Provenance:
Hiraya Gallery, Manila

Exhibited:
Hiraya Gallery, 35th Anniversary Exhibition, ArtistSpace,
Ayala Museum, Makati City, October 17 - October 30, 2015

ABOUT THE WORK

As an artist whose creative flair flourished during a tumultuous period in our history, Antipas Delotavo has pursued social realism as if it were his lifeblood. Delotavo has devoted his artistry towards unmasking the injustices experienced by the ordinary Filipino through his intriguing works. His oeuvre is a continuing thread of visual narratives that serve as his rallying cry in solidarity with the toiling masses. Of his themes, Delotavo said: "Most great art emanates from [a] pleasant, positive, and uplifting spirit. My art seems to contradict it. Social burden initiates it, and I seek relief by painting it. I'm not sure if it's [an] inspiration. I think it's more of a responsibility as a social being with a conscience." In 1999, the Philippines was still enduring the aftermath of the Asian Financial Crisis. The escalating turmoil resulting from the government's economic mismanagement and cronyism only exacerbated the country's socio-economic landscape. Poverty incidence also increased. As a visual critic of present societal conditions, Delotavo produced Tawid-Gutom (tide over hunger). The piece depicts a group of children known colloquially in the country as "rugby boys." Surrounding them are objects that symbolize the repercussions of chronic poverty. Some of these (the rugby can, the plastic bags, and the bottle of gin) imply a form of escapism from dismal conditions. In this work, Delotavo paints an image of the street children who use aromatic solvents placed in plastics to alleviate their hunger. Delotavo exemplifies how the poor are likely to succumb to addiction because of deprivation; they need an "escape" from the vicious cycle of inequality. Chronic poverty also causes social distress. Thus, it increases vulnerability to substance and alcohol abuse. Worse, the circumstances of the impoverished force them to resort to felonies (represented by the gun and the dagger) as a means to fund their fixations, survive, and temporarily relieve themselves from the consequences of a systemic problem. Delotavo also criticizes a system that continues to perpetuate the interests of the ruling class. Those in power remain subservient to an exploitative system that empowers the oppressors and silences the oppressed. Hence, socio-economic conditions resulting in criminality and social turmoil will subsist. With this piece, Delotavo makes a resounding protest, upholding the idea that "art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."