Esquire Chats With Ysabel Santos | Esquire Philippines - video Dailymotion

Esquire Philippines

We're catching Isabel Santos in the middle of a break year. But that doesn't mean that the third-generation artist is not thinking about art. It's who she is, really. The granddaughter of the late great Mauro Malang Santos sits down with us in this exclusive interview.

Transcript

00:00 "Oh, that's what my grandfather used to say before. He was just a cartoonist."

00:05 Then I was like, "Okay." He's like, "Oh, yeah."

00:08 Because, it's weird to say, but my grandfather was pretty famous, right?

00:27 And at that time, when I was in grade school, lumabas yung Bearbrand commercial.

00:32 Do you guys remember that?

00:34 They know me as an artsy person.

00:38 So, okay naman when in grade school.

00:40 In high school, I thought I had other things to offer in life.

00:44 Ako, I mean, like, it was a "I'm not just an artist" phase.

00:50 So, in college, I chose a random course.

00:55 And then, I had a thing that I wanted to be a diplomat for some reason.

00:59 But, I mean, I don't have the temperament for that.

01:03 And then, I added marketing as a minor.

01:07 Medyo creative siya, in my opinion.

01:09 And then, may business side din.

01:11 So, yun yung napunta ko.

01:15 And, oh.

01:16 And then, eventually, may year off ako after college.

01:21 Din yung awakening na sinasa.

01:25 So, searching.

01:30 My first show was a group show.

01:33 So, West Gallery with a lot of, pero more on illustrative work.

01:39 So, medyo malayo siya from what I'm doing now.

01:44 Pero, I looked back recently and okay naman.

01:48 Like, I still like them.

01:49 Pero, syempre, yung technique siguro I would improve on them.

01:54 Not sure kung kailan.

01:55 Ewan ko, it's very weird to say may break.

01:59 Sa start, syempre, since I didn't take fine arts in college, syempre, there, diba, the

02:11 course yung mga mediums na hindi ko na take.

02:15 So, madaming trial and error.

02:18 And madaming rin, sana gumana.

02:21 Alam mo yun.

02:22 But I think if I took mga, those courses, a lot of my works would have been finished

02:28 earlier.

02:30 But then, eh, okay naman to discover it on your own.

02:34 Syempre, I asked sila, papa, mama, kuya, kung ano yung mga materials best for certain

02:41 things na gusto ko ma-achieve sa work.

02:43 Ang hirap.

02:44 Okay din naman.

02:45 Like, I acknowledge the help that they've given me in ano.

02:57 Kasi competitive din naman yung scene, e, diba?

03:01 So, I don't compare with them.

03:03 Parang I'm, if they get any award siguro or any acknowledgement, sobrang I'm happy.

03:11 That's is share ko pa sa lahat.

03:13 I don't think as a family we're very competitive.

03:16 Kasi before, syempre, you would think na since art is family, parang may sometimes you would

03:22 think you deserve it, yung the shows that you're given and the opportunities dahil yung

03:32 family mo yung nagpasok sa'yo.

03:34 So I really appreciate na nangyari yung MOMA.

03:37 Kasi one of my favorite artists, si Lawrence Weiner, yung Judge.

03:43 So like, he picked me and parang he doesn't know any history around my work.

03:48 So big boost to my, ano, to my confidence.

03:53 Nirealize ko eh like yung era of mga 40s, 50s, sa music, sa movies.

04:06 So I think aesthetically, yun din yung gusto ko.

04:09 In terms of the colors I choose, yung medyo mas muted or yellowish.

04:14 Old Hollywood movies, si Joan Crawford, ganun.

04:17 I like the, parang the drama that it has.

04:21 Pero even in the advertisements nila, I like siguro the limitations nun time na yun and

04:28 then the colors na lumabas nun.

04:31 Ngayon kasi di ba parang, in terms of printing things, ngayon any is kaya eh.

04:38 Dati di ba medyo old style yung printing process.

04:43 So limited yung mga colors, pero yun yung attractive sa akin.

04:48 Parang it's expressing your feelings in another way, hindi directly.

04:59 Parang hindi siya nagpaparinig basically.

05:01 It's just expressing it.

05:04 Parang mawala na rin.

05:05 Misa kasi sobrang clouded na yung brain ko para ma-eject na rin siya.

05:11 So, and misa, it's in the, not the, yung finished product, it's in the process.

05:19 When I'm anxious, malikot yung kamay ko na natitense, I'm very tense.

05:24 So, naging meditation ko yun, the drawings.

05:28 And then ano siya, I did, tas pinaintan ko na rin yung mga, yung walls.

