Art Review: The Works of Arman Metoda

Philippine indigenous arts mostly include sculptures, carvings, pottery, weaving and physical ornaments. Some good examples of such indigenous works would be the Bul-ol, Sarimanok and the Manunggal Jar. This tradition of making indigenous works is being continued today by Arman Metoda.

Arman Metoda is an artist who makes art and craft accessories that ranges from bongs, necklaces, bracelets, shishas, pouches, pipes and dreamcatchers. His style is mostly reminiscent of Philippine indigenous artworks that have tribal appeal.

Tribal appeal or indigenous works is not the only factor that makes his work stand out. What makes the artist different is he does a lot of recycling. He does a lot of turning trash into artworks. One example of this is his pipes. Where from an ordinary soft drink bottle is changed into a pipe, bong or a shisha filled with intricate designs.

That is not all. His works are all out distinct. None of them are alike, so if you happen to own one of his works know that you are holding something rare, that no other one in this world owns. It is only you. That alone makes his works very special.

We are assured that this type of uniqueness will continue because Arman Metoda does a lot of travelling which makes him exposed to a lot of cultures in the Philippines, and what new ideas or experiences he learns he always put into his works, always adding something new to his crafts assuring us that he does not make the same thing twice.

With all the information we know about him now, one thing for me is the shocker. The fact is, Arman Metoda is not formally trained. He did not graduate from some fancy Fine Art school. And that maybe be an advantage for him because his process is different. His experiences are different. This also means that it is hard work that hones the skills and talent that makes you better and not having a formal degree.

Arman Metoda, is a rare specimen. A guy with no formal art training but is very self- disciplined and committed to making rare indigenous works. This is one artist that truly deserves our support.

Go out and support local artists!

About the author: N.M. CABANGBANG graduated Bachelor of Fine Arts Major in Painting at University of the Philippines Cebu. He is currently teaching grade 6 – 10 Art at B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy.