Francis Nacion

CREATING  IMAGINARY WORLDS 

Francis Nacion goes full circle

Text by Hannah Jo Uy

January 28, 2019  / C-3

Trial and error. This is how Francis Nacion describes the last decade of his career as a full-time artist. Hav­ing carved a distinguished name for himself within the country’s rapidly expanding art scene, he views his creative journey as equal parts ful­filling and challenging. “It was a long process for me to be able to create in the way I do now,” he admits. “But it’s really about faith.” 

Over the years, Nacion never shied away from challenging him­self and moving beyond his comfort zone. The process, he says, led him to a more holistic understanding of his artistic identity. “I feel lighter, and I’m happy,” he says. “Also, I have less doubt.” 

The artistic zen he has achieved comes after a long process of experi­mentation, during which he recalls dabbling in various mediums in an effort to enhance and communicate his own distinctive visual language. “I always try to look for mediums that may complement my style, or per­haps a new concept, to see whether or not I can do justice to the theme.” 

In his own way, Nacion revels in how time serves as a magical ingredient with regard to unleash­ing one’s potential. “Even I can’t explain how I evolved as an artist, but doing the fantastical creatures showed me the breadth of my work, and it widened my imagination,” he says. “I always go back to my first love of creating imaginary worlds. Even before, when I was young, my mom would say I was always in my own world. At least now, I can invite people to be part of it, to escape the toxicity that would otherwise sur­round them. Perhaps this is really my mission in this world—to try to make people happy through art.” 

Indeed, Nacion’s inclination to experiment never led him astray or caused him to lose sight of the core values that drive his work, which is to impart the wisdom he has gained over time and share joy. “I hope, when they see my work, it will re­mind them that we are not perfect,” he says, “because if you see it, it has one eye, no ears, and four fingers but it’s still positive. That ended up being a trademark of mine, and we all have our own brand of beauty from God. Nitpicking and insecurity only came from human beings anyway, right? If you accept yourself, what can anyone say to criticize you that will matter? It’s important to just be happy.” 

These revelations emerged in a timely manner, as the artist recently completed preparations for his 10th solo exhibition, entitled “Nacion,” hosted by Galerie Francesca and to be held at the Art Center, at SM Me­gamall. Curated by Ricky Francisco, the exhibit serves as a milestone for the artist, coming 10 years after the debut show that initiated him into professional art scene. A celebration of his progress as a painter, Nacion pays homage to the subject matters that captured his fancy early on, scenes of harvest, stolen moments between lovers, and tender snap­shots of mother and child, in rustic backdrops reminiscent of the provin­cial landscape. 

Undeniably, Nacion has found himself going full circle to the more traditional themes, discovering that the challenge is no longer about venturing into new subject matters, presenting familiar archetypes in a contemporary way that will speak to the younger generations sensibili­ties. “In a way, I was also challenged to see how I have changed,” he says. “Sometimes, as an artist, I don’t no­tice it. I’m just immersed in creating, as long as I’m happy with what I’m creating—that’s anyway the most important thing.” 

This change has come in terms of the level of detail that Nacion imparts in his work, looking toward different designs that would complement his scraping and etching technique. Most im­portant, he has moved toward more volu­minous and textured works, straddling the line between a mod­ernist and a realistic approach. Indeed, the works’ details serve as a testament to the meticulous and painstaking layering process, which he has flawlessly refined. “It takes a long time, but it’s worth it once I see the completed prod­uct,” he explains. 

The evolution that Nacion celebrates is not only his own, but also that of the art fra­ternity he belongs and has contributed to. “For me, the art scene has really grown for the better,” he says. “There are so many galler­ies and group shows and art collectors are getting younger and younger. In the Philippines, it’s already noticeably bet­ter, even more so when the internation­al art scene can see, because they are placing more interest in Philippine art. We should really be thankful to masters that came before us, because they raised the perception of Filipinos artists.” 

Francis Nacion’s 10th anniversa­ry show, opening on Feb. 2 at the Art Center at SM Megamall, runs until Feb. 14.