Leeroy New on his monumental works, Mebuyan’s Colony and Mebuyan’s Vessel

This award-winning artist, through his oeuvre, reinforces sustainability as an essential layer to art-making

The Bagobo people in the southern Philippines have rich folklore and peculiar literature with influences from the Hindu religion. One story that struck the globally-renowned contemporary artist Leeroy New is that of Mebuyan, the goddess of death and fertility.

“When I went to Philippine High School for the Arts, I had Roberto Feleo as a mentor. He illustrated The Soul Book by Gilda Cordero-Fernando, a compilation of pre-colonial Philippine mythology,” recalls New. “He introduced us to these characters with Mebuyan as one of the more striking figures from our literature that came from the south,” he adds, referring to his Mindanawon roots.

Above Ready- to-harvest salad vegetables and more at Mebuyan’s Colony (Photo: Clefvan Pornela)

Mebuyan, for the Bagobos, is the goddess with breasts all over her body who nurses children in the underworld. She is a mother, a life-giver, and one who descended upon the earth and created a hole down to the underworld using a rice-pounding mortar.

She determines who dies by shaking the calamansi tree. Yet she ensures every soul descending her realm is nourished and can harvest rice afterwards. She embodies the eternal cycle of life and death.

“She’s a very strong figure, with many functions attributed to her,” says the artist. “A lot of Filipino artists are starved of stories that relate to us. . .stories that came even before we were colonised. . .to understand our roots, our physical characteristics, and our society.”

Above Used plastic bottles for water as part of the cladding of Mebuyan’s Colony (Photo: Clefvan Pornela)

As one of those artists, New combined the stories about Mebuyan into his own contemporary fascination for science fiction and pop culture. It led to Mebuyan’s Vessel as one of the grant recipients of the Burning Man Project in 2021, with a cluster of it installed at Black Rock City in Nevada and a polyp presented at Art in the Park in Makati, Mebuyan’s Colony as a project from the Ignacio B Gimenez Outdoor Installation Grant Program organised by the Ateneo Art Gallery launched in 2022, and later that same year, Mebuyan’s Vessel installed on the beach of San Juan in La Union with a programme by Emerging Islands.

“In doing these projects, I’ve learned that responsibilities evolve. Large-scale installations with sustainable programmes attached to them are not for everyone but should give it a shot,” shares New. “Building these things, especially in La Union, taught me that you can participate bit by bit in addressing these socially relevant issues with whatever you have and can give. The important thing is believing in the process, taking it day by day, and trusting with the people you work with.”

Above In partnership with Ramgo Seeds, flowers like petunia, celosia castle pink, harmony gold, and more bloom at Mebuyan’s Colony (Photo: Clefvan Pornela)

Through the years, New received several citations and grants for his expansive oeuvre that overlaps theatre, film, fashion, product design and visual arts. These include the 2005 Metrobank Art Awards (MADE), the 2009 Ateneo Art Awards, and the Thirteen Artists Award of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2012. He is known for his unique creations made of found objects, architectural in structure, large-scale and kinetic or wearable and peculiar. But no matter how prolific his body of work’s range is, what weaves them all together is New’s limitless imagination in using art as a vehicle for real, practical, social and environmental change.

The Mebuyan projects resulted from years of research and developing ideas of New and the rest of the teams involved, the Ateneo Art Gallery and Emerging Islands. “The concepts have evolved to accommodate questions about sustainable production, circular economy, the life cycle of materials, how to actively address the solution of discards and wastes and how these can be for art-making or constructions, and more,” says New.

Above Mebuyan’s Vessel in La Union was made open for public visitors as Emerging Islands’ site for exhibitions and other cultural events (Photo: Issa Barte)

Bio-architectural works Mebuyan’s Colony and Mebuyan’s Vessel are interactive and open, featuring metal framing, weaved bamboo for platforms, and plastic discards for their cladding. For both projects, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed their installations and prolonged their stay in both venues. Both projects remain works-in-progress, with New and his team continuously updating some sections. The Colony have had two harvests of crops as of date, and the Vessel has served as a space for artistic and eco-conscious gatherings. New shares that he had an intuitive process with both projects by monitoring the teams and adjusting the designs.

Above Mebuyan’s Colony at Ateneo was made in partnership with FarmReady, Ramgo Seeds and Oh Crop (Photo: Clefvan Pornela)

“One key feature of the installations is that they rely on the human element,” says New. “There is a responsibility expected from its stakeholders for both works’ lifespan.”

One of the impacts of these projects is a lasting collaboration among the artist, the work, and the audience. Rather than being merely displayed, this work requires a different process wherein programmes, discussions, and further use are encouraged. “Through these, we are showing alternative ideas on what art, art production, and materials can be,” says New. With simple blue plastic bottles for water, New built an alien-looking structure that introduces a Filipino take on science fiction. With discards and wood, the artist created a thriving garden that supported families with food at the height of the pandemic.

Above Mebuyan’s Colony at Ateneo de Manila University (Photo: Clefvan Pornela)

“It is natural for our intentions to look towards addressing these environmental issues because there are visible signs that something is wrong and the systems in place are flawed,” New says. He further shares that despite his extensive work with discarded wastes and recyclable materials in the past, he continues to challenge himself on what he can do more rather than simply transform them into new and inspired artworks. “As an artist, you gradually look for means to become sustainable with your materials, and it’s a ‘daily battle’ to push one’s creativity,” he adds.

New’s projects also contribute to the movement towards decolonising art. The Mebuyan projects are not only products of his fascination with pre-colonial Filipino heritage but his exploration of artistic ways to present divine femininity and our local sensibilities. “It is important to look towards other stories and rediscover the Filipino culture’s progressiveness that predates the colonial period,” New says.

Above Mebuyan’s Vessel in La Union (Photo: Issa Barte)

For all these issues brought to light by his works, New simply hopes that the people raise more relevant questions, feel empathy, and have realisations. “My own experiences led me to this type of work as an artist,” New shares. “I’m not one to say how artists should participate in socially and ecologically relevant causes. To be sincere, one should respond to something that directly affects them. When we grow up and mature as artists, we are not indulging in art-making anymore, but realise that we are complex beings tied to society, community, and environment. . .and that our works become complex that may submit to or change these complex systems.”

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Credits

Photography

ISSA BARTE, EMERGING ISLANDS (MEBUYAN’S VESSEL); CLEFVAN PORNELA, COURTESY OF ATENEO ART GALLERY (MEBUYAN’S COLONY)

Tatler Asia

Leeroy New on his monumental works, Mebuyan’s Colony and Mebuyan’s Vessel