Marco Banares: Notes to Myself

BY JAY BAUTISTA |

Takot sa Sariling Multo

The nation-wide lockdown revealed what people value the most—safety, family, food—necessary in that order. And artists, similar to medical frontliners, felt the strongest impact and their immediate impulse is to creatively react at their inner core putting their sentiments using acrylic and oil paints on canvases.

In the seven paintings comprising Inbox by Marco Banares, his first solo exhibition at Secret Fresh Gallery, he becomes deeply-disturbed with the ongoing covid-19 crisis while indignantly returning to his truest sense of realism. This time Banares eschews hyperrealist fantasies, appropriation and speculation that have initially characterized his previous collective output captivating his viewers’ and collectors’ appreciation. By spending more time in solitude these past weeks, Banares bared out his soul while intently reflecting, imagining and aesthetically innovating his learned values and basic character--first as a human being, next as a contemporary painter--as he attempted to make interesting ordinary and everyday occurrences.

One Day

In what could be his most intimate pieces in almost a decade of art practice, the framed parables of Inbox uses the visual pun of masks (derived from the medical kind) as a concealing device for many of his character metaphors. Banares does not have the illusion of waiting for his muse to paint. He lives the working class existence, painting every day--starting early in the morning and finishing overtime late at night. He struggles daily with his art-making in dignity for his family’s survival.

Being a father to two boys, Banares interprets the relevance of his responsibility being a father churning out creativity for a living. His Law of Attraction sets the tone for this exhibition. If one is positive and faithful to God one imbibes hope beaming with goodness. In a contemplative stance, portrayed is an image in deep thought pushing kindness forward as one’s positive deed will never be put to waste.

Banares has taken this elder role seriously, Kung Ano ang Puno, Siya rin ang Bunga is a testament that children become who and what they want to be as seen in their elder’s example since they have already seen the bad side of life in their own growing years. While offspring are young and impressionable we must already correct their initial wrongdoings. Notice how Banares renders his subjects in a tableau-like stage with the father disguised as a Philippine eagle--acting his part. On a clear blue sky, Banares has done a dual role advocating the saving of the Philippine eagle in near extinction; how as parents our stay on earth is also the beauty of the temporal.

Kung Ano Ang Puno, Siya Rin Ang Bunga

The Show Must Go On sternly takes his defense on persons with depression, disability and those helpless victims being bullied—issues close to his heart. Showing a boy on a broken bicycle, Banares encourages that they blindly pedal forward leaving and setting aside those who put you down.

The Show Must Go On

Time and again masks used in art have appeared in various scenarios for different periods. Most popular among them are used in protest or with surreal pronouncements. Banares use of mask may be similar to how one’s conscience influences one’s perspective in awareness. It may hide the identity of the wearer but for Banares mask empowers his subjects aiding his messages and simulating theatricality as an operative norm as he desires to put up a show for us to be entertained while being educated than visually preaching from a high chair.

Takot sa Sariling Multo reminds us to think before we act and warns us of the negativity of being a thinker-doers—people who are evil enough to find fault in others when they themselves are at fault.

Humility is something inherent in Banares and pride being the virtue he abhors. Mga Dunung-Dunungan Pero Wala Namang Alam sums up all his pent up emotions and takes a pun on men full of themselves, as if they know it all. In a fit of disgust our hero holds up his bare horns in desperation of hate.

One Day is his clamor for change. If one is disillusioned with the way events are happening in the world, we would just have to look through the eyes of a child and invest in the uplifting of their future. In the end, Banares is optimistic and this painting affirms this belief that everything’s going to be fine as long as one trusts the process. The clean air and nurturing foliage are signs of better days to come.

Mga Dunung-Dunungan Pero Wala Namang Alam

Comfort Zone is a portrait of Banares daring himself. More of self-realization as he was painting these pieces, it was a feeling of confidence and comfort that he was able to pull it through. For an artist to grow one must force himself to get out of his box and flex his muscles and explore his basic freedom to be a poet of the palette.

Comfort Zone

Banares was on lockdown himself in his studio when he was able to contemplatively probe and freely express the episodes of his life. Perhaps it can be argued that maybe he decided to make up for the utter convenience and sheer commercialism of his previous visual style that his isolation was beneficial of what painterly language he wants to return to—now he is at home. As plurality reigns in the current art scene, Banares seeks to be relevant than be popular this time--his two boys were watching him while he painted these.