MARAVILLA: Visions of a Filipino-Canadian Artist

Chito Maravilla

November 8-21, 2022

ArtistSpace
Ground Level Ayala Museum Annex, Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa Street, Greenbelt Park, Makati City 1224 Philippines

Maravilla, a name that translates to marvel or wonder in Spanish. This word, which also functions as the last name of the artist Chito Maravilla, encompasses so much of himself, and describes how he sees the world around him. Maravilla marvels at the social nature of his new home, in Canada. He wonders also about his love and longing for his home in the Philippines. There is so much to unpack when living in two worlds. His paintings and illustrations are a documentation of his perceptions, his perspectives, of his life, whether rendered in a surreal whimsical manner, or as simple, tangible impressions of wonder. Some elements may seem juxtaposed between the two worlds, but that is not the focus. Rather than compare, he intends to celebrate life in its various manifestations, and to uplift the spirit and inspire through these vignettes.

Maravilla’s works hold no boundaries. Fluttering from one subject to another, he would ponder on the simple joys of painting a flower stand from a grocery store, the merry dogs on the beach, sketches of people in transit…then his gaze would shift, the channel changing, displaying a series of other worldly images. A surreal iteration of the Pasig River as a river of dreams, where the locals wade through or skim the sunset water, as a child spews fresh water over the city. The EDSA billboards, but molded in a new way, composed of organic vegetation and flowers in the form of a stumbling cosmopolitan girl.

A collage of recycled materials that blossomed from a split car plate of beautiful British Columbia, which he calls Paraiso. Or simply a portrait of his bohemian son’s genuine happiness, with fluttering birds for hair.

Many of his works are made sporadically from memory. He creates quickly, so he can preserve the sincerity of how he felt the very moment he was witness to these spectacles. In some ways, Maravilla is like a television. An unexpected sequence of moments, all with varying textures and mediums, like changing channels. It must be something he has inherited from his many years of working in the advertising industry. Each day is different. Today, a beer commercial, tomorrow, a baby ad. Life is short and fast. We create, we communicate, we marvel.