The Emergence of Rodel Tapaya

Having been preoccupied by Philippine folklore, Rodel Tapaya moves forward, and his surprising new works are a thoughtful and methodical reconstruction of the grand story of nation.
BY RIEL JARAMILLO HILARIO

Image: Detail of “The Hunter's Dilemma”, 2008, Acrylic on canvas, 193 x 152.5 cm

The Emergence of Rodel Tapaya

For more than a decade now, I have been fascinated by the idea of the artist’s emergence—that process where the young artist’s awkwardness, inner conflict and struggle for authentic expression develops into the seasoned artist’s restrained passion, collected creativity and consistent production of original, fresh, powerful artworks. The process is oftentimes entirely intuitional, and essentially one accomplished by trial-and-error. More often, the setbacks are too daunting, and the only thing that keeps the motor running is damned persistence. So it comes as a moment of serendipity when I get the chance to see this emergence manifest in Rodel Tapaya, 28, whose years of hard work and resilience have transformed him from a young
maverick into one of the more original and in-demand artists of South East Asia.

Epiphany and opportunity

Tapaya grew up in Montalban (now Rodriguez) in Rizal where his family was engaged in a tinapa (smoked fish) business. It was the young boy’s task to fetch old newspapers that were used as packaging material for the tinapa.

“I would take out my bike and buy these papers,” the artist reminisces. “But, time and again, I would browse the papers for the arts section and cut out clippings of exhibitions and features for my collection. It was my first exposure to the world of art.”

The first time Tapaya came face to face with an actual masterpiece was during a trip to the National Museum where he found himself staring a little too long at Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium”. A sort of epiphany came to him and he began to wonder if he could learn to be a painter as well. By sheer persistence (and some dose of competition), he applied himself to drawing
and painting in elementary and high school, often competing in interschool art contests. In 1997, he took up Painting at the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines. It was around this time that Tapaya decided to leave Montalban and live on his own. Amidst small projects and college, he was also briefly involved in an artist’s fraternity, the Artist’s Circle
(AC), where he served as the supremo for almost a year. It was through AC where he met his partner and future wife, Marina Cruz, and with her and a few other friends they formed an adhoc support group that helped organize their early group shows.

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