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By: Joy Ann L. Gurtiza, GPC-LUPTO | Photos By: GPC-LUPTO | Date: October 25, 2021
Through a grant from National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and various sponsors, healthy lifestyle advocate and La Union-based local artist Alger Guevarra launched the Tsinelas Art Exhibit dubbed as βUnsinkable Harvestβ on October 25, 2021 showcasing art works that depict locally grown vegetables at the Lorma Colleges San Juan Campus, San Juan, La Union.
The exhibit highlights the use of recycled slippers and mats as a medium of art production. Inspired by environmental conservation initiatives, Guevarra and the exhibit organizers aim to make the community be made aware of another way to create valuable objects from what is considered trash.
A native of Bataan, Guevarra moved to Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union where he developed an enthusiasm for surfing. He uses flip-flops (tsinelas) as his method of painting and producing his artworks to showcase the ingenuity of Filipino artists all over the world. βIn 2015, I came up with the idea of reusing some of the trash, creating a new painting medium of tsinelas art. The materials are recycled; they are slippers left along the shores of the beach and some are old slippers donated by my friends. The vivid colors of the slippers dry like paint,β Guevara said in an interview.
In the early days, he would cut rubber slippers manually until he discovered a rubber grinder that ground down old slippers and surfboard rubber mats into a very fine powder. The powder is then filtered and mixed with glue to make a typical paint mixture before it is brushed into a canvas. He said that he was inspired by the old masters who would grind their own pigments in the days before commercial paints.
As a component of the exhibit, 15 participants attended the Tsinelas Art Making Workshop on October 27, 2021. He encouraged artists like him to keep on making artworks, regardless of any challenges or criticisms they face. He likewise expressed his gratitude to all people who have supported him to realize his own exhibit.
The Provincial Government of La Union commits its continued support to local creative and artistic initiatives in the province as these highlight the promotion of La Union tourism, environment, culture, tradition, and people. Unsinkable Harvest exhibit is open on Mondays to Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and is currently on view until November 8, 2021 at the Lorma Colleges San Juan Campus CLI Library. From November to December, it will be hosted in Robinsonβs Place - La Union the organizers said.
