Josephine Llamas-Turalba: The Global Artist is a Renaissance Woman
By Maria Lourdes “Gina” Tamesis Poblete
Proud to be! HS 83
From the use of discarded bullet casings as a medium for artwork, to parading an unusual headdress matched by a one-of-a-kind elaborate tunic, with its train sweeping the pavement as the artist takes ritualistic strides on the streets of Manila, Münster, Singapore, and New York City, Josephine or Jingjing as we know her, differentiates her artistic work through its intriguing, controversial and oftentimes unpredictable nature. Elements that form a distinctive artist, her performative art in crowded public spaces, certainly turned heads like “rubber necks!” (fondly recalling a term used by Professor Estrada, our beloved Philosophy teacher, referring to head-turning distracted students in the classroom).
More than a distraction however, Jingjing evokes an intensely impactful and lingering effect from passersby, stoked by a unique art form. The intended outcome is what lies at the core of Jing’s artistic endeavors: the inner conversation triggered by the creative space she engineers.
One of her more unforgettable works, “Scandals,” was an invitation to wear sandals and walk around the gallery with cartridge-soled footwear, a literal “stepping into” the artistic experience.
“Turalba’s SCANDALS, proposes viewers both a physical and metaphorical walk. Presenting exhibition-goers with a dozen or more pairs of her hand-made footwear, Turalba first and foremost works the anonymous crowd with a game of try-on.”
“Thus performance triggering, Scandals initiates conversation between viewers, object and space, transforming passive spectators into actors who negotiate the gallery geography shoed in Turalba.
Iola Lenzi,
Singapore researcher and curator of contemporary Southeast Asia Art
Artist Overview
Jing’s body of work differs from the mainstream. Using versatile techniques combined with a multi-media approach towards art and art education, Jing’s impressive resume spans four decades of an art career celebrated locally and internationally. She attributes serendipity and spontaneity as essentials in her journey. Upon reviewing her robust biography, it is hard to believe her achievements were merely happenstance. Self-effacing when praised, Jing’s lifelong compulsion to create art is an intuitive and organic process she stays attuned to, regardless of the approbation or disdain for her final deliverable. Intentionality, she adds, was, and will always be, a key ingredient in her pursuits. Even as we approach our Ruby Velada, marking 40 years out of high school, her boundless energy has not waned at all and she has no intention of slowing down. Jing continues to reinvent herself and although she had triumphantly arrived long ago, still she flourishes in her field and eagerly chases opportunities to further refine her practice.
The narratives expressed through her innovative use of space encompass geopolitical, psychological and physical strife, i.e. the female anatomy alluding to feminist overtones, the unjust claim of territory usurped in the guise of progress – national and personal invasion….just to give one an idea of the fetching discourse she typically stages at her studio.
“The body of her work straddles between performance, video and installation, but there are also assemblage, scultptures and paintings. At twelve years old, Turalba ventures in art, joining group as well as holding solo exhibits since the Nineties”
European Cultural Center, Palazzo Mora, Italy
Artist Overview
Jing’s body of work differs from the mainstream. Using versatile techniques combined with a multi-media approach towards art and art education, Jing’s impressive resume spans four decades of an art career celebrated locally and internationally. She attributes serendipity and spontaneity as essentials in her journey. Upon reviewing her robust biography, it is hard to believe her achievements were merely happenstance. Self-effacing when praised, Jing’s lifelong compulsion to create art is an intuitive and organic process she stays attuned to, regardless of the approbation or disdain for her final deliverable. Intentionality, she adds, was, and will always be, a key ingredient in her pursuits. Even as we approach our Ruby Velada, marking 40 years out of high school, her boundless energy has not waned at all and she has no intention of slowing down. Jing continues to reinvent herself and although she had triumphantly arrived long ago, still she flourishes in her field and eagerly chases opportunities to further refine her practice.
The narratives expressed through her innovative use of space encompass geopolitical, psychological and physical strife, i.e. the female anatomy alluding to feminist overtones, the unjust claim of territory usurped in the guise of progress – national and personal invasion….just to give one an idea of the fetching discourse she typically stages at her studio.
“The body of her work straddles between performance, video and installation, but there are also assemblage, scultptures and paintings. At twelve years old, Turalba ventures in art, joining group as well as holding solo exhibits since the Nineties”
European Cultural Center, Palazzo Mora, Italy
“To educate is to set a person free: to educate is to transform the world.”-Saint Marie Eugenie
Initially, thinking she would be a scientist, her redirected career, as a Psychology Major from the University of the Philippines, Diliman in 1988, was a sensible decision as she addresses life and its complexities, equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge of human behavior and the psyche, serving both her personal well-being and her artistry. She went on to pursue an MFA in New Media in 2009 from Transart Institute validated by Donau-Universität Krems in Austria. After her MFA, she began lecturing part-time in higher education at UP Diliman, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, and Philippine Women’s University (where she became the Dean of the School of Fine Arts & Design in 2013).
