B R A V E S I N G H
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Old piano, dilapidated chairs and fragments of things and belongings with strong personal attachment bringing vivid flashbacks of his yesterdays. All throughout the years, he spent most of the time in the province. This has greatly brought major influences in the subjects that he paints. Obviously most of it are his memories of the pasts involving his family, his experiences and his environment. Evidently seen in his firsts solo show entitled “Surviving Traces”.
In his exhibit, he intend to continue his homage to memories. The objects in his paintings are personal reminders of his childhood, of growing up, of love that faded and the significant people he lost. Some of the elements are actual fragments, remnants that he found in their old house. Some of it from old homes in their town which represents the sentimental value of the objects which he know, many of us can relate to this scenarios.
I was able to know more about his humble life story where he spontaneously shared. Born and raised here in the Philippines , having a loving and protective Ilocana mother and a full blooded Indian husband whom she met in Italy and continued their love affair in New York City. And not long after bore a son whom they named Sher (meaning “Lion”) Brave. But his parents have to return back to the US to pursue their livelihood and has to leave little Brave to his grandparents and relatives. But due to cultural indifference and further complicated by personal circumstances, his parents eventually grew apart and separated. He recalled “ when I was 7, my father came back to the Philippines and asked to take me and my mom to the US but she and my lolo refused”. And that was his last memory of his father ( he has only an old and tattered photo of his dad as his keepsake ). And this traumatic situation and other subsequent separations have clearly made an impact on his artwork. An art critic thought “In his paintings, one can feel an unapologetic sense of melancholy, a distinct brooding countenance that simultaneously revisits and reconstruct the pasts.”
The artists ode to memory was the exhibits main story line, a sentimental remembrance of people and things of the past. He explains “After my mothers passing, with all my relatives migrated in the US, I was left alone to tend to my half-brothers and i was made in-charge of our family house. Our home used to be so full of life with all my tito and tita and my cousins around. Now its all different. And whenever I look around, i cannot help but reminisce those days.”
As I go through our conversation and inquiries about his work, particularly on his style, he humbly confides “Each of my painting presents a duality—a dichotomy of memories. Its focal point is a still life of a particular memento, executed with deliberate minimalism. To convey my deep longing for its remembrance, the colors are usually muted, almost fading and the vibe melancholic. To break the visual monotony, I often incorporate another framed painting within it—representing a separate memory—to continue the story, complete it or simply to provide a counterpoint. Tying the two parts together, into a unified piece of art, a superimposed eye-like pattern that spreads throughout and seemingly hovers above the subjects of the painting. They represent my eyes, meant convey that I do not forget and forever starting at those memories.
He further added “I usually paint series of images that depict my past. there were images of broken parts of furniture because every bit was part of a whole piece which was used by people close to me. For example, a piano chair which was for a long time used by my lola, and was a constant fixture in our sala. Now it is but just a fragment, but I kept it for memory.”
Another is the “columpio”, when seen greatly reminds him of his grandma, a favorite rocking chair of his Lola Doting, always situated near the main door of the house as she watched over him when he plays in the lawn outside home and an afternoon habit to wait for me arriving from school.
In totality, his recent work is all about objects that give personal reminders of his childhood, where he was showered with love and losing people in the process, either from their passing or from their decisions of moving away geographically.
Further more, he wants to objectify many of these memories, hoping that in doing so it can tie his present to his past. In relevance, he wants the viewer to feel and connect with the story behind his paintings specially the emotions involved. It’s a way of reminding the young ones including his younger brothers the feel of yesteryears.
On the lighter note of the story, after 27 years, he finally spoke to his dad last March with the help of his Aunt and cousin who found the older Singh who's still living in New York City. He said “when i spoke to him over the phone, it seemed i found a missing piece of my life, of who i am. Now i feel complete. Whole.” They are now planning for a reunion sometime this year, another story to be told, another memory to look forward to!
-Jayo Hidalgo