Volume 5, Issue No. 24
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
Our latest as of Monday, January 29, 2024
~ On every issue of a local tabloid, the name Mogi Mogado appears in the staff box as associate editor. Writing is just one of his many talents. He's also into sculpture, currently the art form that has established himself as a serious artist. Another artist, Michelle Chermaine Ramos, has taken notice, and did us well by featuring him in a lengthy article in the January 2024 publication of Atin Ito, the oldest Filipino newspaper in the Greater Toronto Area.
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SPOTLIGHT ON IGNACIO 'MOGI' MOGADO
A Michelangelo in Our Midst
Artist Michelle Ramos's Homage to Another Artist
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
"Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't". - Rikki Rogers
TORONTO - Rare is the occasion when an artist writes about a fellow artist. Rarer still when the write-up focuses on an accomplishment unmatched for its audacity and sublimeness but scantily noticed for what it makes of the Filipinos in Canada.
That's exactly what I found out soon after I got a copy of the January 2024 issue of Atin Ito in one of the stores in Little Manila.
I browsed the tabloid as soon as I got home. And there on page 3 is the jewel of that particular edition . . . the article by artist Michelle Chermaine Ramos, this time wearing her hat as a multimedia journalist, regaling us with the story of a self-taught maestro - the modest and low profile Ignacio Mogado, popularly known as Mogi or Mogs.
(Related video of Michelle Chermaine Ramos:
(Related videos of Mogi Mogado and his Jose Rizal statue in Markham, Ontario:
The community's preoccupation with soirees and fancy celebrations has put a damper on solid achievements that are more fulfilling to us as a people. As these are the kinds of endeavours that take us out of the box as second class citizens, more prominence should be given by the local media.
Ms. Ramos achieves that with her deep dive into Mogado's down-to-earth profile, necessitated by his bronze sculpture of the Philippine national hero Jose Rizal whose likeness in canvas, clay, metal, plaster, stone, and wood is one and the same, be here in Toronto, in the United States, in the Philippines, in Madrid, Spain, (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYjRO3Z5Xe8) or elsewhere where he is commemorated.
The sculpture stands out for its trademark countenance. Mogado is perceptive enough to portray Rizal in an easily distinguishable light. He makes him sparkle with a permanent beam on his face.
"He is smiling," he told Ms. Ramos, "for many reasons: for being accepted in Canada and given a home in Markham, which was a feat in itself; he reflects the joy and fulfillment every new arrival feels in his heart at being granted a shot at a Canadian dream . . .
"Here, at last, is a place where his advocacies of equality, brotherhood of men, freedom, harmony, respect etc. are norms. Most of all, he is highlighting to fellow Canadians how worthy Filipinos are, that you can expect from them these noble values," he added.
Without meaning to be a harsh critic, as editor, I would have preferred playing up Ms. Ramos's narrative with a big color splash on the front page, then jump to the inside pages with all the extraneous pictures.
(Full interview at Atin Ito: https://online.fliphtml5.com/ufflc/aelc/#p=3).
As it appeared on page 3, the highlights were the photos from the Christmas party of the Philippine Artists Group, of which the writer and her subject are both members, in effect de-emphasizing Mogado and the life lessons to be learned from his experience.
It's an editorial decision, I suppose. In my view, however, it only reenforces my contention that many among us are engrossed in specious gatherings, e.g. fundraising fiestas, beauty contests, etc. rather than in stimulating undertakings.
I would have devoted two full pages, preferably the center spread with a teaser on the front page, to Ms. Ramos's account about Mogado simply because it epitomizes the very same struggles many Filipinos face once transplanted to Canada. And how he overcame them is its own success.
I am particularly struck by this passage, and I quote: "The interviewer, seeing my heartbreak at not being admitted (to fine arts study), said these kind words: 'Michelangelo et al did not go to arts school, but they became famous. Hone up your skills . . . who knows!'"
That was like being given a shot of adrenaline, at once both inspirational and a jab at his self-esteem. "That episode (with the CFA interviewer regarding Michelangelo) was seminal for my arts life," Ms. Ramos wrote, quoting Mogado.
Indeed as years past, Mogado, while working a living, sharpened the skills his interviewer knew he possessed. The reference to Michelangelo, the Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet famed for Pieta, David, and the Genesis on the Sistine Chapel in Rome, was life changing for his artistry.
Ms. Ramos refers to him as "Markham's self-taught Michelangelo" not out of sheer frivolity but for a well-founded reason. His life-size sculpture of Rizal could be compared with Michelangelo's David, "a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture". (More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo)).
"As we delve into his thoughts," says Ms. Ramos, "I hope a century from now, future generations and historians will understand the artist's soul and his creation straight from the man himself". (Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved).
Hi Romy, thanks for your comments and reposting of Michelle's article. Mogi is always humbled by all the "fuss" about things he loves to do. So, sometimes I pick up the "pieces" and share with others what people say/do not say about him. Thanks, and take care. - Marlene Mogado, Markham
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