Curious Curator Artists: Harry Mark Gonzales and Kat Malazarte

(L-R Kat Malazarte and Harry Gonzales during the ribbon cutting)

Curious Curator features Ilonggo artists Harry Mark Gonzales and Kat Malazarte in their first ever exhibit. One is a sculptor; the other, a painter. One is seasoned; the other, budding.

The 34-year-old self-taught artist Harry Mark Gonzales started his love for sculpting when he was still young, “I like sculptures ever since I was a kid. But I started using clay before I used marble.”

His first competition in his craft was the Shell National Student Art Competition where he became one of the finalists. The competition paved the way for him to formally enter the field of sculpting. But his artistry in marble sculpting ignited even more when he bagged the grand prize at the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) Awards in 2007 for his work “A Protest over Guimaras Oil Spill”.

Harry’s artisanship was greatly influenced by a respected multi-media visual artist whom he has worked with, Edward Defensor. They both made the reliefs around the San Rafael rotunda monument in Iloilo. Likewise, master sculptors Juan Sajid Imao and Abdul Asia Imao helped him to learn and perfect the medium of cold-casting.

In the first Curios Curator, he exhibited his cold-cast marble sculptures. His works were dedicated “For those mothers who lost their children, for single women who lost their boyfriends, and to those who really love going back to their memories.” says the artist.

Further he explained that the way he carves shapes and movements is his way appreciating and celebrating the beauty and strength of a woman. He always reminds himself that his art should represent and capture the evolving beauty, emotion, and experiences of a woman, to whom he owes his life.

With spirituality as the main theme in her work, the 21-year-old Kat Malazarte exhibited in this year’s Curious Curator her paintings that recognize the strength of women. She believes that “a woman’s quiet strength is her resilience. That no matter the storms that rage at her life, or the thorns that grow in and out of her womanhood, she, in the end, rises. Like the lotus which blooms amidst the mud. Like the bamboo which stands still after the storm."

She was inspired by the poet and artist Akiane Kramik who is known for paintings of Jesus Christ. This inspiration is very salient in her paintings because like Jesus Christ and Blessed Virgin Mary, there is modesty in her strokes. Her paintings are characterized by purity, inner silence, chastity and contemplation.

Last year, she won grand prize in Vision Petron National Student Art Competition 2015 for her video entry “Tignan Nang Malapitan, Damhin Nang Malalim”.

For her exhibit in Curios Curator, the painter’s inspiration was the Blessed Virgin Mary. “I want show the qualities of Mama Mary as a woman. But the faces of women in the paintings are not the same, there’s no specific face. I used models for the paintings but I change the face to make the subject mysterious.” she said.

The talented oil painter finished all the 8 paintings in just 12 days. “Actually, Curious Curator gave me 2 months to finish it but a lot of things happened in those months. So, I started painting September 1 and finished on September 12. It was very challenging but I just stood with my faith. I prayed and I did my best. Even me, I can’t believe that I finished it in just 12 days.” Kat said.

The creations of the artists, Mark Harry Gonzales and Kat Malazarte, truly create a visual feast that pays homage to the strength that allows women to endure.