FSAP’s Artist of the Week: Blic Pinas

The Filipino Street Art Project is a documentary film and multimedia web venture aimed at exploring Filipino life and culture through the booming street scene.

Blic Pinas paints hands.

“They are the ‘lost art hands’, the ones which young kids didn’t take care of. Every child has an art hand since birth, but most of them forgot to use it or they simply let the artistic side of them linger and fade as they grow up.”

Read Blic’s interview below and check out his artist album on our Facebook page.

Thanks very much for speaking with us. Please tell us about yourself and where you come from.

I was born at Batangas City and grew up there until the age of three or four. Then we moved around many places before we permanently settled here at Cavite.

Our family is religious and conservative, but not too traditional and strict. I still enjoyed my childhood back then, and it was crazy! My father is a Civil Engineer and all four of his brothers graduated as Engineers. As a kid growing up around highly progressing modern technology, I was pretty much inspired and influenced by my father and uncles. I felt that I want to be a Computer Engineer.

During my elementary school days, I was one of those “Top honorable” students in the class from first grade up to sixth grade, and then when I went to high school I was one of the students who couldn’t even reach top twenty in the class. What was I gonna do? I was growing up and cool things came along that made school suck. (Laughs)

In college, I wanted to take up Computer Engineering, but my high school grade average of 78 wasn’t high enough. Instead, I took Electrical Engineering so that I could sew in the related subjects and then shift to Computer Engineering. I got bored with that and shifted to Computer Science. The whole software thingy and the logics seemed interesting. Luckily, I graduated after 8 years in college..and yes I was growing up and much cooler things happened that’s why. (Laughs)

 

What do you do now for work and for fun? What drives your professional career and what are your hobbies?

I should be working as a programmer or something I.T.-ish , but I’m not. I am an in-house Graphic Artist for Visual Merchandising at an established AirCon Company here in the Philippines. I really love this job and think it suits me. It is a blessing to me and my family.

During rest days, I enjoy playing sports like basketball, and sometimes I skate. I tried trick boards and now I am doing longboards…but mostly I like to chillax, spend time with my loved ones, and, lastly, do something fun and kinda bad. (Laughs)

 

How did you first get into art?

As a kid I really loved to draw. It was automatic, really. I believe that cartoons helped me with my creativity – the colors, the drawings – it was very exciting. And also comics were an easy access for me to understand how to draw well, and everything just went into the flow.

When I went to college I was introduced to (various) software that I can experiment with regards to drawing or making art. The Internet also gave me a way to discover things like digital illustrations, posters, and other graphics stuff. I can say that I was hooked on the design and graphics part (while studying programming).

 

…and street art?

It all started when I had this t-shirt design online thing. Triskaideka, a fellow artist and a very good friend of mine, was one member of the team. He introduced me to some artists that I actually didn’t know, and eventually to stickers. The vandals and cool creatures I was seeing on the streets were those people: the Pilipinas Street Plan,” which I was a fan of before I even knew who they were. I was inspired and wanted to try it.

I did some research about what street art/graffiti is, how it is done and why people do it. It was a self-study process for me until I really tried it, loved it, and felt that I should make more. I want people to experience the feeling of seeing such weird and interesting things, which they normally don’t see on the streets. So, since then, I got addicted to street art and have learned so many things about it. Most especially, I have gained so many friends.

 

What motivates you to make the artworks that you do?

Basically, I just wanted to show off. I grew up drawing with people around me so I was used to it. Like when I was in class or outside my house with friends, street art is the same feeling for me. It is all about making art and sharing it.

It is so fun to hear things from people watching you draw or paint on the street. Their involvement brings more color and spice to the story. Some are funny, insulting, and sometimes naughty. It is very rewarding for me when people ask me what it is and why I am doing it. Their curiosity and even their judgement motivates me.

 

What messages are you trying to convey with your work? 

It depends on my mood. Sometimes I just like to paint something, something weird or eyecandyish. My works don’t really exist in reality, but are something that you could relate to or feel something for. It may be a half hand-half human but you saw it swimming on the street and even watering plants on a gutter full of grass.

 

Who are you trying to reach and why?

I think I am contributing to educate the people about what art is: that art isn’t only seen on a canvas hanging on the walls of offices, restaurants and galleries. What I am doing is making them wonder, or juicing their thoughts and creativity. I have my story and I want them to have their own stories too.

 

How would you characterize your style? What influences your style?

Raw and honest. I just don’t even care how clean it will look like. I just want an art on the wall and something that I would be proud of.

 

You paint hands: hands as people, people made out of hands, etc. What do they symbolize to you?

For me it symbolizes the “public”. Like people, hands have their own uniqueness, abilities and their own stories. It is also one of the reasons why there’s growth within our environment, a manipulator of change. Like the public, hands also communicate. Hands have their own language too. They connect with everybody else.

I have this little story about my simple hand illustration, the one with a bone at the bottom. They are the “lost art hands”, the ones which young kids didn’t take care of. Every child has an art hand since birth, but most of them forgot to use it or they simply let the artistic side of them linger and fade as they grow up. Because of that the art hands die and the “blickr” gathers it. Blickr is the one who collects the art hands and makes them as his own body, because Blickr wanted to be human, and be one of the public.

Seriously, hands for me make things possible, they help us, they make our lives workable and functioning, everyone of us has our own, and we as the public is the hand of ourselves.

 

What collective do you identify with? Could you explain what it means to you and how it has affected your life?

Yes, I am part of two collectives. I am a member of Pilipinas Street Plan and a founding member of Cavity Collective. Being a member of PSP is like a dream come true to me. I discovered happiness with this group of people, knowing that you share the same passion and love for street art.

Cavity Collective is where my other siblings are at, and having CVTY is like living my dream twice. Back then, it was just a simple thought: “what if we make something like them (PSP)? It is not too late to have street art in Cavite. Let’s color the streets!”

It was this conversation with Triskaideka that I will always cherish. I am living that thought/dream today, and it’s crazy! From 8 to 10 people we have now reached a community of 80-plus artists and they keep on coming.

This street art thing, maybe it’s a waste of money and time in reality, but it will never compare the happiness and the experiences we have had.

The Dalai Lama once said: “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” Yes, I am happy. I am a fan boy since day one, and will always be.

 

Thanks so much for speaking with us Blic!

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