FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2019
Attention to: To News Editor/Editor-in-chief/Lifestyle/Community Editor

 

Color-blind Cebuano visual artist Celso Pepito paints for the love of God, country and family

Visual artist Celso Pepito will unveil an artwork different from his previous works, “Pagbinayloay”,  a painting set in precolonial Cebu, during the event, “Ani sa Diyandi (October Harvest of Arts at Palm Grass)”.

Pepito who is color-blind, creates paintings that show positivity and hope as his artworks’ themes revolve on love of family, God and country.

“I’m a painter, yet, I have color-blindness. At first, I was discouraged because I had a hard time identifying some colors. But then, I realized that God gives deficiency to showcase His power, ” Pepito said.

Pepito uses the style, cubism- the use of geometric planes and shapes popularized in the 20th century by artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

To set himself apart, Pepito divides his composition into three planar divisions and places an octagon in his imagery. “The three planar divisions are the backbone of my expression for whatever subject I make. So that anywhere I go, I can explain to anyone that if you love your God, you also love your family and your country.”

Creating “Pagbinayloay” made Pepito appreciate more deeply, Cebuano history. “It’s a good and challenging project since this is not my usual imagery. But I was motivated to do it, because I was able to read history books beyond the normal timeline and explore more on Cebuano history which is a plus factor,” he said.

The “Pagbinayloay” painting will illustrate the golden past of Cebu, being a center of trade in the Southeast Asia upon the arrival of the Spaniards in 1521.

Palm Grass commissioned Pepito to paint an artwork with the theme on precolonial Cebu for Cebuanos to reconnect to their prehispanic past.

“When I read about Palm Grass, Immediately I admired their advocacy in promoting Cebuano heritage. Hopefully, we can make this artwork, a platform to showcase heritage awareness,” Pepito said.

Pepito, a graduate of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines-Cebu, also helps fellow Cebuano artists promote their art in the  national and international scene.

“Pagbinayloay” will be unveiled on October 29, 2019, 5:00 PM at Hawanan Tres de Abril, Palm Grass Hotel. A short video on him by Hong Kong-based Cebuano communications specialist and content creator Prospero Laput will also be screened during the unveiling.

The event, “Ani sa Diyandi” is a celebration of the National Museums and Galleries Month. In this event, the music video of “My Selosa Girl”, a song about love for Cebu will be performed by a new boy group, DMD (Dungga mi, Dzai). There will also be a short talk on the importance of visiting museums during the event.

For inquiries, please contact Palm Grass Heritage and Marketing Associate, Kristine Merle Escanuela at  email: [email protected] or text 09176243475/09265812842.

 

For Reference:

Mary Claire Fernandez
Marketing and Events Associate
Palm Grass The Cebu Heritage Hotel
68 Gen. Junquera St., Brgy. Kalubihan, Cebu City

Landline: (032) 412-2438 loc. 108