Reflections of Society: The Art of Jessica “Jess” Casaljay

Noel Sales Barcelona

Jessica “Jess” Casaljay is a young artist from Samar and is currently a Fine Arts student at the College of Fine Arts at UP Diliman. I have known her works through ARTIPOLO, a group that I used to be a member of, and of course, BAGHID (Eastern Visayas Young Artists Association), which the prolific artist and cultural worker, Aristole “Aris” Ventures had organized.

Mirroring Social Milieu

Casaljay, as an artist, is not a mere observer and recorder of what is happening in our society. She is an active participant, using her talent to become the voice of the poor and the marginalized.

Knowing Eastern Visayas, the region she was from, 28.9 percent of the population is poor. Because of this, perhaps, it is safe to say that she, as a young woman, also had her share of poverty—or someone close to her had experienced hunger and injustice because of the current situation in the Philippines—only two percent of the 100+ population controls the entire economy. Their cohorts in the government are doing their best to perpetuate the economic and political imbalances to stay in power and control the country’s politics, culture, and, of course, its natural and human resources.

And all these things are clearly reflected in Casaljay’s works—all in full colors and details, replete with symbols of struggle and the eternal wish to break free from social injustice and inhumanity caused by some people’s greed and hunger for power and fame.

On the other hand, some of Casaljay’s works also reflect the personal—her own struggles and pains as a woman, as a daughter, as an artist, and, of course, as a social being. The artist is always a constant struggle within themselves. Maintaining their sanity, creativity, and social well-being is always a balancing act. But there’s also beauty and power in this personal struggle; as Robert Henri puts it: “A work of art is the trace of a magnificent struggle…”

Both Realistic and Surrealistic

Meanwhile, I think her style combines social realism and surrealism—a potent combo. Its potency lies in the fact that they all appeal to emotion and intellect, connecting to the audience’s intuition and pure reason. Because of this, it is easy for Casaljay to urge the audience to think and ponder, which eventually will cause them to act—because they must and need to.

Just like in the 1970s, during the height of Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.’s martial rule, her work has the same effect as her predecessors—the late Pablo “Adi” Baens Santos, Dean Leonilo “Neil” Doloricon, and Danilo “Danny” Dalena, to name a few.

And now that she’s leaving the university soon, we are waiting for Jessica Casaljay to create more art connected to that longing to have a just, prosperous, and peaceful society.