Artist Soliman L. Poonon to exhibit works at 2019 explorAsian Festival in Vancouver

  • Page Views 3964
  • His work has been praised throughout the Philippines and other countries like South Korea, Singapore and the United States.

    Now, Canadians are going to see why Soliman L. Poonon has gained much success as a visual artist.

    Poonon will be showcasing his works at the opening ceremony of this year’s exploAsian Festival in Vancouver.

    It’s an important occasion for the Filipino artist as this is the first time he will present his works in Canada.

    The explorASIAN is an annual festival organized by Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (VAHMS).

    The festival takes place each May to coincide with the National Asian Heritage Month across Canada.

    The festival includes art and cultural programs, activities and events produced in collaboration with various partners from the diverse communities in Metro Vancouver.

    As an organization, VAHMS aims to recognize Asian Canadian participation as an integral part of Canadian society.

    The opening ceremony will be held at the SFU Woodwards World Art Centre, also known as the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 West Hastings Street), in downtown Vancouver.

    The free event takes place on April 27, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

    Poonon hails from Tulogan, Songco, Bukidnon, the ancestral tribal lands of the Talaandig people of the Philippines. He began cultivating his artistic eye as a child by observing the cultural practices of his people and was particularly inspired by the work of his blacksmithing grandfather, Apo Pablito Poonon.

    As a young teen, he received mentorship in soil painting from Waway Saway and Tating Suliba and was introduced to sculpting by Kublai Milan. At 20 years old, inspired by epics, artisans and surrounding nature, Poonon began a serious devotion to painting which was upheld by the encouragement of his peers.

    For over 12 years, Poonon has worked with earth based mediums including soil, wood, cement, pelt and clay. His portfolio boasts paintings, carvings, sculptures, instruments, traditional knives, lanterns and furniture.

    In 2009, Soliman received the Philip Morris Philippine Art Award for his larger than life-size painting Cultural Identity.

    In 2016, Poonon married Filipina-Canadian, Andrea Vargas. In 2017, their first child was born. In 2018, Soliman arrived in Canada. It is his first time to cross the great Pacific Ocean and immerse in a western culture. He endures many culture shocks and great homesickness but to learn the world that his wife comes from is important to the weaving of their family’s stories.

    In February 2019, JR Guerrero introduced Soliman to Bert Monterona, an active cultural worker promoting Filipino artists working on Filipino arts and culture. Poonon and Monterona are enthusiastic to share a love of visual arts and Philippine culture and they discovered that the two of them are ancestrally from the same tribe -Talaandig people from Bukidnon, Mindanao.

    In ongoing interactions, the two of them share ideas and cultural exchanges while dreaming up ways to continue telling stories that inspire connections to Flipino roots and culture.

    Poonon and Monterona were invited by Leo Cunanan Jr., a director in the board of VAHMS, to exhibit their works in the April 27 opening ceremony of this year’s explorAsian Festival.

    Share

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • 07 November 2024
      3 days ago No comment

      Marcos congratulates Trump

      President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines has congratulated Donald Trump for winning the November 5, 2024 U.S. presidential election. “President Trump has won, and the American people have triumphed. I congratulate them on their victory in an exercise that showed the world the strength of American values,” Marcos ...

    • Pope Francis addresses the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's square during the Angelus prayer on October 27, 2024 in The Vatican.
      04 November 2024
      6 days ago No comment

      Pope prays for Kristine victims in Philippines

      MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has offered prayers for Filipinos affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. At Sunday’s Angelus address at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff reportedly mentioned praying for the victims of Kristine. “I am close to the population of the Philippines, struck by a powerful cyclone. May ...

    • 04 November 2024
      6 days ago No comment

      Duterte: no apology, no excuses for drug war

      Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on October 28, 2024 offered no apologies or excuses for his actions as he faced a Senate investigation into his widely criticized bloody war on drugs for the first time. Before reading his prepared statement during the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, ...

    • 24 October 2024
      2 weeks ago No comment

      Marcos-Duterte feud: “now a fight to the finish”

      The raging spat between the two most powerful political dynasties in the Philippines isn’t showing signs of letting up. As one political observer noted, the fight between the camps of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and erstwhile ally Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has reached a point of no return. “This ...

    • 21 October 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      Filipino Art is Alive and Well!

      Marianne Valdez, a Canadian-born Filipino visual artist and live painter from Surrey, British Columbia, brings a fresh cultural perspective to contemporary art. Her exhibit, “Masaganang Buhay: A Bountiful Life,” opened at the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver on October 11th. It was warmly welcomed by Acting Consul General Analyn ...