“Tuloy-tuloy lang”—“keep on going”—shared the 72-year-old Nunelucio Alvarado when I asked about his reflections on a career of art-making. This was also the theme of our virtual interaction, as we faced the challenges brought about by the pandemic and the underdeveloped infrastructure in the Philippines. Zoom is typically the solution to overcome distance and the limitations of in-person gatherings—but with limited internet connectivity in the province of Negros Occidental, where Alvarado lives, it is not as easy. Our conversation also involved Candy Nagrampa from the art gallery Orange Project in Bacolod City; Alvarado’s nephew Yqfryd Alvarado, who took care of the technical set-up; and his spouse, Sally Alvarado. The collaborative effort seemed fitting though, as Alvarado’s works through the decades often involved the communities that he lives in and the people with whom he is connected. We kept on going until we worked out our connection and our conversation.
Alvarado’s studio is on the beachside in Sagay City, about two hours away from Bacolod, on the island of Negros in the Visayas. It seems like an idyllic place to relax well into his old age. But he has kept his art projects going, even throughout the pandemic. His series of small, paper portraits of people he encounters in
