FRELAN

GONZAGA

| Nile Alric Allado & Francine Wong |

HUM_E

Aside from its famous Masskara festival and its delicious myriad of foods, Bacolod City is a
place teeming with artists whose works are noteworthy and exceptional in the Philippine visual
art scene. Among those talented people is a man with great sensibility on his art, Frelan
Gonzaga.
Born January 11, 1981, Frelan Laurel Gonzaga came from San Carlos City to the capital
of Negros Occidental to study Marketing in University of Negros Occidental Recoletos (19982005). This and his musical inclination made this well-rounded Visayan artist very prolific in
painting and drawing. Starting a bit late in the visual art scene did not stop Frelan from
perfecting his art. In a short period of time, he was able to show an impressive development, in
spite of having to juggle it with his music while supporting his family.
With fellow artists noticing the potential he possesses, Frelan was invited to become a
member of the Artists Association of Bacolod (AAB) in 2011 which paved the way for his works
to be more visible to the people, especially local art aficionados. Since his membership, he was
able to actively join more than 20 group exhibitions in the Philippines. After many participations
and collaborations, he was able to gain the confidence to come up with his first solo exhibition,
Tindak, which was showcased last June 2013 at Gallery Orange, Bacolod City.
In Tindak (to kick, or to pedal) Frelan depicted his deep fascination with the humble
workers of his hometown, particularly to pedicab drivers (a pedicab is a three-wheel
transportation driven by the act of pedaling) or street vendors who are required to sell whole-day
by pedaling through market areas. For my first one-man exhibition, I tried to merge my
impression of them and insights into their own personal tales. My works are not a judgment of
them, but it is a retelling of a part of their lives, as what I learned and I observed on the streets
of San Carlos City. I felt that a balance had to be created between the reality of a back-breaking

existence, and the joy that can still rise up from a life spent in poverty. My use of bright vivid
colors is an attempt to create that balance of happiness and sorrow, stated the artist o
In this surrealistic and expressionistic ensemble, Frelans images are very invigorating; he
managed to highlight the subtleties of life and everyday stories of the people living it without
exploiting the clichs of poverty theme. He mirrored the actual lives of pedicab drivers and their
commuters and project them in perky images using bright and vivid colors. Very strong in the
works are signature symbols like the use of eyes on clothes to signify the daily witnessing of
repeatedly worn clothing and the limbs in red and white stockings that takes from the pula-puti
gambling challenge. Most of the characters in the paintings do not have faces, instead the state
of cloud or steam visually expresses the state of mind and emotion. The artist is at continued
exploration, his characters evolving as he attempts to articulate certain realities, show
experience and struggle.
Tindak not only showed how extraordinary Frelan truly is but it also cemented his name
as one of the most prominent and promising artists of his generation. Using his skyrocketed
success, he was able to collaborate with some of the more renowned artisans and join the
countrys premier art exhibition. Time passed by quickly and after a year, he was able to do his
second one-man exhibit Normal Abnormal.
Normal Abnormal stands on the idea of mentally ill individuals and how they treated in the
Philippine society. The oxymoronic title of this collection is perfectly juxtaposed that it
immediately describes what Frelan wants us. That said, it revolves around themes such as the
artists experience in dealing with a violent and mentally ill uncle, and how living with such a
person became part of his normal life. It also deals with the common sight of an unusually great
number of the disturbed and unbalanced roaming the streets of Bacolod City. The pieces also
explore the people who choose to be crazy: they who embrace a lifestyle with extreme
dedication, uncommon to most.

While Frelan added humor to lighten the mood and prevent his collection from capitalizing
on societal struggles, the paintings allow us to confront these themes up close, and pose the
question: how are we as a society with how we treat those who see reality differently?
All in all, Frelans works show his ability on reaching out to people not by visual appeal but
by connecting to them. If anything, the air of familiarity one has on Frelans pieces may be
attributed to the artists natural sensitivity to people and their stories of struggle and to the fact
that human nature is innately good. The artists subjects may have experience difficulties in life
but it is in these things that he was able to shed them with glimmers of hope; giving them an
almost heroic depiction.