05:34 [music]

05:40 Kasi I think lumabas yun nung COVID.

05:45 And then the question of kung arts is a necessity, parang ganun.

05:51 Art is a necessity.

05:52 Parang there was a panic kasi, di ba?

05:55 Ang daming lumabas na, are we still needed in society?

06:00 So, dun ako napunta sa mga taking away, mga ganun, kung ano yung essential.

06:05 Like, even in a picture, maganda pa rin ba 'to without these certain elements?

06:11 Or gumaganda siya without these certain elements?

06:13 Parang pinaglaruan ko with that.

06:16 And sometimes, deconstructing an image, parang nakakasatisfy siya.

06:23 Parang nililiton mo yung eyes mo, kasi sanay ka with this, and you add another element.

06:31 And then it becomes, for me, more interesting.

06:34 [music]

06:39 Yun nga yung panglait sa lolo ko before.

06:41 Cartoonist lang yan, ganun.

06:44 'Tos parang ako, okay.

06:45 He's like, "Oo, nga."

06:48 I've never had the feeling of a sculpture is better than a video art or something like that.

06:57 Feeling ko how a person consumes.

07:01 Parang art, for me, kung may na-affect ako about an artwork,

07:07 di ko na-iniisip kung video ba siya, or drawing lang ba siya.

07:13 Misa kasi, I think people put a premium on paintings.

07:18 I don't know why.

07:20 I mean, di ko parin gets kung bakit.

07:23 I mean, I love painting. I love doing it.

07:26 Pero it's not higher than other things.

07:29 [music]

07:35 Ideally, I like yung process ng dad ko.

07:39 He's just continuously working.

07:42 Yun yung gusto ko sana.

07:43 Kung may space ako.

07:45 Yung pwede ka lang magkalat anywhere.

07:48 I guess I start with one work, and then it will show me where--

07:53 parang it will lead me to somewhere na mabubuo yung show eventually.

07:59 And then mag-add more pieces to it, depending on the size,

08:02 and whatever else I come up with.

08:05 Pero sometimes, meron-- or may group show din na malapit.

08:10 And then I try to do something different with that.

08:13 Para may break yung mind ko from the same thing.

08:18 Dati kasi ano eh, yun diba sa Uniqlo, may mga ulo, ganyan.

08:23 May one time, I was dreaming about yung mga--

08:27 yung mga hair lang nila, or yung ulo lang nila.

08:30 Kasi poulit-ulit ko sila nakikita throughout the day.

08:34 So kailangan ko rin ng break from it.

08:37 Not the painting, but the themes.

08:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:45 I mean, feeling ko yung contribution ng work ko as a Filipino

08:48 is me being a Filipino.

08:50 So, karakteristics ko, diba, na baka it's hidden there somewhere.

08:56 Dati kasi, madalas, mga women yung pinipaint.

09:00 I don't know why, kung bakit.

09:02 Oh, unintentional.

09:02 Parang dun ako nag-gravity towards.

09:05 Feeling ko, mga the colors I choose, ganun.

09:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:14 Feeling ko is now my break year.

09:20 I think yun yung magiging way ko to look at things differently.

09:26 Kasi it's not--

09:28 di rin naman ako like break.

09:29 Kasi iniisip ko parin naman siya.

09:33 It's like-- pero hindi ako na-prepressure to produce something

09:39 with the things I'm thinking about.

09:42 Kasi if there's a show, parang hindi ka--

09:45 yun nga, I guess, meditate ulit on the idea.

09:49 Now, I can do--

09:51 kunyari, may idea ko, pwede ko siyang pag-isipan more.

09:54 And pwede ko rin siyang--

09:56 I have room to make mistakes.

10:01 I think, oo.

10:02 Kasi ngayon, I'm excited to work.

10:07 Ready na akong mag-work.

10:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:14 For me, problema ko na hindi ako nag-fine arts.

10:17 Like, I wouldn't know.

10:19 Which is a good thing na rin na wala rin akong bias.

10:22 I guess, wala rin akong bias kung ano yung fine art versus

10:26 commercial art.

10:28 Which is weird, kasi commercial art meaning nabibenta ba siya?

10:33 Ganun.

10:34 Or mas kinoconsume siya ng mas madaming tao.

10:38 Yun yung parang hindi ko--

10:40 kasi, like, if we're gonna say mas nabibenta siya,

10:42 syempre, di ba, si Ronald talaga yung madaming nabibenta.

10:47 Pero fine art din siya, ba?

10:51 Oo, it's like, parang mix na siya ngayon.

10:54 Mm-mm.

10:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]

11:02 (upbeat music)

Esquire Chats With Ysabel Santos | Esquire Philippines

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