Admittedly, Jing shares that being educated within the convent walls of Assumption San Lorenzo has sheltered many of us, yet consequently, grounded us with sterling values of spirituality and community service, leadership and civic mindedness, familial, societal, political awareness and astuteness. Recalling the numerous journaling and reflective exercises in the classroom, Jing points out that this habit of introspection embedded in her, helped shape her own identity and perspective in life, constantly looking within, as grounding, in order to look beyond.
“To educate is to set a person free: to educate is to transform the world.”-Saint Marie Eugenie
Initially, thinking she would be a scientist, her redirected career, as a Psychology Major from the University of the Philippines, Diliman in 1988, was a sensible decision as she addresses life and its complexities, equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge of human behavior and the psyche, serving both her personal well-being and her artistry. She went on to pursue an MFA in New Media in 2009 from Transart Institute validated by Donau-Universität Krems in Austria. After her MFA, she began lecturing part-time in higher education at UP Diliman, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, and Philippine Women’s University (where she became the Dean of the School of Fine Arts & Design in 2013).
Admittedly, Jing shares that being educated within the convent walls of Assumption San Lorenzo has sheltered many of us, yet consequently, grounded us with sterling values of spirituality and community service, leadership and civic mindedness, familial, societal, political awareness and astuteness. Recalling the numerous journaling and reflective exercises in the classroom, Jing points out that this habit of introspection embedded in her, helped shape her own identity and perspective in life, constantly looking within, as grounding, in order to look beyond.
A recurrent theme that extends beyond an aesthetic purpose in Jing’s work centers around human thriving: as an individual, or a collective, dealing with trauma through cathartic avenues or a non-judgmental release; a deep dive into power imbalance, socio-economic issues, territoriality, violence, historical voyeurism and the like…“loaded” topics that become the artistic trope, insidiously awakening our senses through thought-provoking encounters.
“Fidelity to Duty”
Jing’s artistic life was certainly not linear from the start. Nor was it exempt from adversity, trauma, personal and national crises. Jingjing’s complex work is infinitely nuanced, and somehow mirrors the balancing act of her life that often became the source for inspiration and one that was not always pain-free.
In her works, the ballistic medium remains a main element and material after the fatal shooting of her father. Channeling unspeakable loss into her artwork, the macabre obsession for bullet casings ironically marked a significant artistic turning point. Offering dialectical interpretations of weaponry versus self-defense, therapy or silent revenge, trauma and catharsis, passive-aggressive coping techniques, or perhaps Jing was genuinely lured by the odd shaped, shiny properties of the bullet, Jing evidently fueled suffering into creation.
More like a helix than a singular straight line, there existed a duality that allowed Jing’s artistic and personal lives to intertwine symbiotically for the most part. The love for art was not perceived as a guilty pleasure to be dutifully shelved to make way for marriage and motherhood. Instead, art wove in and out of Jing’s life, enriching her themes and ultimately refining her skill. Jing allowed art to revolve around her non-art life, ostensibly cultivating inspiration from two inextricable pathways. “Fidelity to duty” was towards her responsibilities to FAMILY and to SELF, without the sacrificial devaluation of one over the other: self-worth in exchange for obligatory expectations. Rightly so, she managed to serve both roles equitably. Wife to architect Toti Turalba, mother to equally talented and accomplished children, Juha and Arianna, Jingjing continues to demonstrate fidelity to duty in her helix of a lifestyle.
So perhaps Jing represents a modern-day Renaissance woman: multi-talented, accomplished, possessing a constant renewal of artistic perspective and approach, scholarly, daring to venture beyond the norm, an adventure seeker, an explorer of ideologies and insights, thinking ahead while appreciating her beginnings, a classical mindset combined with a visionary one…
As she wraps up an Advanced Masters on Artistic Research in Antwerp by July 2023, Jing resumes her post as Dean of PWU and prepares for her next exhibition at the 2024 Venice Biennale, lining up her art creations at her home studios in Manila and Boston. Never an idle moment for Josephine, Jingjing, the artist, the educator, wife, mother, classmate, and dear friend I have been truly blessed to have known.
“To see the best side of others is a great gift!” -Saint Marie Eugenie
About the Author:
Maria Lourdes Tamesis Poblete, “Gina,” AC’83, currently resides in Ohio. She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Assumption College in1987, a Masters of Science in Organization Development from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland,Ohio in 2012. She is a Career/Life Coach and Change Consultant. GinaTam reconnected with Jingjing a few years ago at MIT, Massachusetts, where the marriage of serendipity and intentionality allowed her to sit in a class on Women’s studies while Jing had a brief stint as an assistant researcher- – an intellectually shining moment!