We're catching Isabel Santos in the middle of a break year. But that doesn't mean that the third-generation artist is not thinking about art. It's who she is, really. The granddaughter of the late great Mauro Malang Santos sits down with us in this exclusive interview.
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00 "Oh, that's what my grandfather used to say before. He was just a cartoonist."
00:05 Then I was like, "Okay." He's like, "Oh, yeah."
00:08 Because, it's weird to say, but my grandfather was pretty famous, right?
00:27 And at that time, when I was in grade school, lumabas yung Bearbrand commercial.
00:32 Do you guys remember that?
00:34 They know me as an artsy person.
00:38 So, okay naman when in grade school.
00:40 In high school, I thought I had other things to offer in life.
00:44 Ako, I mean, like, it was a "I'm not just an artist" phase.
00:50 So, in college, I chose a random course.
00:55 And then, I had a thing that I wanted to be a diplomat for some reason.
00:59 But, I mean, I don't have the temperament for that.
01:03 And then, I added marketing as a minor.
01:07 Medyo creative siya, in my opinion.
01:09 And then, may business side din.
01:11 So, yun yung napunta ko.
01:15 And, oh.
01:16 And then, eventually, may year off ako after college.
01:21 Din yung awakening na sinasa.
01:25 So, searching.
01:30 My first show was a group show.
01:33 So, West Gallery with a lot of, pero more on illustrative work.
01:39 So, medyo malayo siya from what I'm doing now.
01:44 Pero, I looked back recently and okay naman.
01:48 Like, I still like them.
01:49 Pero, syempre, yung technique siguro I would improve on them.
01:54 Not sure kung kailan.
01:55 Ewan ko, it's very weird to say may break.
01:59 Sa start, syempre, since I didn't take fine arts in college, syempre, there, diba, the
02:11 course yung mga mediums na hindi ko na take.
02:15 So, madaming trial and error.
02:18 And madaming rin, sana gumana.
02:21 Alam mo yun.
02:22 But I think if I took mga, those courses, a lot of my works would have been finished
02:28 earlier.
02:30 But then, eh, okay naman to discover it on your own.
02:34 Syempre, I asked sila, papa, mama, kuya, kung ano yung mga materials best for certain
02:41 things na gusto ko ma-achieve sa work.
02:43 Ang hirap.
02:44 Okay din naman.
02:45 Like, I acknowledge the help that they've given me in ano.
02:57 Kasi competitive din naman yung scene, e, diba?
03:01 So, I don't compare with them.
03:03 Parang I'm, if they get any award siguro or any acknowledgement, sobrang I'm happy.
03:11 That's is share ko pa sa lahat.
03:13 I don't think as a family we're very competitive.
03:16 Kasi before, syempre, you would think na since art is family, parang may sometimes you would
03:22 think you deserve it, yung the shows that you're given and the opportunities dahil yung
03:32 family mo yung nagpasok sa'yo.
03:34 So I really appreciate na nangyari yung MOMA.
03:37 Kasi one of my favorite artists, si Lawrence Weiner, yung Judge.
03:43 So like, he picked me and parang he doesn't know any history around my work.
03:48 So big boost to my, ano, to my confidence.
03:53 Nirealize ko eh like yung era of mga 40s, 50s, sa music, sa movies.
04:06 So I think aesthetically, yun din yung gusto ko.
04:09 In terms of the colors I choose, yung medyo mas muted or yellowish.
04:14 Old Hollywood movies, si Joan Crawford, ganun.
04:17 I like the, parang the drama that it has.
04:21 Pero even in the advertisements nila, I like siguro the limitations nun time na yun and
04:28 then the colors na lumabas nun.
04:31 Ngayon kasi di ba parang, in terms of printing things, ngayon any is kaya eh.
04:38 Dati di ba medyo old style yung printing process.
04:43 So limited yung mga colors, pero yun yung attractive sa akin.
04:48 Parang it's expressing your feelings in another way, hindi directly.
04:59 Parang hindi siya nagpaparinig basically.
05:01 It's just expressing it.
05:04 Parang mawala na rin.
05:05 Misa kasi sobrang clouded na yung brain ko para ma-eject na rin siya.
05:11 So, and misa, it's in the, not the, yung finished product, it's in the process.
05:19 When I'm anxious, malikot yung kamay ko na natitense, I'm very tense.
05:24 So, naging meditation ko yun, the drawings.
05:28 And then ano siya, I did, tas pinaintan ko na rin yung mga, yung walls.
05:34 [music]
05:40 Kasi I think lumabas yun nung COVID.
