ABOUT THE WORK

Mythology and the intertwining relationship with the sacred in human existence has always fascinated me. It is what continuously inspires me in my art. It is what I evoke in my sculptures. 

Most of my sculptures are inspired by mythology from my Philippine heritage. Philippine mythology is less known. It  was further obscured by three centuries of Spanish colonization in the 1500s. I feel the need to present this diverse aspect of my cultural heritage through mythology.

It is through mythology that I remain connected to my roots together with the stories I have heard as a child from my elders. They were intriguing! It was difficult to explain the sense of magic and awe I felt listening to them. These myths and stories sounded so real with all the existing geographical references I knew. They were compelling! 

Mythology was part of daily living. I remember my grandfather when crossing an unfamiliar field talking in a loud voice would ask permission from some deities to pass. He apologized when he walked over them since they were invisible. Myth had the power to influence or give an alternative way of thinking in aspects of everyday existence. 

My understanding of mythology helped me  cope and integrate myself to the different cultures and countries I have lived into. I usually searched for the common thread that can unite or relate with my own culture. This enriched my creative and human experience.

Most of my sculptures are carved and painted wood with touches of gold leaf in some details. I feel a close affinity with wood. This is the medium my ancestors used to give form to their ideas and their deities. It is very interesting to note that in the remote past the ancient Filipinos would have rituals and offerings to appease a particular deity before cutting down the tree for their sculpture.

Currently, I am working on a series of relief sculptures of Philippine deities. I mount the sculptures on free standing frames as diptychs or triptychs. In some cases I install the framed sculptures on different levels to form a polyptych appearing like an altarpiece.  I was inspired by the monumental altarpieces from the Philippine colonial churches together with Medieval Tuscan altarpieces. In my sculptures the once powerful pre colonial Filipino deities take their place of honor denied to them.

The Divorcee, one of my sculptures representing the goddess Bugan, can still connect to the present. It touches on social issues of separation and pain for both parents and children. In the story the goddess who married a mortal man had to cut their child in half upon divorce. The upper half she left to her husband. She kept the lower half  and took it with her to heaven where she resurrected the child. 

It is interesting that most of the time if we look closely at these myths we can learn something that can connect us to our daily existence in both historical and social issues.

- Duddley Diaz