12. TWO LANDSCAPES, TWO CHILDHOODS

The viewers were surprised to see the diversity of the artworks that were presented in different styles and mediums. I intended to do it this way so as to best express my ideas about certain issues affecting my life as an artist. Besides, FREE FLOW suggests more freedom and flexibility in achieving ones goal in life and this belief is best articulated in my Artist's Statement.

This whole exhibition seems to tell a story by the manner that these art pieces were hung on the walls. Considering the fact that I haven't had an ocular inspection of the exhibition venue, which is several thousands of miles away, prior to the exhibition, I did not really have a final plan what to bring here in my first North American solo art exhibition. I just tried to be true to its title FREE FLOW and let the whole project unfold like a mystery by itself, doing each and every artpiece for several months one at a time in between my jobs. But as the exhibition preparation progresses I tried to adjust to the given situation as dictated by and relative to the exhibition venue. It turned out that the outcome of how they were arranged in sequence gave me an idea on how to view them collectively or individually.

The artpieces right on the entrance of this gallery say something about the digital age (DIGITAL DREAMS) now and how we are connected worldwide (PRY, BUZZ, SEE) . This reality brings us to the fact that the more advanced a society is the more advantage or disadvantage (HIGH RISE BLUES) we have from the rest in this race called survival of the fittest.

But as we go into the main gallery section we will have a chance to feel how it is to live in the midst of a very modern and advance city where the density in population means that skyscrapers are needed not only to accommodate the flood of foreign workers but also to energize the property market and where the pace of life is very fast. Imagine now that you are inside your flat on the 25th floor in Hong Kong.

Now try to look out of those three large windows and you will see a panorama of the city skyline. MANICURED CANYONS AND THE HOWLING WINDS OF HOMESICKNESS will bring right in front of our eyes the view of a city like Hong Kong or any other world city. Viewed from a perfect distance, depending on the clarity of your vision, you will have a clear view of the high-rise structures in different colors.

As you move to the next artwork, imagine this time that you got hold of your son's telescope and you zoomed-in a bit towards those distant buildings. STORIES IN STOREYS will reveal the possible sights that you will see as you try to look for stars at night but happen to see your neighbors' windows instead.

Zoom a little bit farther now, or better yet use an x-ray telescope/camera, and HIGH RISE HIGH PRICE will attempt to reveal the reality that one small flat in this city is not enough to accommodate all your family's belongings. How much more if your kids start to grow up each day? How many of these things you have accumulated for years are you going to throw away?

ASIAN MOUSETRAP is just like doing the daily chores of tidying-up the house and returning all your kids' toys into their boxes. And that is everyday!

Ah, yes…your kids. This time you think about how to care for them, how to raise them up in this city and how to prepare them for the world. How about those threats to their moral values? And how about those terrorist threats that target civilians like us and become victims who-knows-when? How will you be able to prepare them for that? JOB VACANCY, the series, will encourage you and show you how. It will make you think twice and question your existence and why are you here joining the rat-race in this big city.

Maybe your small, expensive flat is not the right place for contemplation even if you started to pray each night for your own salvation and your kids' future and well-being. So maybe that ONE COOL MORNING IN BORACAY will enable you to have a more relaxed and suitable place for reflection and contemplation.

Once you find solace in this place and become rejuvenated mentally, physically, psychologically and most of all spiritually you are strong enough to face reality as you read the daily news in the MORNING PAPER.

After reading the paper and accepting reality you are somehow much equipped now to return to the city and a lot bolder to face the future ready to accept the realities of TWO LANDSCAPES, TWO CHILDHOODS.

And as you go out of this gallery, passing by the rest of the other artpieces depicting the digital age that you first saw when you entered this gallery, you are probably in a hurry to go back to work to read your emails.

Thanks a lot for viewing this exhibition…


JOEL EUGENIO EPISTOLA FERRARIS

Hong Kong-based Filipino Artist

ferrarisart.com

FREE FLOW: the gallery talk

I was introduced to the public during the art talk attended by students, the faculty, the university president, and the people of Pittsburgh by Mr. Jeffrey C. Guterman, Associate Professor of Communications.

I also had a chat with the university president during the opening receptions right after the gallery art talk. He thanked me for an excellent performance and exhibition. There was an absence of the usual ribbon cutting. Instead the exhibition opened with an art talk and some guests and viewers came to the gallery even before the gallery talk. One Jewish professor and a Filipina professor gave me positive comments.

At the start I felt a slight tinge of nervousness only to disappear right away when my turn to talk started. That nervousness was replaced by confidence. I started by giving thanks to our God the Father Almighty for bringing me safely there and making the whole event possible.

In my mind, had something unfavorable happened, had some kind of racial profiling occurred in the US immigration especially because I was bemoustached and sporting a long hair, or had all the preparations gone awry then nothing like that moment in front of those curious audiences, with their pink cheeks in the Bradford winter adding color to the dimly-lit room, would have ever happened. (BTW, back in Hong Kong my wife Sally was rushed by ambulance to the hospital due to back pains that caused her to have difficulty standing. But later, all was well and good)

As the talk progressed I shared about our humble beginnings as family of artists in Iloilo and that our province is so beautiful and interesting. Mr Guterman mentioned that I traveled more than 7,000 miles to setup the show and I replied that I live in a country consisted of more than 7,000 islands depending on the tide.

I mentioned a bit of history about Iloilo starting with a painting of BARTER OF PANAY which I won second prize at the Marikudo Country Club competition in the late 70s in Iloilo City, Philippines and where Eddie Ilarde, Minister Duavit and Artist Jose Blanco were the judges.

In the middle of the talk I mentioned about Gawad Kalinga and how these constructive efforts to somehow bring peace in Mindannao benefitted a Muslim slum area where Christians and Muslims alike all worked side-by-side to build homes for the poor. At the back of my mind I had the threat of global terrorism victimizing not only Americans but also Filipinos especially because Mindanao was declared by Bush as the next battle front.

I did hope that in my small way I was able to contribute in international understanding and in making people realise the hardships of foreign workers forced to work abroad just to make sure their families survive back home.

FREE FLOW exhibition venue

That was my first time to see that place in Pennsylvania. KOA Art Gallery is situated in this building. Blaisdell Hall also serves as an arts and cultural center for this community in North America. The nearby surrounding landscapes suggest that this is a place away from the irritants caused by pollution and noise of a crowded urban area. I miss this place and how I wish I could go back there once more. And that time would be to introduce a lot of my new works.

THE NIGHT BEFORE the opening

The winter snow has begun to release its chilly winds but that night prior to the opening day I got the chance to have my last peep at the exhibition gallery. How excited I was to see the exhibition setup thoughtfully arranged and made more dramatic by those directional gallery lights. These two views of the gallery are seen from the parking lot outside and was surely attractive during the evenings while the lights were still on.

FREE FLOW exhibition materials

It was a good thing that the university provided the right promo and exhibition materilas. Other help from friends has brought awareness about the exhibition to a wider viewership.

Links:

University of Pittsburgh at Bradford,

Filglobe.com

Philippine Arts Festival Hong Kong SAR

KOA ART GALLERY

KOA Art Gallery is in Blaisdell Hall, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford • 300 Campus Drive • Bradford, PA, USA.