Marz Capanang

Young artists confront a myriad of problems when trying to establish their presence in society: a nostalgic yearning for past experiences, a critical viewpoint of an idealized popular culture, and trying to develop their individuality regardless of the herd mentality of their peers. It’s a universal struggle, one that Filipino painter Marrz Capanang identifies with personally, and displays beautifully through his art.
To communicate the heavy themes of his paintings, the general scope of his work portrays a blend of a loud, yet cohesive color palette with a versatile stroke usage that encourages the viewer to travel the canvas. Along the way, it encounters a range of random symbols, from rainbows and clouds to parts of the human anatomy that are both normally visible and private to the eye. However, they are strategically placed in a way where they attract attention on its own but are just as effective in contributing to the piece’s overall message.
“It is about the gradual diminishing of our pre-Hispanic culture… the information age is like a tsunami hitting our country so badly, stripping away what is important,” Marrz tells us. In consistence with this statement, the wave of color that does exist in the painting overpowers the bleak human essence of the painting, along with the roots of the naked figure, exposing its vulnerability to the inevitable forces of change. It’s a painful progress that many people today must endure in order to remain relevant and move ahead, but not without attempting to cling to the heart of their existence, which includes their culture