RECENT NEWS I EVENTS
Recent Articles by Danny Castillones Sillada (Philosophical Essays, Literary and Art Reviews, Poetry & Travel)
- Truth, Language, Compassion, and the 'Danger of Single Story' (First Part, Philosophy)
- Truth, Language, Compassion, and the 'Danger of Single Story' (Last Part, Philosophy)
- The Conceived, Lived and Shared "Lush Life" of Alfred "Krip" Yuson (Literary Review)
- San Victor Island's Ineffable Treasure (Travel)
- Five Former Beauty Queens amidst the Convoluted World of Art (Art Review)
- The Joy and Misery of Boredom (Philosophy l Culture l Ideas)
- The Door of an Abandoned Old House (Poetry)
- Jon Jaylo’s “A Song for Alice” (Sotheby's Catalogue and CuadroFilipino)
- The Metaphor of Life against the Current, between Arrival and Departure (Reflection)
- What We Don't Know About God (Philosophy l Culture l Ideas)
- Transcendent Happiness, the Summum Bonum and Sisyphean Perspective (Culture l Ideas)
- Existential Question, Evolution of Ideas (Philosophy l Culture l Ideas)
Photo and Quote of the Month
Fallen, photo by Danny Castillones Sillada
"Suffering comes in different forms: empirical or metaphysical, emotional or intellectual. Every agony, however, can become an inexhaustible source of strength or creativity, as a necessity to create an anesthetic amid its lingering convulsion."
-- Danny Castillones Sillada, Inusara Journal (January 2, 2012)
Video of the Month
Symbolism, Culture, and Politics (A conversation with multidisciplinary artist and writer Danny Castillones Sillada)
Menstrual Period in Political History by Danny Sillada
By Angelita Porteo
Angelita Porteo: “Menstrual Period in Political History” is your most “controversial” mixed media artwork in 2005. What is the parallelism of “Politics” and “Menstrual Period” and how does it relate to Philippine politics and culture?
Danny C. Sillada: “Menstrual Period in Political History” is a mixed media on metamorphic rock or slate, with painted and carved vaginal form at the center. The visual narrative of the artwork is not vociferous with bleak background in contrast to the vibrant colors of my typical paintings. However, I never expected that its inconspicuous presence along with the title would become controversial in 2005.
The parallelism of “Politics” and “Menstrual Period” is, obviously, the cyclical political turmoil in our country, which is periodic since the Marcos time up to the Arroyo regime.
Like a woman’s menstrual period, Philippines politics has its own menstrual cycle in our country in the form of corruption, economic instability, violation of human rights, the involuntary disappearances of civilians, the century-old war in Mindanao, insurgency, poverty, and inadequacy of political leaders to address socio-economic and political problems in our society, to name a few.
READ MORE…
SURREALISM IN THE PHILIPPINES
Q&A Interview with Danny Castillones Sillada by John Paulo Villones
The Mask in My Dream by Danny C. Sillada
JOHN PAULO VILLONES: IS SURREALISM WIDELY ACCEPTED BY FILIPINOS? HOW DOES FILIPINOS PERCEIVE ART, IN GENERAL, IN RELATION TO SURREALISM?
DANNY C. SILLADA: I can’t say that Surrealism is widely accepted by Filipinos because there are very few surrealists in the country. Besides, Filipinos are not outspoken when it comes to appreciating art, or any artistic movement, for that matter.
The Filipino taste on arts and culture, in general, and their knowledge of visual arts, per se, are still very limited. Filipinos are more visual and emotional when it comes to interpreting or understanding art. Hence, if a surreal art is nice and pleasing to the eyes, they can relate to it in terms of sensual experience (human senses) rather than as an intellectual encounter.
But Surrealism is not only visual or emotional, it also appeals to the cognitive level of human perception. A viewer must think and reconcile the visual composition of the surrealist: what is it all about and what does the symbolic element(s) signify in relation to their lives or conditions in the society?
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The Surrealistic Reality of Danny Sillada
The Metaphor of Rock, 2001, by Danny Sillada
By Shar Matingka
Danny Sillada has established himself as a neo-ethnic artist, his masterpieces overflowing with vibrant incoherence, transcending movements spawned from legacies of surrealists. Not many of our contemporary artists can recreate a poetic replica of a disjointed reality captured on canvas as Sillada can, and that too with such wild abandon. Distinct geometrical patterns with ordinary objects, a signature characteristic of time fluidity injected with hallucinatory flows, the blood of his emotions fleeting in seamless strokes where a person can get lost forever in random speculation on what was meant to be conveyed. Minds are left bewildered and slightly disturbed yet visually gratified – these are some trademarks of Sillada’s work of art.
At the tender age of seven, Danny’s thirst for art manifested itself. Identified as a gifted child with the flair for immortalizing his emotions and the world around him through sketches and paintings, he began with portraits of teachers, classmates and relatives and landscape painting. Between 1977 and 1982 in Davao Oriental, he earned the Gifted Child Award in Cateel Public Elementary School and Award of Excellence/Artist of the Year Award in Maryknoll High School of Cateel. A proud native of Davao, he has earned and advocating ethnic culture in his paintings, music and other literary works.
READ MORE…
Danny Sillada has established himself as a neo-ethnic artist, his masterpieces overflowing with vibrant incoherence, transcending movements spawned from legacies of surrealists. Not many of our contemporary artists can recreate a poetic replica of a disjointed reality captured on canvas as Sillada can, and that too with such wild abandon. Distinct geometrical patterns with ordinary objects, a signature characteristic of time fluidity injected with hallucinatory flows, the blood of his emotions fleeting in seamless strokes where a person can get lost forever in random speculation on what was meant to be conveyed. Minds are left bewildered and slightly disturbed yet visually gratified – these are some trademarks of Sillada’s work of art.
At the tender age of seven, Danny’s thirst for art manifested itself. Identified as a gifted child with the flair for immortalizing his emotions and the world around him through sketches and paintings, he began with portraits of teachers, classmates and relatives and landscape painting. Between 1977 and 1982 in Davao Oriental, he earned the Gifted Child Award in Cateel Public Elementary School and Award of Excellence/Artist of the Year Award in Maryknoll High School of Cateel. A proud native of Davao, he has earned and advocating ethnic culture in his paintings, music and other literary works.
READ MORE…
Mindanaoan Artist Sillada Explores ‘Uncharted Border’ in New York
| Uncharted Borders’ in New York, the 13th One-Man Show of Danny Sillada
 Danny Sillada invite
‘UNCHARTED BORDERS', a one-man show by Danny C. Sillada at Philippine Center, 556 5th Avenue, New York, July 27 – August 14, 2009.
Sillada performed his poetry and ethnic music at the opening of the exhibit, which was attended by the Philippine Ambassador to the UN Hilario Davide, Jr., Consul General Cecilia Rebong., and Acting Phil. Center Manager DCG Melita Thomeczek. |
