ART FOR A CAUSE Joval Kisinamal, Fos Art Group spokesperson, believes that through their paintings, they can help Malabon’s drug surrenderers. —MEG ADONIS
A group of artists who believe that art should not only uplift but also benefit other people is donating half of the proceeds from their ongoing exhibit to the Malabon City government’s drug rehabilitation program.
After they formed the group last year, members of Fos Art Group decided that whenever they hold exhibits, a portion of the sales should go to charity.
The 15 artists from Metro Manila and Central and Southern Luzon are working with the City of Malabon Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cmadac) to raise more funds for its antidrug program.
Their exhibit, which will run until Nov. 24 at Fisher Mall Malabon, features 30 paintings that depict various themes, including hope.
“Through art, we can speak of the love of God… We (artists) cannot do what Cmadac and the police are doing, but we can partner with them to help our society,” Joval Kisinamal, Fos Art spokesperson, told the Inquirer.
Fos means “light” in Greek and Kisinamal believes that their ongoing project fits the group’s vision and mission of bringing light and hope through charitable work.
One of his paintings, for example, shows a lighthouse shining brightly in the middle of the sea. He believes that the structure symbolizes hope and gives direction and comfort.
The artwork, titled “Lighthouse series 3” and priced at P30,000, was one of the first paintings to be sold.
There are also still-life, landscape and abstract paintings by Angelito Lepalam, Mario Villanueva and Jonathan Barba, among others. Their prices range from P25,000 to P100,000.
Joshua Magno of Cmadac said that two months of planning with Fos Art led them to an activity that would not only showcase the group’s work, but also help raise funds for the improvement of the city government’s antidrug program.
“We are not picky [about] our partner organizations. We do not care about their religion as long as we see that they have a good purpose and goal,” Kisinamal said.
According to Magno, the funds from the exhibit will be mainly used for Malabon’s “Panunumbalik Naten” Program, the city’s version of the nationwide community-based drug rehab program.
As of October, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s oversight committee has declared 18 of the city’s 21 barangays cleared of drugs.