His dedication and commitment to a life of teaching and mentoring young and aspiring aritsts spanning four decades has surely paved the way for the development of Cebuano modern and contemporary art. His scholarly pursuits have contributed to the fields of local art history, theory, and criticism. His body of works reflects a masterful hand that knows well how to see beauty in the rawness of material. His writings and music show the tenacity of his mind and the boldness of his spirit.
Fernandez also was instrumental in the offering of the industrial design major in UP Cebu. Realizing the crucial need for socially engaged designers who could work for communities and the creative industries, Fernandez initiated the move to create a design track under UP Cebu’s Fine Arts Program.
In celebration of the fruitful years of service and unwavering commitment to teaching, in recognition of his artistic vision that helped direct the growth of Cebuano art, the exhibition KINUTIL gathers his former students to a show that pays homage to a dedicated teacher and friend.
Prof. Raymund Fernandez (b. 1955) educator, a visual artist in sculpture and illustration, performance artist, and art historian has studied under Martino Abellana at the Fine Arts Program of the University of the Philippines – Cebu a year after the art program was offered in 1975. Early on as a student at UP, he was concerned with art’s social dimension, investigating how the social and political conditions shape artistic practice. After studying modernist movements, particularly Dada and Surrealism, he initiated, together with fellow student Roy Lumagbas, the MINDWORKS art festival, which showcases art installations, performances, and other experimental ways of doing art. The Mindworks challenged the conservatism of art in Cebu and responded to the social and political events of the day.
Raymund Fernandez
In 1981, he started lecturing in UP as a photography instructor and later on was tasked to handle the subjects of Martino Abella when the later became ill. He would be asked to visit Abellana in his house in Carcar so that the maestro can give Fernandez pointers on how to teach Abellana’s classes. This episode allowed him to see clearly the mind and heart of the maestro, his hopes and aspirations for his students and for Cebuano Art in general.
Becoming full-time member of the faculty in 1983, Fernandez taught a wide range of subjects including techniques, materials, art history, and theory classes for both the studio arts and product design tracks. As a professor, Fernandez is concerned with non-traditional ways of making art. He was influential in the development of modern sculpture, conceptual and performance art in Cebu. He has been involved in the programming of MINDWORKS since its inception in 1980, allowing students to explore experimental and conceptual ways to express their artistic ideas. He later formed the performance art group: XO? together with Winston Velez, Oliver Seville, Grace Compuesto, Liyo Dinorte, Fredrick del Mar, Nino Bring, Chai Fonacier, Budoy Marabiles, and Russ Ligtas. The group explored live-ness, physical movement, and impermanence as alternatives to the static presence of painting and sculpture.
READ MORE: KINUTIL. A Tribute Art Exhibit honoring Prof. Raymund Fernandez by UP Cebu’s Jose T. Joya Gallery
With his gentle demeanor and sharpness of artistic vision, Fernandez can easily rally colleagues and students to participate in collaborative projects and activities. He was instrumental in organizing PUSOD, The Open Organization of Cebu Visual Artists Inc. The organization spearheaded the Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference (VIVA ExCon) in 1998, 2008, and 2010 in Cebu City. In the early 2000s, he also opened Luna Art Space, an artist-run space organizing community projects and art initiatives with his wife Estela Ocampo-Fernandez, Christy Manguerra, Palmy Pe-Tudtud, and Roy Lumagbas. It became a favorite hang-out place for artists to make music and present art performances and exhibitions.
Fernandez also was instrumental in the offering of the industrial design major in UP Cebu. Realizing the crucial need for socially engaged designers who could work for communities and the creative industries, Fernandez initiated the move to create a design track under UP Cebu’s Fine Arts Program.
Aside from his love for the visual arts, Fernandez engages in music and literature. He has written news features and essays and has produced research outputs for such institutions as UP, the Union of Catholic Asian News, and the Cebu Daily News where he has a regular column entitled Kinutil. He was among the first to give scholarly attention to Cebuano art history and completed the project Cataloguing Selected Chruch Ceilings in Cebu and Bohol, which documented the work of Raymundo Francia and Canuto Avila. Immediately after the death of Abellana, he led a research team for a project Chronicling the Art of Martino Abellana, which documented and cataloged the works of the master. His recollections and close friendship with Abellana would be made into a book, Kamingaw: An Impressionistic Portrait of the Bisaya Painter Martino Abellana. He paints, sculpts, and designs books between his teaching and working on several projects with his wife. After he retired from teaching, he is currently organizing his studio in Baclayon, Bohol, hoping to open an artist’s residency program to aspiring artists