“Poon” a solo exhibition by Brian D. Villareal is exhibited from June 06 – 30, 2022 at the NCCA Gallery.

For his second solo exhibition, visual artist BD Villareal explores the links between heritage, history, and faith. He does so through dwelling in the Filipinos’ relationship with the ‘poon.’ In certain locations in the country, the term refers to carved images that grace home altars. Those rendered by the artist in his paintings are marked by the imperfection in their appearance. Sometimes they are so decrepit that it is difficult to identify as to whom they are supposed to represent. Yet beyond this, the poon is still able to attract veneration from the Filipinos. Their blemishes, such as faded color or missing details, are viewed as battle scars from the daily struggle of living.  

Growing up in a deeply religious family, Villareal is familiar with how the Filipinos show their adoration to their poon. For him it is not wrong or sacrilegious to portray the poon with every crack, chip, and flaw highly visible. He intends to make us aware of our own experiences with the poon. Through our recollection, he then wants us to reflect on these experiences. Whether these were good or bad, his goal is to lead us to have a deeper awareness of our own individual spiritual life.  

If there is a lesson that is to be drawn from the Filipinos’ relationship with the poon, it is about how we should treat our heritage. The poon, like our heritage and history, is not perfect. But we should not forget or discard it just because it is damaged or bad. If we learn to remember things in the right way, these bad memories can remind us of the battles we fought before and how we have moved on since then. 

NCCA Gallery Hours are Mondays to Thursdays, 9:00AM – 6:00PM. The NCCA Gallery is located on the Ground Floor, NCCA Building, 633 General Luna St., Intramuros, 1002 Manila. For more information, call – (02) 8527 2205, or email – gallery@ncca.gov.ph.