Vibrant colors jostle for attention as overgrown weeds, plastic garbage, and fishermen vie for space in the hectic, discordant compositions of Ronson Culibrina. These oil paintings depict the Filipino artist‘s lakeside hometown, which has been heavily impacted by pollution and overuse.
在一片纷乱的色彩中，杂草丛生，垃圾遍地，渔民们与这片乱象竞相生存，种种不和谐构成了 Ronson Culibrina 的作品。这些油画描绘了他的家乡菲律宾，由于污染和过度开发，那里的风景正在消亡。
Culibrina grew up on an island in Laguna de Baý, a lake east of Metro Manila where a third of the megalopolis’ fish is sourced from. The town primarily earned its livelihood through fishing and trading, but over the years, industrial and agricultural runoff and plastic pollution have choked the waters. In addition, the onset of climate change has brought up droughts that have sped up the growth of algae bloom, which have made the water harmful for humans and animals.
In Culibrina’s paintings, dense clusters of water hyacinths are tangled with piles of bright plastics and fishing wire. Fisherfolks, children, and clean-up crews are shown amidst the colorful chaos. These scenes draw attention to real-life issues faced by his lakeside community and ask viewers to consider the consequences of inaction.
Ronson 在拉古纳德湾的一个岛上长大——作为马尼拉城三分之一的鱼类来源，这个岛镇一向以来主要通过捕鱼和贸易谋生。但随着时间的推移，工农业废水和塑料污染阻滞了这片水域。此外，全球气候变暖导致区域性缺水情况的出现，这也加速了有害海藻的繁衍。
在 Ronson 的画中，密集的水葫芦簇拥着成堆的塑料亮片和钓鱼线。纷乱的景象中，混杂着渔民、孩子和清洁工。这些画面引起了人们对社区现实问题的关注，并呼吁观者思虑不作为的后果。
The situation has become so bad that even boats have a hard time navigating through the polluted waters; fish have also become much more difficult to catch and raise. Many locals have left in search of a better life elsewhere, but not everyone is fortunate enough to do so.
In Culibrina’s recent exhibition, Maselang Bahaghari, he highlights the plight of those who are unable to leave by depicting fishing nets covering vast, negative spaces. “It’s an infinite texture, a device of entrapment, just like the current condition of the locals in our island, many are imprisoned and unable to move forward,” he says.
在这片水域，情况已糟糕到甚至船只都很难航行；而捕鱼业也更加难以捕捞和饲养鱼类。许多当地人已经离开，到别处寻找更好的生活，但不是每个人都足够幸运能这样做。
在 Ronson 近期的展览《Maselang Bahaghari》，他用了渔网填满了作品上通常会留白的空间，象征了那些无法离开当地的人们的困境。“这是一种可以无限延展的纹理，它是一种诱捕装置，就像我们岛上当地人的现状一样，许多人被禁锢于此，无法前进。”他说道。
The pandemonium of Culibrina’s work is symbolic in itself. “The composition is often a reflection and representation of the tension that has built up between the locals, immigrants, and nature,” he says, referring to climate migrants, which has become an increasingly common phenomenon in the Philippines due to an increase in storm activity. “It’s also a general interpretation of how all of us individuals struggle. Whether at work, as a family, or the environment we’re in.”
Ronson 作品中呈现的混乱本身就带着象征意义。“我的构图往往反映了当地人、移民和自然之间的紧张关系。”对此，他指的是日益普遍的环境移民问题。“无论在工作中，家庭中，还是我们所处的环境中，这种描绘也是对我们每个人如何挣扎的普遍性诠释。”
While Culibrina’s art is based on local environmental issues, he hopes for his work to be viewable in a universal context: “We all have a responsibility to the planet we live in. My works are about the current state of our environment as a whole, not just my hometown.”
虽然 Ronson 的艺术是基于当地环境问题而创作的，但他希望他的作品能呈现更多的普世意义：“我们都对我们所居住的星球负有责任。我的作品是关于我们整个环境的现状，而不仅仅是我的家乡。”
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Website: www.ronsonculibrina.com
Instagram: @ronsonculibrina
Contributor: Mike Steyels
Chinese Translation: Chen Yuan
