My artwork is mainly based on the inspiration from dancing mutants. I chose Dancing Mutants because it gives me a sense of power and courage.
Dancing mutants is by Hernando R. Ocampo, he is a famous Pilipino artist. His artworks often convey a sense of energy and change. The use of strong, vibrant colors shapes adds to the intensity, which creates a deep emotional effect. There is a clear sense of struggle and pain. The painting mainly consists of dark and cold colors such as black. These intense, contrasting colors help create a sense of energy and movement within the figures, emphasizing the chaotic and emotional nature of the work. The colors also add to the surreal, almost otherworldly feel of the painting.
What really touch me about this artwork is the powerful contrast between the vibrant, life-filled green and the oppressive, suffocating darkness that looms over it. It evokes a sense of struggle and resilience—the mutants, as what it meant, might be considered ‘weird’ or ‘strange’ by other people, but they continue to fight for what they love and dream. They are determined and persistent. And even in the most hopeless of moments, they refused to give up, shining in the midst of the darkness. And that’s what inspired me to create this artwork. The background is mainly decorated with shades of green, thick black clouds and dynamic shades of black. Similar to the artwork, I have chosen to have shades of green in the centre while oppressive clouds sit on top. The central green part is vibrant and alive. In my artwork, a piano takes centre stage of the painting, an instrument that I discovered and that led me to my own transformation.
The story of my life was like Ocampo’s mutants fighting against the darkness. When I first came to Tanglin, shy and socially awkward, without a dream or goal in my life. I felt nervous and insecure about all the new adaptations I needed to make. That’s what I used darkness to represent. But then came the piano, and with it, I started to transform. The first time I performed in front of seventy people, I was nervous, but gradually I learned to be confident of my talent. As the applause washed over me, I felt my newfound strength, of self-worth that changed me. This is where my painting comes alive—the two flames in the painting represent the fire of determination and the enthusiasm that lit the way forward, like the confidence I found in myself through every note I played. The number 5 means the month May, when I discovered piano as my interest.
In my artwork, the darkness is a reflection of my low self-esteem. But the piano became my interest, my love. Each time I performed, I felt a little bit more alive, like the mutants in Ocampo’s piece who continue to dance even as they are surrounded by darkness. And I do not need to live in the shadow of doubt any longer.