OPEN UP InRepair, oil on canvas, 2019
Froilan Calayag’s artworks are always filled with his created characters and creatures. It is almost as if his works are illustrations of scenes drawn from fantasy books. Interesting, however, how Froilan does not see himself as a storyteller. Instead, he claims that he is the story.
But what is his story?
STORYTELLING THROUGH ART Froilan Calayag
“I was born with defects. They used to treat me with a lot of medications and, as I grew, my mother suspected I had autism spectrum disorder because my behavior was quite different from the other kids,” he recalls. “They told me that as early as the age of two, I could already make sculptures out of paper and draw images clearly. There was a time, I think when I was seven years old, I dreamed of the sky, where the clouds opened, and a figure of a paint brush appeared. From then on, I knew I would become an artist.”