#MalikhainMartes: Altheya Pulvera

Altheya Pulvera (@cup_pops) is a 19-year old Fine Arts Student from UP Cebu who mostly does illustration over any other forms of artwork.

Altheya’s self-proclaimed bad pun-titled “Mini-Muni” art series is a trip to the world of one of the most celebrated OPM bands, Munimuni. The art series consists of 8 different artworks, each having a corresponding story based from the band’s song titles such as Bakunawa, Marilag, Sa’yo, Kalachuchi, Kulayan Natin, Tanikala, Bahay na Puti, and Bawat Piyesa respectively.

The first one entitled "Bakunawa" is attributed to their song with the same name. It's a great use of figurative language linking the Philippine mythological moon-eating serpent to bleakness slowly seeping in and a yearning of the past. The artwork aimed to present that same type of yearn albeit with a little hope of making the effort to stop the serpent from eating the moon and dimming everything. The line of focus is "Sinusubukan na naman ni Bakunawang kainin ang buwan".

The second one, Marilag strayed a bit from the song which gave off a more modern vibe in its lyrics and instead dabbled on my own interpretation. The huge face in the mountain is actually the famed sun god, Apolaki rising again ang engulfing the world with his light, witnessed first-hand by a humble farmer met with disbelief and awe at the sight. The line of focus is "Ang mundo ay binabalot ng iyong pagbangon muli, marilag".

The third takes on a very melancholic route and highlights even more yearning. "Sa'yo" is a song that prods on grief of a lover or the relationship. It sings about how even after death or any other barrier, one's love may still live on. I think I took a very direct approach in its portrayal. The line of focus is "Kahit mawala kapa, hinding-hindi mawawala, ang damdamin ko'y sa'yong-sayo".

The fourth one, Kalachuchi is one of two songs from them I hold dearest and mean the most to me. The song is about reaching out to someone who is having a rough time and relating them to the flower, Kalachuchi, telling them one day, they'll be able to bloom again. The line the artwork is focal to is "Wala sa'king kamay ang init na bubuhay, kundi sa kamay ng araw, sa kanyang mga daliri, titindi ang mga anino, ngunit ang iyong mga talulot ay sisigla rin". It's meaningful to me because around that time I had been at my lowest, someone also gave me the exact flower and stood by me to see my storms through. And like in the song, they never became a lifeline or an answer. They were just there to walk with me, and for that while, I had been okay. In the artwork, I had a personified version of the sun actually tend to the flowers so they wouldn't whither any longer. I probably made it a bit too hopeful to align with the actual lyrics, but I wanted them to be well taken care of enough to rest, much like I would want for people. Munimuni were quite the brilliant poets for this one, although admittedly, all their songs are brewed with deep poetry.

The fifth in the roster is Kulayan Natin. This one's a happy one, and from the artwork I think you can tell that as well. Two people, coloring a dull world together in love, dance, and smiles. There's a beauty to that and I intended to relay that same sense of bliss into the canvas. The line of focus here is "Kulayan natin ng ngiti at tawa ang mga araw na makulimlim".

The sixth is Tanikala. My piece shows the princess or goddess, Tala creating more stars up behind the clouds by encapsulating what seems to be cosmic fishes. I came up with the concept after the line "Balutin ang hiwagang hinabi ng tadhana, balutin ang liwanag na tila tanikala" which was already fantasy-like in and of itself. The song, one of the oldest one here had a more jolly vibe to it regardless of the meaning it held, so crafting the art had been really fun and jamming as well.

The seventh one, Bahay na Puti is a rather bittersweet piece revolving around grief and acceptance. For me, it kind of translates "You can rest now" into song, in such a careful and assuring manner. It almost breaks your heart how someone must've gone through so much to have those words said to them, but also gives you a type of closure. The line of focus is "Nakauwi ka na". I showed this in the art by having a person reappear in front of an old home, that even though they were on their own there, they were welcomed.

And finally we have the eighth and last piece, Bawat Piyesa.

I think it's pretty clear how this one is starkly different from the other artworks composition wise, and I had been very hesitant to go through with it because of just how much it stood up from the rest. But at the same time, I think that was only right considering It's my favorite from their entire platter. The artworks there are quite personal and each panel is a moment that actually happened. Those projections were taken from an anniversary gift I had drawn for my partner. I put them there because the song and everything it meant with it resonated so much with me and I wanted to make the work as meaningful as possible. I'm not sure if it did it justice, but I am very happy with how it turned out, and how I was able to make something important to me appear the way it was on canvas. The focal line from the song reflected in the artwork is "Ang bawat-piyesa na bumubuo sayo, bawat piyesang nawa'y mapasaakin, habang-buhay." Quite hopeful, but we are allowed to be so.

The motivation behind these pieces was the unending gratitude and love I have for the band that's showered me with so much creative inspiration, and the will to execute it in the way I know how; through art.