Pamela Gotangco: A Self-Portrait

Female artists around the world are constantly battling gender-biased challenges in global mainstream art. Women in art have suffered mistaken identity and incorrect attribution during the 18th and 19th centuries. Unethical art dealers were known to have altered signatures and even reassigned female works to other male artists at that time. Shameless.

Fast forward to the 20th century, female artists have come along way thanks to great artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Emily Carr, Frida Kahlo, Tamara de Lempicka, to name a few from a  long list of female artists that paved the way for the modern-day female painters. These female artists worked hard to infiltrate mainstream art. It wasn’t just their talent that got them recognition — it was their determination, perseverance, and discipline that earned them the respect of their peers, art dealers, art collectors, and art critics around the world.

Pamela Gotangco, a proudly Pinay artist based in Zurich has been painting professionally since 2010. Pamela holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Miriam College in the Philippines. Pamela is a strong advocate and supporter of equal opportunity for women. Her works are a breathtaking combination of self portraiture of her private life, of feminine and arbitrary (bordering on socio-political arguments), and from the people around her life. Her paintings provoke discussions engaging the viewer to her subject.

Pamela’s paintings have been well-received in the global stage. She’s participated in countless art fairs such as Art International Zurich, Art Basel Miami in 2013, Manila Art in 2015, SCOPE Basel 2016, and Art Shopping Carroussel du Louvre in Paris 2016. Pamela had numerous digital displays of her paintings in different iconic locations like Times Square New York. Avid art collectors from different parts of the world have snapped up her paintings.

Let’s get to know this inspiring Pinay artist and find out why she’s dazzled the international art scene!

Which female artist inspired you the most growing up?

“I grew up in the small town of Rizal, Nueva Ecija in the Philippines. My earliest exposure to art was limited to my grandmother’s collection of life size portraits in our ancestral home of which I don’t know who the artists were. These portraits fascinated me once I realized they were not photographs. The vivid eyes and impeccably dressed women in the painting drew me in. In our town, my grandmother is fondly called Doña Payang. Her real name is Pelagia Octoman Viuda de Gotangco. She became a widow at the age of 25 to my grandfather who was a Chinese merchant that moved to the Philippines.”

“I am mentioning my grandmother because she became an icon of an artistic woman to me as a child. She is always dressed beautifully in “saya” or long dress, and you would never catch her without makeup. Her exquisite collection of Filipiniana Terno dresses enchanted me and my sisters. She exuded authority and courage, yet was very much in touch with her femininity. Perhaps this could be the reason why I portray my subjects with attention to fabrics and lipstick.”

“When I moved to the capital to study as a young adult, trips to the Ayala Museum inspired and moved me. However, I can only recall pieces from Amorsolo, Luna and Zobel.”

“I fell in love with the Trapunto pieces of Pacita Abad. I idolized Anita Magsaysay Ho as a Filipina artist, and her egg tempera pieces are stunning. In the international scene, my list includes Louise Bourgeois and her use of fabrics from her old clothes to create suspended sculptures. The assemblage of Betye Saar that exposes injustice and reveals beauty. I adore the avant garde art of Yayoi Kusama. And I enjoy the provocative self portraits of Cindy Sherman.”

Tell us about your art work. What made you become an Expressionist?

“I am timid in words. It started with love for one man that progressed to loving more people, my culture, heritage, and country. I am able to express love better in drawings. My husband who is the constant recipient of these love letters encourages me to revisit my passion to create art after we moved to Switzerland 12 years ago. One day he came home with a car load of art materials. Then six months after that day, I had my first solo exhibit in an art cafe in the center of Zurich called ApArt GrünKulturCafe. Then the rest is history. As of today, I have participated in 54 solo and group exhibitions and displays in major cities worldwide.”

“I found painting to be a medium to express my thoughts, no matter how momentous, (in)significant or random they may be. As a proponent of equal opportunities for women, I draw insights from the roles of women in our present society.  I characterize my style as figurative, feminine and arbitrary.”

“After years of building a following of art collectors, enthusiasts and supporters, art became primarily a medium to communicate my thoughts and engage the viewers into discussion.  My advocacies inspire me.”

“My art is heavily anchored to all my advocacies. The primary one is to empower women and girls. I create art that highlights women. My art exudes positivity, peace and unity. I chose subjects that are in general representational of women and transcend the female form.”

“My aim is to highlight the role of women in present society, our hopes, dreams, struggles and triumphs in my art work.”

