Creative Baguio: The World In Visual Artist Carlo Villafuerte’s Eyes

One thing that’s so great about City of Pines is that you get to walk the streets on a normal day and not realize that the person right next to you is either a musician, a poet, a writer, or an artist. It’s just the Baguio way. That could be one of the reasons why Baguio City has been named one of UNESCO’s Creative Cities. Visual artist Carlo Villafuerte is one of those you wouldn’t expect to have made such great artworks that have been bought even by the likes of actor John Lloyd Cruz.

In Baguio, when you hear the name BenCab, you would immediately think about BenCab Museum. When you hear the word Kidlat Tahimik, you would think about film and how he was awarded National Artist for Film by none other than President Rodrigo Duterte himself. But, there are artists who also have so much to say through their art that not a lot of people know about. Meet visual artist Carlo Villafuerte.

Baguio-born Visual Artist Carlo Villafuerte

Let’s get to the easy stuff. Things you might just read once you search for him on Google. He is Baguio-born and he is most famous for his fabric art which are hand-sewn. These functional pieces were noticed by quite a few people which led his work to be featured in group exhibitions at the Victor Oteyza Community Arts Space (VOCAS) in 2010. He also had an art exhibit at the 2013 Singapore Biennale, and in 2014 his work was once again staged in an exhibit called “Markets of Resistance” in Baguio.

Now let’s get to the stuff you don’t read about so much. Stuff you would only say once you meet him and once you’ve seen his work. And if this is your first time hearing about Carlo Villafuerte, we are glad because now we get to introduce him in a different light.

Carlo is, yes, Baguio-born. And just like any other human being, he worked an 8-5 job. Thanks to the advice of some of his artist friends, he just really dropped everything and decided to pursue art full time. Carlo says it was both because he wanted to make a living out of his art and because it was his passion.

Carlo Villafuerte’s art

Villafuerte has been making amazing colorful fabric art which he makes by hand. They come in different sizes each of them carrying his identity. His work is one of a kind and something you don’t usually see anywhere else. Looking at his work makes you think how much more he can come up with because each piece talks to you in a different way. He uses thread, reused cloth, and any other materials he can think of that would make his imagination a reality. When asked where he gets the materials he uses, he says he just finds them at thrift shops.

When we met Carlo, he didn’t have any of his bigger fabric artworks with him except for one that he specially made for his girlfriend, China Valdez. It was a piece he made straight onto her maong jacket which she was wearing at that time. (We wanted to have it but we know for sure that wasn’t going to happen.) We asked if he would produce more of it, China says she wasn’t really sure. (We just hope he would.)

 

Now, we didn’t have that big fabric artwork Carlo was known for. But when they took out these necklaces out of a cloth bag they had in a bigger bag (that’s how Baguio people do it, maybe), our eyes just lit up. Each piece was just elegant and ethnic at the same time. Take a look at some of his new work and we promise, by the end, you would want one of this for friends and definitely one for yourself.

Making these precious things are hard work. Carlo says he would sit and work for hours and is able to make three pieces in one day. For the functional pieces, though, one big canvas would take him three weeks to complete.

One thing we can say about Carlo’s latest creations, they each have an identity and with it a certain emotion. If you pick one for yourself, it isn’t about what’s beautiful or what suits your attire. It would make you think which piece represents you the most.

Carlo Villafuerte to Baguio being a Creative City: “Sa Wakas”

With Baguio recently being one of UNESCO’s Creative Cities, we were curious as to what he thinks about it. To that, Carlo says, “Sa wakas.”

It seems Carlo was happy to know that the city of Baguio would now have more support from the Baguio community and that artists like him would now have a platform to share his art and his passion.

Visit Rayon Online Shopping and take a look at more of Carlo Villafuerte’s art. Support local artists!