Influence of Heritage on Art

M“My art is borne out of my imagination and my character as a Filipino,” said Sheen Orchavez. “I think my greatest gift to my country as an artist is to gain international recognition through art highlighting the Philippines as a country with a strong cultural presence in the international art world, especially in the UK, where I now reside permanently.”

There is no greater contribution to your culture than to embrace your heritage by showing it through art. How could there be anything more beautiful? You express the very essence of who you are, displaying the beauty of the building blocks of your being, which take their form by running through your veins. You express your blood proudly and passionately. This is what Sheen does. In her own words: “If I am able to share the history and culture of the Philippines through my paintings, then I feel I will have achieved something.”

So what is it about the Philippines that enchants her so? “There is no place like the Philippines,” Sheen said warmly. “I think as we grow older we tend to be more nostalgic about our past hence the famous term ‘Babalik ka rin.’ It certainly applies to me,” she added, “and it is my intention to go back to my home permanently.”

“Culture helps define a society,” elaborated Sheen on her perspective of heritage. “The movement of goods and people had produced good and bad consequences. Good in the way that it is now easier to showcase the works of Filipino artists, but at the same time, our culture is endangered of being irrelevant with the younger generations succumbing to the lure of western life and fashion.”

With globalization becoming increasingly prominent, Sheen said that it is easy for the youth to sway in their pride for their origins… However, the sound artists can save that; the lure of the old country and the wish to embrace it has long been a prepossessing subject for them, ingraining itself in a sometimes bold, sometimes subliminal essence of the creator. Speaking of creators—what exactly composes Sheen’s work, and how does Filipino pride reside in it?

“[I] express colors in all its spectrum in my art as well [as] the tendency to use lines and abstraction in all of my paintings. When I’m doing portraiture, I enjoy using intersecting lines, shapes and colors in the background as well as using saturated colors. Examples are my recent paintings, “Lisia” and Other Portraits.”

“Everyone is unique,” Sheen said. “One can say that Filipino artists that use local materials in creating their art are truly unique in that sense. In the same way, Filipino artists who are educated abroad will tend to create art that is their product of theirs. Upbringing will also include the influences they had been exposed to during their life and art journey. For Sheen, she shows beautiful landscapes and parts of abstraction composing the experiences of the Filipinos.

To showcase your heritage in art is always valuable, and Sheen does this perfectly well. To take pride in where you come from through art is one of the highest forms of gratitude—and one that will last through the ages.