05:45 And then the question of kung arts is a necessity, parang ganun.
05:51 Art is a necessity.
05:52 Parang there was a panic kasi, di ba?
05:55 Ang daming lumabas na, are we still needed in society?
06:00 So, dun ako napunta sa mga taking away, mga ganun, kung ano yung essential.
06:05 Like, even in a picture, maganda pa rin ba 'to without these certain elements?
06:11 Or gumaganda siya without these certain elements?
06:13 Parang pinaglaruan ko with that.
06:16 And sometimes, deconstructing an image, parang nakakasatisfy siya.
06:23 Parang nililiton mo yung eyes mo, kasi sanay ka with this, and you add another element.
06:31 And then it becomes, for me, more interesting.
06:34 [music]
06:39 Yun nga yung panglait sa lolo ko before.
06:41 Cartoonist lang yan, ganun.
06:44 'Tos parang ako, okay.
06:45 He's like, "Oo, nga."
06:48 I've never had the feeling of a sculpture is better than a video art or something like that.
06:57 Feeling ko how a person consumes.
07:01 Parang art, for me, kung may na-affect ako about an artwork,
07:07 di ko na-iniisip kung video ba siya, or drawing lang ba siya.
07:13 Misa kasi, I think people put a premium on paintings.
07:18 I don't know why.
07:20 I mean, di ko parin gets kung bakit.
07:23 I mean, I love painting. I love doing it.
07:26 Pero it's not higher than other things.
07:29 [music]
07:35 Ideally, I like yung process ng dad ko.
07:39 He's just continuously working.
07:42 Yun yung gusto ko sana.
07:43 Kung may space ako.
07:45 Yung pwede ka lang magkalat anywhere.
07:48 I guess I start with one work, and then it will show me where--
07:53 parang it will lead me to somewhere na mabubuo yung show eventually.
07:59 And then mag-add more pieces to it, depending on the size,
08:02 and whatever else I come up with.
08:05 Pero sometimes, meron-- or may group show din na malapit.
08:10 And then I try to do something different with that.
08:13 Para may break yung mind ko from the same thing.
08:18 Dati kasi ano eh, yun diba sa Uniqlo, may mga ulo, ganyan.
08:23 May one time, I was dreaming about yung mga--
08:27 yung mga hair lang nila, or yung ulo lang nila.
08:30 Kasi poulit-ulit ko sila nakikita throughout the day.
08:34 So kailangan ko rin ng break from it.
08:37 Not the painting, but the themes.
08:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:45 I mean, feeling ko yung contribution ng work ko as a Filipino
08:48 is me being a Filipino.
08:50 So, karakteristics ko, diba, na baka it's hidden there somewhere.
08:56 Dati kasi, madalas, mga women yung pinipaint.
09:00 I don't know why, kung bakit.
09:02 Oh, unintentional.
09:02 Parang dun ako nag-gravity towards.
09:05 Feeling ko, mga the colors I choose, ganun.
09:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:14 Feeling ko is now my break year.
09:20 I think yun yung magiging way ko to look at things differently.
09:26 Kasi it's not--
09:28 di rin naman ako like break.
09:29 Kasi iniisip ko parin naman siya.
09:33 It's like-- pero hindi ako na-prepressure to produce something
09:39 with the things I'm thinking about.
09:42 Kasi if there's a show, parang hindi ka--
09:45 yun nga, I guess, meditate ulit on the idea.
09:49 Now, I can do--
09:51 kunyari, may idea ko, pwede ko siyang pag-isipan more.
09:54 And pwede ko rin siyang--
09:56 I have room to make mistakes.
10:01 I think, oo.
10:02 Kasi ngayon, I'm excited to work.
10:07 Ready na akong mag-work.
10:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:14 For me, problema ko na hindi ako nag-fine arts.
10:17 Like, I wouldn't know.
10:19 Which is a good thing na rin na wala rin akong bias.
10:22 I guess, wala rin akong bias kung ano yung fine art versus
10:26 commercial art.
10:28 Which is weird, kasi commercial art meaning nabibenta ba siya?
10:33 Ganun.
10:34 Or mas kinoconsume siya ng mas madaming tao.
10:38 Yun yung parang hindi ko--
10:40 kasi, like, if we're gonna say mas nabibenta siya,
10:42 syempre, di ba, si Ronald talaga yung madaming nabibenta.
10:47 Pero fine art din siya, ba?
10:51 Oo, it's like, parang mix na siya ngayon.
10:54 Mm-mm.
10:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:02 (upbeat music)