It is uncommon for a family to have four of seven siblings deeply immersed on art. The Acederas embody that character; art is a family affair. 

It is indeed uncommon for a family to have four of seven siblings deeply immersed in art, but the Acederas embody that character. Art is a family affair cultivated over time through mutual admiration, skill and knowledge sharing, and mentoring.

The Acederas are active in local group shows being members of Himbon Ilonggo Contemporary Artists Group.

The works of the three brothers were among pieces displayed at the Iloilo Art Pop-Up Studio, an art fair organized by the Iloilo City Government in November 2022 and also catalogued in the Iloilo Art Book 2021-2022, namely: My Beloved Ground by Ningnong, Lagablab by John Ernie, and Lucky Charms by Norman Vincent.

The works of Ningnong, John Ernie, and Norman Vincent were part of the contemporary abstract art exhibit titled Breathrough at the Puluy-an Art Gallery. 

Read: Puluy-an Art Gallery, an art space enriched by its rural setting

It was in April 2018 that the Acederas came together for an exhibit titled Linyada at the former Fitstop Bites and Bikes. It was a landmark exhibit, a first-time gathering of Christine, Ningnong, John Ernie, and Norman Vincent for a show.

Linyada means “lineage” in Hiligaynon, suggesting that art is in the bloodline of the Acederas, as evident by the 19 artworks in mixed media and watercolor on paper with the theme of biking and bikers, consistent with the advocacy of Fitstop as a bike store with bike rental, tours, a café, and an art space. Linyada magnified their versatility and command of the medium. 

All four siblings have been active in their chosen spaces for arts engagement. Different works of the three brothers were exihibited in various collaborative shows and exhibits, while their sister Christine’s pieces can be followed on a Facebook page: Introducing Filipino Artists, a public group that “aims to promote Filipino artists and Philippine art.”

Their skills were formed in the family. “My brothers are my idols, especially in drawing and art making. I was drawn to art by watching them draw and make artwork since I was young,” Christine lamented.

A drafting graduate from Western Visayas College of Science and Technology (now ISAT University), Christine spent nine years working as a cake designer and decorator at Tinapayan, a local bread and pastry section at The Atrium of Iloilo Supermart.

A Hong Kong-based worker, Christine, shared that her three brothers encouraged her to go back to her first love, which is painting.

“I wasn’t able to sustain my passion for painting when I was working in Iloilo because of my tight work schedule. But I started to work on my art again given my free time, and I share finished work on the IFA social media page,” Christine shared.

Christine has five watercolors on paper in Linyada: Bulak sa Kilid Highway 1 and 2, Pangga Cyclist, Pangga the Winner, and the Viewer. Her works offer a “divine feminine” side and capture the beauty and aura of blossoming flowers along highways and sidewalks during a bike ride. In expressionism, her work provides a realistic representation from her observations on the beauty of the surroundings while pedaling.

On the other hand, John Ernie’s work “The Clown Rider” was a playful presentation of biking culture.

The four-piece work showed an impressive execution of a frolicking clown on a bike and on a unicycle. Highlighted by a burst of colors and shapes in watercolor, the caricature reminds viewers of BMX bikers, which have become a common sight along the bikelane, showing tricks to display special skills using their bikes.

“My watercolor works focus on scenes and events rendered in realism or abstract expressionism,” said Ernie, whose background is architectural drafting.

“It was my elder brother Norman who influenced me to draw,” says Ernie, “but I started to formally learn drawing and painting in college through the mentorship of my instructors.”

Ernie has been engaged in drawing and painting since elementary school, a skill he sustained and developed up to his high school years and which he continues to sharpen today by joining competitions and exhibits.

“Our father was a major influence in our art life as a family,” said Ernie, and “art and painting were usual topics during family conversations. It was him who opened our minds and hearts to art.”

The family patriarch, Ernesto Acedera, was a major influence on them, and he inspired them to uphold art while traversing a range of preoccupations to attain personal development and economic security.

“He was our first mentor and our source of inspiration,” said Ernie, “if not for him, we might not have become the artists that we are today.”

The influence of the Acedera patriarch is perhaps most prominent in the works of Ningnong Acedera.

“My late father once told me to put a white space on canvas as a symbol of remembering him,” said Ningnong, “so I draw my signature on a little white space that comes in the shape of a butterfly or moth to signify purity, sincerity, and everlasting love for our father.”

This element is evident in all four pieces of Ningnong entitled: Cyclist Paradise, Force of Cyclist Prayers, Backride, and Cyclist Model. Interestingly, two of the pieces were uniquely mounted on a vertical frame.

The abstract works of Ningnong for Linyada were visually captivating because ot its rich colors and texture, and he applied layering to show transition to different shapes with different hues.

Art remains a major topic during family conversations, mostly about techniques, innovations, and experiments on various methods and materials.

Moreover, one will find Norman’s collection instantly appealing because of its modern minimalist style with his signature engraved on stainless steel and clasped on the edge of the frame. 

The eldest among siblings, Norman’s collection for Linyada consists of six artworks mounted on both large and small frames. At the centerpiece is Rough Road 1-4, a composite of four abstract works with textures that mimic the rough road condition, layered on maroon colors and highlighted by broken textures in white.

The composite artwork can be treated as a cluster, but it can also be disjointed into individual pieces given the artist’s effective demonstration of interchanging colors and textures for every piece in the set.

Followers of Norman’s work will find the collection coherent with his previous abstract works, especially Route Plan, which is the biggest in the collection.

Moreover, another signature symbol of Norman’s work is the use of a number combination in the title like in Kilometrahe 6:33. The 6:33 carries his “life’s verse” from Matthew 6:33 of the New Testament, a similar titling on his first solo exhibit, Marka Alima in 2018.

Read about Marka Alima | NVB Acedera’s spiritual assertions in minimalism

Consistency and rigorousness are keys to Norman’s art. In Linyada, he showed his jarring experience and development as an artist, remembering how his interest was catalyzed seeing the paintings done by his friend Apollo.

Similar to his younger siblings, Norman also started young, making drawings as early as his elementary days. His experimentation also led him to discover useful materials, which he later innovated and integrated into his art. Route Plan was a good example of his experimentation on how to render a matte texture to attain a glossy surface using a polyurethane finish. He attributes his understanding of the various art techniques to his mentor, Angelo Sobrepeña.

The body of work of the Acederas may fill the walls of galleries, as revealed by Linyada. The throng of family members who attended the exhibit demonstrated the family’s deep respect and emulation for each other and the support system that many artists can only wish for in a family. The ability of the siblings to produce art is unquestionable, and the adulation of the young generation of Acederas was obvious and could not be further emphasized.

More than the carefully selected pieces shown by Christine, Ningnong, Ernie, and Norman, Linyada provides lessons on the role of the family in shaping the life of an artist.

Only time can tell as to when they will gather again for a family art exhibit. 

Note:
– This is an updated article, originally titled: Linyada, when art is a family affair, published May 4, 2018 at peoplesdomain.net and at the In the Frame section of the Iloilo Metropolitan Times.