art advocacy

The Art of Advocacy
in Joey Velasco's Hapag

by GINO DORMIENDO

THIS debut exhibit is originally intended to expose the ills of our society. And what greater evils than those inflicted on the poor, the young, and the innocent, with a cast of 12 destitute children with whom the artist shared time together, moving from despair to hope, and seeing the fullness of life with faith that moved the children, as it had moved the artist, in his and their collective journey.

The artist is Joey A. Velasco, a 39-year-old entrepreneur who was once a seminarian back in his Salesian days. Though content and secure in life, having chosen to raise a family, Velasco was later diagnosed with a large mass growing in his left kidney. That was the time he realized there was more to life than material success. Having gone through a successful operation, he began a journey into the night, painting the subjects of children from the lower depths. Impoverished, deprived, neglected, and abused, these children became the figures in his large painting that he called Hapag ng Pag-asa, with a Christ figure shown hovering with the subjects, in the middle of the art work.

Rediscovering the treasure in each child, Velasco spent precious time with every one of them, in an effort to touch and heal their wounds. He visited their dwelling places, interviewed their parents and guardians, went out of his own comfort zone, to reveal the Master’s message of Hope through his work. At the end, it was he who was transformed as he realized that the gift of art is a truly powerful instrument to reform and transform their lives.

More than a year has passed since that first encounter. Today, the children have moved on to a better chance in life. For his part, Velasco had worked feverishly and perseveringly on his art, creating murals of hope and love. The fruit of his labor is now mounted on the gallery walls, collective portraits of the children with their unique stories to tell. The artist has also written a book, containing the stories of the children of Hapag, and endorsed by no less than the Archibishop of Manila, Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, as well as Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Worker and 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee.

The paintings are a fitting testament to Velasco’s newly-harnessed gifts at portraiture. Though a virtual latecomer in the art scene, he has proven beyond doubt that one’s talent can indeed surface at the crossroads of life. What is even more important is that an artist comes to the fore, realizing that he has God-given gifts at his command, and for His greater glory. Without doubt, Joey Velasco has passed muster, in a rather compressed period, and has joined the ranks of the most promising emerging artists in the art scene.

We join the growing multitude of fans and followers of the artist in expressing our fondest wish that continue his advocacy of casting his lot with the less privileged even as he pursues the highest ideals of art in finding his own place with his brush and paint. May the canvas he has so movingly painted become the epochal story of our people’s redemption! more >>>