A young Amador Inlayo would accompany his grandmother to go to the church to sell goods. This was decades ago: Antipolo was greener then, more rustic. The boy would marvel at the sights along the way. He soaked everything in.
A lifetime later, Inlayo the painter — inspired by Amorsolo and Kiukok — will let his hands remember on canvas what he saw with his grandmother, doing plein-air painting and expressing that sense of wonder he felt as a kid.
“Ang hindi ko malilimutang painting na aking nilikha ay ’yung landscape sa may Simbahan ng Antipolo,” he shares about a painting bought by the owner of Emilio Aguinaldo College in Manila. “Dahil ang painting na iyun ay sumasalamin sa aking kabataan.”
Robinsons Land ARTablado presents Inlayo’s third solo exhibition titled “Kubismo,” which is on view from June 1 to 15 at ARTablado in Robinsons Antipolo.
The artist is making a transition from landscapes to Cubism with a contemporary approach. He would start with an image of his figurative painting, upload it into his computer, use an app to convert it into a cubistic image, and paint that very image onto a canvas.
Over 30 artworks of his will be featured in his ARTablado show.
“Napili ko ang ARTablado (for my exhibit) dahil ito ay isa sa mga pinakamagandang lugar na pinagdarausan ng mga art exhibitions at maraming natutungan mga artists na katulad ko,” he explains.
The people behind Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) believe in the ingenuity and artistry of Filipino artists. RLC decided to provide a platform for artists from all walks of life, allocating spaces in Robinsons Antipolo and Robinsons Galleria (Ortigas) to hold exhibitions for art practitioners who deserve to showcase their artistic vision and talent. ARTablado’s impact has been instantaneous for members of the art community who have been pining for a platform where every artist — young or old, established or up-and-coming — is welcome.
Artists such as Amador.
“Ang masakit na naramdaman ko noong nagsisimula pa lamang akong mag-pinta ay ’yung wala akong pambili ng materials na pang-pinta at hindi makasali sa mga exhibits dahil sa kawalan ng pera.”
The man strove harder, winning multiple art and painting contests. Various art organizations saw something special in him. Inlayo participated in group shows from Antipolo to Hong Kong, and mounted solo exhibitions — first at Loreland Farm Resort (“Agos” in 2017) and second at Luljettas Hanging Garden Spa (“Lily” in 2019). Now, things are looking up for this humble art practitioner.
Natulungan ako ng art upang maging masaya at maihayag ang aking damdamin. After five years bilang isang full-time artist, naging masaya at masagana ang aking buhay.”
And ARTablado has given Amador Inlayo all the space he needs to present his vision: memory encapsulated as imagery, converted by an app into a cubist form, and repainted as something new to remember all over again.
