50 artists create longest mural in Bacolod

A WALK THROUGH HISTORY This 150-meter mural, a work of over 50 Negrense artists, along Mabini Street, Bacolod City, is unveiled on Sunday and tells the past, present and future aspirations of Bacolodnons. —Andrew Altarejos

BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — Learn the history of the City of Smiles as well as its famous festival through a 150-meter-long street mural.

The “Bacolod WallStory” mural, located along Mabini Street, shows significant events in this city and how the MassKara festival was created to uplift the people’s spirits faced then with a sugar crisis and the loss of many Negrenses who perished in the sinking of MV Don Juan, which collided with a fuel tanker in the waters off Romblon on April 22, 1980.

“It (mural) is an open museum. We wanted to create something that Bacolodnons can look at and feel proud of—something that represents their history and their hopes for the future,” said internationally acclaimed Bacolod artist Charlie Co, the cofounder of the Orange Project, which spearheaded the Bacolod WallStory work.

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The story it tells

Co said the mural isn’t just about art but also telling the story of Bacolod and uniting the community through creativity.

This community project put together by 50 artists and volunteers was unveiled on Sunday.

Candy Nagrampa, Orange Project executive director, said the Bacolod WallStory talks about “our past, our present, and where we are going in our future.”

“Murals are all over but this one really has a story. It tells the story of the city’s resilience and creativity, using bold colors and powerful imagery that connect with Bacolod’s identity as the City of Smiles,” she said.

The mural starts with paintings of the faces of sacadas (sugarcane plantation workers) made famous by artist Nunelucio Alvarado and a sugarcane field, the MV Don Juan tragedy followed by the birth of the MassKara Festival and its dancers wearing smiling masks at the Bacolod Public Plaza.

The mural also puts emphasis on preserving the environment and looks to the future through whimsical characters on galloping horses that are famous in Co’s paintings.

They represent artists galloping along in the art scene with hope and resilience.

There are also paintings of the founding of Bacolod, a train with piayas (a rounded thin sweet concoction made of flour and muscovado) as its wheels, food, the San Sebastian Cathedral, and religious icons.

This large-scale artwork collaboration between Davies Paints, Orange Project and the local art community reflected Bacolod’s vibrant cultural heritage and bright future, said Jo Ann Viriña, corporate communications manager of Davies Paints.

The project, she said, aimed to transform a frequently vandalized wall into a work of art that the community can take pride in.

“Their dedication and selfless work have turned the wall into a meaningful piece of art that reflects the unity and spirit of Bacolod,” Viriña said.

“We hope that this mural, as the longest in Bacolod, will serve as a lasting reminder of the strength, creativity and unity of the Bacolodnons,” she added.