WORLD figures abound throughout history. They acquire fame or notoriety based on their actions or deeds: some may have been judged harshly by time; others may be deserving of their repute. Many have been immortalized in the collective consciousness, and whether their recognition is deserved depends on the value a community attributes to them. In his solo show I’ll Do Anything...For Peace and Freedom, Rodelio “Toti” Cerda reinvents many of these world figures, offering radical remakes of their reputations. By reimagining the very persona ascribed to these people, he confronts the essence of celebrity: Who are these people? why are their lives idealized today to the point of worship?
The artist also imposes on these figures his agenda of peace. A simple makeover—often just a change in garb—reverses their celebrity from one that is almost cold and selfish, often unapproachable, to one that is warm and open. The question of peace is most obvious in the first two panels which were what grab the viewer’s attention at Altro Mondo Arte Contemporanea at Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City, where Cerda’s latest works were showcased recently.
The Peacemaker is a huge canvas of Jesus Christ dressed in homespun, his fingers up in a peace sign, while a pendant of the peace logo hangs from his neck. On his head is traced a halo, shimmering in a whitish blue that picks up the figure’s brilliant blue eyes. There is nothing here that will raise the hackles of the conservative. In re-contexting the Christ figure in the peace-loving time of the ’60s, Cerda underscores His continuing relevance to the times...well, a period in time that occurred almost 40 years ago.
The second canvas, En campos del batalla shows Jose Rizal in camouflage, holding a rifle, a map of the Philippines superimposed over his figure, the outlines of the islands blending into the camouflage pattern. This image of an armed Rizal goes against the historical Rizal who used his books in criticizing the administration of the country by Spanish colonizers. In many countries around the world, it is the figure that revolted against oppressive force that is identified as a national hero, not a peace-loving academic. The image, in a way, corrects this disjunct between the real Rizal and the Rizal who should have been.
Cerda continues in this fashion with 10 other world figures: John Lennon, his missing ears covered in bandage (Ah, what would music be like had Lennon lost his ears?); Bob Marley in the act of breaking a toke (the artist offers an alternate reality for reggae’s most popular artist by suggesting that he instead drank “red, red wine” for the sake of peace); Salvador Dali with his flamboyantly long pencil-thin mustache trimmed to insignificance; Michael Jackson with an afro, mustache and bulby nose; Marilyn Monroe in a nun’s habit; Charlie Chaplin in the act of shouting; Mahatma Gandhi in sunglasses and speaking before a mic, looking a lot like Ray Charles; Albert Einstein in a chef’s uniform; Mao Zedong in a turban and his signature navy jacket printed with astrological patterns; and Bruce Lee in a clown costume holding balloons.
All the canvases are titled with quotes the figures have given in their lifetimes. This only adds to the conundrum the artist has laid in his images.
If you ponder on the incongruous juxtapositions the artist has given these celebrities, it tells a lot on how we see and give meaning to the lives these people lived. It makes you wonder the what-ifs of their lives. What would Monroe have been like if she didn’t become the sex symbol that continues to endure in the pop culture landscape? What would have happened to Mao’s Cultural Revolution had he been motivated by a cosmic interest? Would his movies have been different if Chaplin appeared in talkies? What if Lee had been a funny man and not a martial arts exponent?
Cerda’s latest show is a departure from his genre pieces of the past. He broke the mold, so to speak, and just like his paintings offered an alternate reality to his art making. His brushstrokes were applied in painterly detail, almost invisible in the rendering of faces, and bold and brash for the background. The canvases are more than life-size, mostly measuring 4-by-5 feet; the Christ portrait is even double that.
What would Toti Cerda do next? What would he be imagining next time? Is he returning to his old canvases of children at play? Or would he be presenting challenging images that will provoke our imagination? We can only wait and see.
For more compelling exhibitions, visit Altro Mondo Arte Contemporanea (www.altromondo.com.ph/main.php).
