Eugene Cubillo

Eugene Cubillo: Sweetness of Struggle

Text by Pam Brooke A. Casin

IF THERE’S ANYTHING ARTIST Eugene Cubillo has learned in his almost a decade in the art scene, it’s that there’s sweetness in struggle—also, that if you want something bad enough, all you have to do is go the extra mile to have it. And that if you are very cutthroat in pursuing your passions in life, there’s no way the world won’t let you have the best of them.

There have been no shortcuts to the success of Cubillo today. In fact, Cubillo has had his fair share of obstacles along the way that typical artists go through. Imagine the painter starting out with no easel to work with, only his lap and a bleak, sturdy wall as substitutes. Imagine him not being allowed to ride a bus just because he has a huge painting flapping like an enormous kite behind his back, seen as a nuisance in public transport. Imagine him still finding the time to paint at night after he gets home from his very demanding day job.

But the very things that Cubillo has had experiences and encounters with are the very same things that inspire him to paint. An alumnus of the Institute of Fine Arts and Design at the Philippine Women’s University, Cubillo gets his ideas from pure observation. Common subjects that may escape the naked eye and seen in everyday life are the artist’s forte, making his body of work teeming with his personal reflections and social commentary.

For Cubillo, creating pieces tinged with commentary and works that are socially relevant is the best way to get his messages across. “Imbis na pupunta ka sa kalsada para magpahayag ng saloobin mo, mas maganda ‘yung gumawa ka ng paraan para maipahayag sila sa isang malikhaing pamamaraan. Hindi ‘yung pupunta ka sa kalsada at sisigaw ka. Marami naman kasing pwedeng gawin para maipakita sa tao kung ano’ng klaseng panahon meron tayo ngayon (Instead of trooping to the streets to express what you feel, one should just find a more creative way to do it. It’s not just about going to the streets to protest. There are so many ways for artists to make people see what kind of reality we’re experiencing now),” Cubillo shares.

Of course Cubillo didn’t necessarily start as a social realist. He was more predisposed at first to paint subjects intimate to him. He would paint his wife when he misses her, for example. However, since it is but natural for artists to be sponges of the society he’s living in, there was no doubt that Cubillo would soon infuse slices of Juan dela Cruz’s life in his paintings. Goings-on in Cubillo’s oeuvre are insightful and, sometimes, grotesque yet true observations of an archetypal Pinoy life. His art boasts of a juxtaposition of metaphorical elements, making the artist’s pictorial language deep and puzzling in a sense.

In typical Cubillo fashion, paintings come out as bizarre and eerie. Some of his pieces are definitely not for the fainthearted. One can almost sense a feeling of impending doom in Cubillo’s repertoire represented by the painter’s use of earthy and somber pigments as well as grimy depictions of his subjects—perhaps offering viewers a gauche and seemingly debauched visual delineation of our immediate milieu and underlining our society’s need to pay more attention to the harsh realities of the world today.

Cubillo’s work today involves making a collection of drawings and collages on playing cards. Titled Barahang Ligaw, the mixed media pieces are Cubillo’s way of making a statement that the medium is indeed the message. By using playing cards, Cubillo has successfully said that life is without a doubt a gamble, and that “people both play fair and dirty to survive [in this world] depending on how they play or choose their roles in the society.” 

Made using oil, acrylic, transfer prints, and collaged images, the playing cards also serve as small yet valuable appendages of the artist, as extensions of the artist’s experiences and responses to his encounters in life. Cubillo says that, although his current works are smaller compared to his previous pieces, the work remains tedious as they are very graphic and detailed. He adds that he plans on doing this series on a few more decks of playing cards. So far, he says, he has finished prepping a deck or two.

Notable in Cubillo’s suite of playing cards include his “Uniform” series. These are pieces that expose a woman’s flesh. According to the artist, this is his commentary about women who dance in nightclubs and strip to their birthday suits just to be able to pay the bills. It’s a take on women becoming “meat” for everyone to feast upon. Instead of going to work to dress up, these women literally have to strip down to wear their “uniforms” for the night.

One that caught my attention in Cubillo’s finished deck is his piece called “Smiley.”The card features a deathly painting of a beaming skull. This work represents the classic Filipino way of being forever the optimist—even to the point where death might be imminent.. 

“Ang mga Pinoy, kahit maraming problema, nakukuha pa ring ngumiti. Kahit parang mamamatay ka na, masaya ka pa rin (Filipinos can still smile amidst their many problems. They can still plaster a smile on their faces and be merry even when they’re going to die),” Cubillo quips. 

The charm, perhaps, in Cubillo’s work is not only seen in his spot-on portrayals of society’s everyday struggle. The appeal of a Cubillo work is not only in the telling and the revealing/ It’s also in the technique in which he chooses not to be preachy. He just presents things as they are and adds a bit of his personal stamp on them. Ultimately, he lets the viewers discern the bad and the good in each of his work. The allure lies in Cubillo’s capability to raise awareness and concern among his viewers.

That’s probably the best satisfaction Cubillo gets from painting. He says, “Nakukumpleto ka kapag nakapagpipinta ka. Hindi ko maipaliwanag pero masaya ako kapag nakatatapos ako ng isang obra dahil makikita ng tao kung ano’ng gusto kong iparating sa kanila. Kung ano ‘yung naiisip ko, nalalaman nila (I feel complete when I paint. I can’t fully explain it but I really feel happy when I finish a piece because people can now see what I feel. What I think about, they can now know).”

Asked if he still struggles from time to time, Cubillo decisively says yes. “There are still struggles up to now. But you see, for me, you should treat art as a woman. You should be in love with it and give it time. When you do that, I’m sure art will love you back,” he ends. And the years of toiling? Well, Cubillo says that, in time, they will all be worth it. 

For more information about his works, contact the artist at eugeniocubillo@yahoo.com.