Ilonggo pride amid national renown-

Sculptor Harry Mark Gonzales in Focus

(This article was published in Panay News Sunday Edition, March 20, 2011)

 

Gonzales with "Munting Anghel" in Ugyon sa Dihon 2011 at PNB Iloilo

 

 “Munting Anghel.” That is what the gleaming sculpture of an adorable cherub balancing on dainty feet, like a baby playing see-saw on his or her mother’s legs, is called. This interesting sculpture, despite its simplicity has drawn some attention from visitors at the recent Ugyon sa Dihon 2011 exhibit at Philippine National Bank, General Luna on March 8-12, by Iloilo Art, an organization of young artists from all over Iloilo, together with invited artists from Bacolod City.

Made of cold-cast marble, a medium that is novel for most Ilonggos, this 20-kilo sculpture is from artist Harry Mark Gonzales, a native of Mandurriao, Iloilo City. It is one of Gonzales’ personal achievements, as it is the first of his cold-cast marble sculptures that he was able to exhibit here in his hometown. 

“Because of my craft, my life has improved,” says the 29-year old native of Mandurriao, Iloilo. He explains how from just being an elementary pupil whose future seemed geared to becoming just a mere tambay, his life took an amazing turn for the better when his father took him to one of his carpentering jobs for no other than Ed Defensor, one of Iloilo’s premier artists. 

As his works started reaping him awards such as for the Shell National Student Art Competition, which he won when he was in first year college, as well as winning the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence Award for National Competition in Sculpture, Gonzales also gained a huge following from bigwig collectors in Metro Manila. Through this, he was able to learn and perfect the medium of cold-casting from one of the country’s master sculptors, Juan Sajid Imao, son of National Artist for Sculpture, Abdulmari Asia Imao. From then on, the boy was fated for a bigger destiny. 

And it is this destiny that Gonzales is living now.  Aside from continuously producing sculptures made of clay, terracotta, and his latest medium – cold-cast marble, Harry also conducts workshops every summer for SM City Iloilo. On top of that, together with his mentor Ed Defensor, he had also been commissioned to work on several public pieces such as the relief sculptures on the base of the simburyo that graces the rotunda on the new road in Brgy. San Rafael,  Iloilo City. 

The reliefs around the San Rafael rotunda monument were done by Gonzales with Ed Defensor.

Gonzales also reveals that he also would be part of the proposed 15-feet monument which will crown the new Iloilo City hall’s dome. He says it’s an ambitious project but he is nevertheless proud to be part of it. Asked what the monument would depict, he says it’s for all Ilonggos to watch out for, what he can tell us is that the monument will be cold-cast in bronze, the process for which would take the artists to Cebu, as we still don’t have the facilities here in Iloilo City. 

“Our city mayor is a cultured man, having attended UP himself,” the artist says, “he recognizes the need for Ilonggo culture and art to be celebrated.” 

Gonzales says he deeply supports this move by the city government despite the controversy attached to it, because for him, it is sad that Iloilo, albeit being rich in art, is lacking of recognizable landmarks that would put us on the map.

 “We don’t even have a monument commemorating the Dinagyang Festival!,” he exclaims.

So is it really all about the profit? Gonzales admits that art has done him a great good financially, but then it’s not all about the money. He says that with the discipline and the principle that he lives by right now which constitutes making as many sculptures as he can so he has a lot of them to sell when the collectors come buying, he says he has everything covered, even the future education of his kid. 

“I’m a simple man,” Gonzales says, “I have simple needs. And I can tell you that it is simply pride and honor that drive me to do my art.”

Like the novelty of the medium that the “Munting Anghel,” takes it form by, Gonzales believes that as a mere human being, he is only passing by in this earth, thus he says that when he sees the completion of these landmarks, Gonzales says that he can live to an old age feeling content that he was able to contribute not only to Ilonggo art, but also to the history of our city and province. 

"In the future, when my kids would tell their friends that it was their father who created this monument, it would make this whole endeavor worth it," Gonzales finally says.

To learn more, or check out his works, find Harry Mark Gonzales on Facebook.