In a striking new exhibit, artist Bayani Catapang traces his life and heritage through six vibrant collections of work.
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 3, Catapang shows audiences the cycles of his life in Retrograde 2025, an exhibition at the Tett Centre for Creativity & Learning. Spanning six distinct collections, each piece represents an influence or important aspect of Catapang’s artistic journey from childhood to the present.
Catapang, whose practice bridges painting, tattooing, performance, and choreography, uses the exhibition to examine the cultural influences on his work while celebrating his contemporary style. “Each of the sets refers to a previous cycle or a previous part of my life,” Catapang said in an interview with The Journal.
The artwork is eye-catching and simplistic, perfect for Unit 115’s small space. The pieces, labelled Sets 1-6, are easy to explore in their chronological arrangement. The intimacy of the gallery creates a cohesive journey, allowing guests to piece together Catapang’s story as he wants it to be told.
Some sets focus on stories of Catapang’s heritage. For example, Set 2: KING features brightly stylized Philippine eagles of various sizes and poses. Seeing the bird, one of the rarest and largest in the world, while living in Central Luzon, was a core memory for Catapang.
From there, Set 3: HOLY pays homage to the cultural and spiritual history of his ancestry, with statues of rice deities known as Bulul. The works recall childhood summers Catapang spent planting rice on his grandparents’ farms, where he would encounter the figures. “They’re supposed to symbolize protection from pests and certain natural disasters,” Catapang said. His memories of farming are also referenced in Set 4: PEACE, depicting water buffalo submerged in bodies of water. “As a family of farmers, when you plant rice, you need water buffaloes to trench the ground so you can plant,” Catapang said.
Other sets meditate on the influences which have shaped Catapang’s art. Set 1: HEALING draws upon artwork from the Pacific Northwest, central to Catapang’s upbringing in British Columbia. Set 5: MASKARA introduces Catapang’s contemporary work as a graphic designer, which catapulted his career as an artist. On one of his first jobs creating digital illustrations for online anime websites, Catapang shared, “I had a community, an artist community, who taught me and got me into these jobs as a youth.”
The final series, Set 6: STRENGTH, merges cultural influence and the artist’s unique style; here, each member of Catapang’s family is depicted through stylized, geometric abstraction. “As an immigrant, my message would be not to forget where you come from,” Catapang said.
“Although you may assimilate, it’s important to acknowledge those pieces of your heritage. That’s important to living and expressing yourself wholeheartedly,” he said.
By bringing together so many different pieces of his own identity, Catapang encourages viewers to consider their own multifaceted stories. In this way, RETROGRADE 2025 encompasses the evolution of story and style in art and life.
Tags
Art, Art Exhibition, Gallery, Tett Centre
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