C A N VA S
Hello! Please introduce yourself.
I am Ryan Villamael, 31 years old. I am a visual artist.
How did you find yourself in the art world? What convinced you that this is
what you want to pursue in life?
I don’t think I ever had a choice. Since I was a kid, this was what I
wanted to do. When I got into the Philippine High School for the Arts, it
felt like I was already on that path. I had to be away from my mom and live
in Makiling (in Los Baños, Laguna) to study at the school, but she always
assured me that the sacrifice would be worth it.
You are known for your paper artworks. How did you discover this craft and
what attracted you to it?
I started working with paper not out of desire but out of necessity. After
college, I was working as an assistant for different artists and, on the side, trying
to figure out my own practice. I wanted to paint and I wanted to sculpt, but I
couldn’t afford to work with those mediums. I ended up with paper because it
was what I could afford. I realized I could say what I wanted to say and do what
I wanted to do with a very simple material. I think we all have a very personal
relationship with paper as a material. We played with it as kids, we write on it, we
shape it. I realized I didn’t have to paint or sculpt; paper could be expressive. I’ve
stuck with it since then because the material keeps revealing different possibilities.
In the last few months though, I’ve been experimenting with different
materials—metal, mirrors, even sand—and we’ll see where that goes. For now,
I’m having fun playing. It’s serious play.
Behold A City, paper,
dimension variable
Art Fair Philippines, 2019
Opposite page: Artist with
Locus Amoenus, paper (replica
maps), dimension variable
Can you tell us a little bit about your process? What issues or themes do you
usually draw your inspiration from?
I grew up fascinated with history: both our national history and our own
personal narratives. Our country’s history is a big inspiration for my work. I did a
show called ’Behold A City’ that was my way of paying tribute to old, lost Manila.
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