Creating is Sowl’s way of self-understanding.
Sowl is a multidisciplinary Filipino-Canadian artist. As a member of the Filipino diaspora in Canada, Sowl has struggled to understand his cultural identity. By using his practice to study the history of his culture, he has replenished the knowledge of his people that he lost through displacement. Sowl blends his heritage into his work by combining the ancient script of baybayin with elements of abstraction, realism, manga, history, western and eastern calligraphy, graffiti and nature. Mindfully exploring and expressing his heritage has lead Sowl to a greater sense of connection with his roots. It is this healing and placemaking that he hopes to share with the Filipino-Canadian community by awakening ways in which people can feel freedom in themselves and connect to their roots instinctively.
Sowl has established a signature style of his own called, ‘Art of God River Fist’ and a sub-style called ‘Kali’s Blood Dance’. In ‘Art of God River Fist’, the ‘River’ represents the way his style simultaneously has form and no form through the mixture of realism and abstraction. ‘Fist’ represents the way the style lands so hard on the soul in a gracious way, and finally, ‘God’ represents the way Sowl feels in tune with a higher power through creation.
Sowl’s art is about healing for all beings and his intention is to heal those who pass by his works. In the ‘Kali’s Blood Dance’ style, ‘Kali’ represents the goddess of suffering. In order to embody healing, Sowl must engage with his inner suffering and explore the crevices of his soul. ‘Blood’ represents the personal shadow work that facilitates his own expression, and ‘Dance’ is the positive healing and entertainment that is shared with those that view Sowl’s finished works.
Growing up in a home of adversity, Sowl used drawing as an escape mechanism; he found himself safe and secure in his imagination. Later into his teen years he found art was a tool to help not only himself, but others through difficult mental, spiritual and living conditions. Driven by overcoming the struggles of his traumas and poverty of his youth, Sowl has become a new person, inspired by a light and love that he spreads through his artwork. His inner self is constantly evolving, and his artwork evolves with him as a record of his journey. Due to social stigmas around mental health and uncomfortable conversations, these struggles are rarely represented purely, even more so in diaspora communities. By presenting his works publicly, Sowl invites other Filipino Canadians, as well as those with shared experiences, to see themselves reflected in their communities. We all deserve love, and Sowl’s goal is to create through cathartic methods to bring moments of peace and solidarity to his viewers.
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