“Another advocacy that I whole-heatedly support is uniting the Filipino migrants abroad by highlighting the beauty of the Filipino culture, art and heritage in my pieces. On the same note, my aim is to inspire and encourage Filipinos all over the world to showcase their talent and shine in the global arena.”

“Additionally, my art gives me purpose. Through art auctions, I am able to fund and support several non profit organizations based in the Philippines or for the Filipino communities abroad. Particularly organizations whose vision and mission are aligned to mine.”

“In terms of technique and style, my medium is mostly acrylic on canvas,  but I also work using found objects for installations. I am an autodidact. I am not bound by conventional technique. I create my own balance, unity and harmony based on feelings and instinct. I am obsessed with the use of repetitive patterns due to their therapeutic effect on me. I enjoy my freedom when working on my canvas and through that I am able to achieve a style and stroke that is distinctly mine.”

“My choice of palette is a result of my being a global Filipina. The bold colors I used on my subject represent my roots and for my intense love for Filipino culture and heritage. It is the influence of Fiesta, Santacruzan, the Ati Atihan of the South and Panagbenga of the North. While the subtle colors I employ in the background imitate the hazy colors of winter or the fresh vibrant undertones of spring in countries with four seasons that I have called home.”

What’s something you learned early on in your career that made you a better artist?

“To be at peace with my art. After all, my art is my personal expression.  In the beginning of my career as a visual artist, I experienced a confusing loss of identity. Being a Filipina visual artist outside the Philippines, I tried fitting in by constantly worrying if my work is on par with European taste in art. And when I am in the Philippines, I worry that my European influenced color palette is not enjoyable to the Fiipino audience. It brought me nowhere.”

“When I stopped worrying and started focusing mainly on my instinct, I was able to use my inherent cultural and acquired environmental influences as an opportunity instead of a setback. Now I am at peace with my art, I do believe that I have achieved harmony by incorporating both aspects of my life in a frame. To me, it somehow tells the story of my life as an artist.”

What’s a subject you’ve always wanted to paint and why?

“When I started with my Katutubo-tribute to Filipino Indigenous women back in 2017, I knew right away that it would be one of my permanent series. I am almost obsessed with creating them one canvas after another. “Katutubo — tribute to Filipino Indigenous Women” is an exhibition geared towards educating Filipino viewers in indigenous traditions and narratives. I try to interweave textual clues into traditional patterns in the garments of my subjects. For this exhibition, I illustrated indigenous personalities from the T’boli, Blaan, Manobo, Bagobo, Tausug, Mangyan, Igorot, Yakan, and Aeta communities.”

“Katutubo is the Filipino term for indigenous people. In observance of the Philippine government recognizing the importance of protecting indigenous people through the Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA) (RA 8371), Philippine Indigenous people have been acknowledged and sought out for their contribution to crafts and textile weaves as an integral part of the Filipino identity. In light of this Republic Act, we have seen a growing trend in brands that incorporate the craft of indigenous communities into their products, and national fairs now provide platforms for natives to trade, allowing us to notice this contribution on a commercial level of engagement.”

“In spite of this effort, there is a notion of lacking a deeper connection of indigenous culture to the Filipino identity. Even by engaging with these communities through trade, it is apparent that the general public still view indigenous culture and traditions as a foreign concept. My aim is to answer this problem by acknowledging indigenous people as unique Filipino citizens in their own right. Least we allow indigenous identities to get lost under the umbrella of a generalized term such as “Katutubo (natives).” I intend to marry the familiar aspect of indigenous identity being textile, to folklores, myths, and legends that are attributed to respective indigenous communities.”

“For KATUTUBO (natives), I illustrated different female indigenous identities by painting figurations of tribal women dressed in their traditional garb. Like these textile masters, I tried to weave textual clues into the pattern work of their clothes.”

“My aim is to make the Katutubo series the subject of a traveling exhibition. This series has been launched at the Sentro Rizal room of the Philippine Embassy in Bern, Switzerland.”

If you could change one thing about the art industry, what would it be? Do you think that female artists are well represented in your industry?

“Women artists are still underrepresented and undervalued. Women artists get museum or gallery shows much less than male artists. However, that is slowly changing. Many women are assuming leadership roles in the art industry. There are more women curators, art dealers, gallerists or museum directors. When these women assume leadership roles in the art industry, they tend to raise the profiles of women artists as well.”

“Additionally, the number of women curators are increasing. Perhaps because more and more women are achieving economic power hence this will be a big part of the change. Through mentorship and channeling the power collaborations, more and more opportunities and being presented to female artists. Just like in any other fields, when women join as  forces, they tend to bring positive change and create notable representation for women.”

