Jordan Mang-osan
1 Artwork
Biography
Jordan Mang-osan is a multimedia Igorot artist known for his “solar painting” and pyrography illustrations of Cordillera peoples and their social landscapes. His works are also inspired by the iconographies of Mountain Province cultures where he traces his indigenous roots.
On sunny days, Jordan, wearing a hoodie, sets up his wood panel on his studio roof deck and holds on to his magnifying glass. He then begins the painstaking process of burning dots on the panel until a section of the image reveals itself. On cloudy days, he is inside on a different panel burning marks on the wood with a hot poker. He is a tireless worker who is bent on documenting the changing rites and rituals and landscape of the Igorot way of life. His large-scale paintings and illustrations have been shown in galleries in Baguio City, Metro Manila, and abroad.
From 1992, he has mounted 15 solo exhibitions. Since 1987, he has joined more than 60 group shows in Baguio, over 50 group shows outside the city since 1990, and ten international group shows since 1992.
In 1996, Jordan and other artists founded the Chanum Foundation that manages Tam-awan Village, an artist hub that includes a culture park, gallery spaces, and a restaurant. At present, he also runs Roofless Art Studio (RAS) in Bayabas, Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet. RAS is where the artist lives with his family and also houses his studio and a craft shop. (R. A. Cajigan)