Looking at Filipino history through Wilderness
Carpet, thread, and stitching may not be the first materials that come to mind when thinking about painting. But in Dexter Sy’s Wilderness (2022), they are part of how the artist tells a story about Filipino history.
The work explores pre-colonial Filipino religion before Spanish conquest and the emergence of colonial mentality. Rather than relying only on conventional painting materials, Sy experimented with carpet, thread, and stitching, allowing the materials themselves to become part of the artwork’s concept.
“Through this piece, I am able to show not only the depth of concept but also my experimentation with unconventional materials not typically used in painting, such as carpet, thread, and stitching,” Sy said.
The Far Eastern University Fine Arts alumnus and special lecturer participated in the ASEAN Malikhaing Pinoy Expo through Wilderness, as FEU joined the event as a Visual Arts Pavilion domain partner.
But the work offers more than an example of the materials Sy experiments with. Its subject brings viewers back to a part of Filipino history that he wanted to examine through art.
“Conceptually, the artwork tackles pre-colonial Filipino religion, before Spanish conquest and the emergence of colonial mentality,” he said.
By looking at the period before Spanish colonization and the changes that followed, the work opens up questions about Filipino identity and the ways history continues to shape how people understand their culture.
For Sy, the materials, process, and concept are all part of that conversation
“Through this, our students can dissect the breadth of the artwork's discourse from its process to its materials, and to its conceptual storytelling,” he said.
What materials can show
In Wilderness, the choice of materials is not separate from the idea behind the work. Sy's use of carpet, thread, and stitching allows him to experiment with how an artwork is made while exploring a subject rooted in Filipino history.
That combination of process and concept is something he also wants students to pay attention to when studying art.
At FEU's Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts, students examine different forms of art from various regions of the Philippines. They learn about the culture and histories behind these works and how artists interpret them.
“We integrate Filipino identity into several of our subjects. We dissect various forms of art from different regions of the Philippines,” Sy said.
Through this study, he explained, students become aware of “the breadth and depth of our culture in art” and learn to give it a contemporary version.
The connection to Wilderness is clear in the way Sy approaches art: looking at history, examining the choices artists make, and considering how those choices shape the meaning of a work.
For students, studying an artwork means looking beyond what is immediately visible. Its materials, process, and subject can all offer ways to understand what the artist is trying to communicate.
For an audience
Sy's participation in the ASEAN Malikhaing Pinoy Expo also placed his work within a larger gathering of Filipino creatives.
The university joined as a Visual Arts Pavilion domain partner, showcasing its arts programming and creative community. Sy said having FEU artists represented at the event reflected the competitiveness of their works and the quality of the institute's academic programs.
“Not every university is invited to such a prestigious event, so this is a great honor for the entire FEU arts and design community,” he said.
For him, exhibitions are an important part of an art student's development. They give students the opportunity to share their work with different audiences and learn what it takes to prepare for an exhibit.
“One of the goals of an art student is to exhibit their work and show it to different audiences,” Sy said.
He said students do extensive preparation and study to develop a solid concept before exhibiting their work. The process also helps them build confidence and professionalism, particularly in meeting deadlines and completing the requirements leading to an exhibit.
The expo, meanwhile, brought together creatives from different sectors, creating opportunities for students to have their work noticed and collaborate with professionals.
Sy sees these platforms as a way for FEU to build relationships with other institutions and creative stakeholders while giving students opportunities beyond the university.
He hopes regular participation in similar events will widen FEU's network with creatives, agencies, and schools, and allow students to collaborate with artists outside their own community.
Making Filipino art contemporary
For Sy, studying Filipino art also means looking at how artists can interpret culture in ways that speak to the present.
In the classroom, students examine art from different regions and learn about the histories and identities behind them. They develop their own contemporary interpretations.
That approach is reflected in Wilderness, which takes a subject rooted in Filipino history and explores it through Sy's choice of materials and artistic process.
He hopes students and faculty gain additional knowledge from preparing for exhibitions, exchanging ideas with other creatives and schools, and sharing their work with new audiences.
For Sy, these experiences can help students see that their work does not have to remain within the classroom. It can become part of a larger creative community, where artists encounter different perspectives and find opportunities to collaborate.
In Wilderness the conversation begins with Filipino history—examined through materials that are not usually associated with painting, but that Sy uses to tell a story about the past and how it continues to shape the present.
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