Lately, the series has become more focused. This year I started working on the series “The Women of Lake Sebu”, which was inspired by my trip to Lake Sebu in South Cotabato in 2019 with two of my Filipina Women’s Network sisters, Georgitta Puyat and Zarah Juan. We conducted a short workshop on Women Empowerment through self-care to the members of the T’boli tribe Cooperative of Women for Health and Development (COWHED).

“I met so many wonderful women and girls and they are incredibly inspiring. They became the subject of my new series. An additional motivating factor why I created this series is to hopefully help the livelihood of some of the members. The global pandemic Covid-19 shut down the tourism in Lake Sebu. Members of the cooperative lost a way to earn their living. Part of the proceeds from this series will help fund selected livelihood programs of some members. We plan to launch the series in Europe hopefully this year. My aim is also to make this a travelling exhibition. It will be wonderful if I can bring it to Canada for our Kababayans (fellow Filipinos) there.”

What are your success habits?

“Four things that I religiously follow:

“Being constantly grateful for all the blessings in my life. Especially to my husband, children, sisters and friends. And of course to everyone who appreciates, collects and supports my art. They are like fuel that motivates me and my creativity. I express my gratitude in my prayers and ponder the things I am grateful for in my meditations.”

“A good night’s sleep. I run three to four times a week and I am only able to do that with a good night’s sleep. I am also able to balance my duties as wife, mother and visual artist better when I am well-rested.”

“Being kind and appreciative of others, especially with the rise of online presence through social media. I focus on giving positive feedback rather than negative criticism.”

“Taking care of my well being. Self pampering in the form of spa days, a good glass of wine or a delectable meal does the trick.”

What was the hardest decision you ever had to make as an artist and as a wife or mother?

“I have had a fair share of tough decisions to make that were crucial to both my personal and professional life.”

“Looking back, perhaps the most difficult decision I had to make was when I was a young single mother. I had to leave my daughter in the care of my mother and sister to work overseas.”

“In everything that I do, I set priorities. Creating art is a passion that I had let go for a while when I was a single mother. To me it was clear that the priority was to fend for my daughter. I left the Philippines to work for an international airline overseas. I was based in New York City and was working transatlantic flights between USA and Europe.”

“While my passion to create art was put on hold, my passion as an art enthusiast grew bigger. In the early 90s I used to frequent museums, galleries and art streets in NYC, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.”

“Letting go of creating art to be financially able to raise my daughter rewarded me with the ability to immerse myself in the Western art world. I personally believe that there is a time and place for everything. And that we have a lifetime to keep reinventing ourselves. What could seem like sacrifice now may result in a triumph someday down the line.”

How did you balance being a mother and an artist? What have you sacrificed (both personally and professionally) at each stage of your career?

“My roles as a mother, a wife, and a visual artist go together very well. Currently I am in the time and place of my life where the universe exceptionally and grandly aligned my life events. For that I am truly grateful. As a visual artist, the love of my family inspire me.”

“Currently, it feels like I was born to be where I am now. I am able to pursue and execute my passion to create art and at the same time be a loving wife and mother. Our youngest has autism, and as an artist, mothering him in an unconventional and creative approach works very well for our family. My art has also been my personal refuge when things get tough and challenging. Through my art I am able to visually express my frustrations and pains without the fear of being judged.”

What’s something interesting you’re currently working on? Personal or professional.

“I am still working on finishing the collection of “The Women of Lake Sebu”. I am hoping to formally launch this series end of this year in Berlin, Germany.

“I am working in parallel with a series on “Gutom na Pinay.” It is a playful illustration of funny Filipino eating habits in pop art genre. My aim is to lightheartedly visually disclose Filipino eating habits according to my personal perception and interpretation. And at the same time, to promote Filipino cuisine. This series will be part of the design for our retail merchandising. I partnered up with Christian Belaro, a Filipina digital designer based in London. Currently we have a selection of limited edition casual art printed skirt for the Pam-Pinay line. It will be available for online sale in the beginning of summer. We will add and unveil more items soon.”

“On the personal side, I am writing a visual book. It is my Covid19 Lockdown motherhood diary. Initially, the illustrations I created at the beginning of the global pandemic in March of 2020 served as my “visual rant”. It was a space where I could vent out my frustrations in mothering my son with autism. The exercise of expressing my feeling in the security of my studio became very therapeutic to me. I am able to freely express without fear of being judged. This is a very personal project. I was encouraged by a friend who is an autism awareness advocate to turn my illustrations into a book to hopefully inspire other parents going on a very special journey like ours.”