Grupong Salingpusa

Before they became giants, a group of struggling young artists founded Salingpusa — literally meaning junior bit player — and went on to leave an indelible mark on Philippine contemporary art.

By Riel Hilario

Image: Toney Leaño supervises the making of the "Karnabal" study as other members look on.

Grupong Salingpusa

Before they became giants, a group of struggling young artists founded Salingpusa — literally meaning junior bit player — and went on to leave an indelible mark on Philippine contemporary art.

By Riel Hilario

Image: Toney Leaño supervises the making of the "Karnabal" study as other members look on.

There are certain episodes in Philippine art when the nexus of creative activity significantly emanates from particular groups, sectors, or even singular personalities in the community of artists. The emergence of the artist-group Salingpusa in the 1990s undeniably transformed the landscape of Philippine contemporary art. A powerhouse of a group, the artists of Salingpusa have chartered several directions with their individual works and yet it is their collective threefold legacy that emanates its influence until today.

First is their story of collective struggle for a breakthrough; the classic journey of young Filipino artists searching for a niche in the art scene. They did this by way of art contests, and by supporting each other in their endeavors to consolidate bodies of work.

Then there are the interaction paintings where the collective approach re-introduced solidarity as an artistic virtue. The Salingpusa artists injected renewed vigor to figurative easel painting in the 1990s, and brought to the attention of the art scene the struggle and endeavors of the young artist.

Not in the least is the individual careers of each Salingpusa artist, whose works continuously change and engage nationalism and globalization and remain significant in the discursive domains of art in the new millennium.