March 1 to 31, 2023, UP Fine Arts Gallery
By Dayang Yraola
Your everlasting summer and you can see it fading fast
So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last
– Steely Dan
Fortunately for Benjie Cabangis his summer continues to bloom, instead of fade. It went on for almost 5 decades now, and still counting.
Benjamin Isla Cabangis (1957) aka Benjie Cabangis is one of the most celebrated abstract painters in the Philippines. As an artist, he received many of the major art awards. He is also a highly decorated educator. In 2022, he was recognized Professor Emeritus by the University of the Philippines in honor of his valuable contributions to art and education. To date, Cabangis has staged 30 solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in more than 6 countries, and his works are in the collection of some of the most important individual, institutional and corporate collectors. But despite these accolades, Cabangis remains accessible to his audience.
The late art critic, Dr. Reuben Ramas Canete, pointed us to the spring of longevity of Cabangis’ art. He said, “Cabangis takes to heart the dictum of practisanal conversion and mastery of process that transforms the mere subject into a metaphysical engagement between vision and comprehension.” The inventory of works that is part of this current show, reveals this claim instantly, as one would recognize the connection between each work, regardless of one’s familiarity to the chronological or thematic groupings. It is a kind of inclusiveness that is able to converse across cultures and generations. And it is the kind of generosity that the audience of art, both novice and experienced, appreciates.
The current show contains 143 works, dating from 1976 to 2023. Responding to the limitations of space to accommodate the vastness of this collection, the works are initially grouped by size. Large works are placed in the Multipurpose Hall; medium works in Gallery One; and small works in Gallery Two. The Gallery sectioning is intended to give the audience enough space, and allow them to linger, in viewing the exhibit. For Gallery One and Multipurpose Hall, a visual narrative was created by allowing conversations between colors, forms or movement within each work. For Gallery Two, which contains more figurative abstracts, the works are in a saloon type layout in order to create a more intimate conversation, or a confluence between all present images, vis a vis the emotions or feelings they summon.
The order of works also allows the audience to discover the many experimentations that Cabangis did in terms of technique and materials. Mostly are acrylic or oil on canvas, but there’s a number of collages, digital drawings, pen and ink, photo transfer, ceramics, and resin, among others. And more than exhibiting his mastery of skill, we wanted to highlight his jovial sense of wonder. As an art teacher, Cabangis is also a lifelong learner– his learning from life and learning about life are represented in the works that he creates. His art then is a testament of how he “reeled” in the five decades.
Art writer and colleague Lisa Ito-Tapang, said that in experiencing Cabangis’ paintings “one is transported into uncharted cityscapes or alien interiors, rediscovering the strangeness of familiar forms (…).” While we witness Cabangis’ “Reelin in the years” may we find this exhibit too as an opportunity to discover for ourselves a totally different strangeness in familiar forms.
References:
Cañete, Reuben Ramas, 2009, “Refracting Nature’s Complexities: Scattered Skies and Seas by Benjie Cabangis”. Paseo Gallery.
Ito-Tapang, Lisa, 2011, “Turning The Tide, Benjie Cabangis”. Art Informal.
This exhibit is part of the UP Fine Arts Gallery Legacy Series. It is an exhibition series featuring retired and former professors of the U.P. Diliman College of Fine Arts, which is intended to ceremonially mark the lasting relationship of the mentor to generations of artists as life-long learners. Benjamin Isla Cabangis is the fourth feature– acknowledging his contributions as Professor Emeritus, former Chair of the Department of Studio Arts, and former curator of Corredor Gallery (UP Fine Arts Gallery). Earlier exhibits in the series were for Leonilo Doloricon (Visual Communication Professor and former Dean), Johnny Reynoso (Visual Communication Professor), and Yasmin Almonte (Studio Arts Professor).
