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In Conversation With Junyee: The Father Of Installation Art In The Philippines

Luis Enano Yee Jr., who is more commonly known by his pseudonym Junyee, has been based in Los Baños, Laguna for most of his active creative life. He is the first of his generation of artists who braved mounting an exhibition of works made out of indigenous materials and in a wide scope of areas. Being the father of Installation Art and Indigenous Art in the country, nature was both his canvas and material. At the height of Modernism challenging the so-called "school of Amorsolo" to best express the tumultuous socio-political period of the time, Junyee emerged as a social realist artist fighting for the preservation and conservation of the environment and a voice of the oppressed by the dictatorial regime.

Born in Agusan del Norte in 1942, Junyee moved to Metro Manila to study Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. One of his mentors was Napoleon Abueva, who was dubbed the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture and was later conferred as a National Artist. His Mindanaoan

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By pioneering a form that paved way for a renewed art appreciation in the country, Junyee has become a creative force to be reckoned with since the 1970s.

(Tatler Philippines) In celebration of his presence in the local arts scene for over 50 years, the so-called “Tatay” (Father) of many artists today took a visit to an exhibition dedicated to his legacy. Together, we looked back at some of his important milestones, his insights, and realisations that he wants to impart to the new breed of artists.

Luis Enano Yee Jr., who is more commonly known by his pseudonym Junyee, has been based in Los Baños, Laguna for most of his active creative life. He is the first of his generation of artists who braved mounting an exhibition of works made out of indigenous materials and in a wide scope of areas. Being the father of Installation Art and Indigenous Art in the country, nature was both his canvas and material. At the height of Modernism challenging the so-called “school of Amorsolo” to best express the tumultuous socio-political p

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When one reaches the seventh decade, there is much to look back on, but visual artist Junyee would rather look forward and beyond.

Junyee at home in Los Baños

Born Luis E. Yee Jr. and raised in Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte, he found himself at Grade One with several “Junior” namesakes so to make him stand out from the others, a classmate contracted his nickname to Junyee, and it stuck.

Before he entered school, he was drawing figures on paper. His father owned a general merchandise store where reams of paper were available for making brown bags. The boy was allowed first pick. His father indulged him by buying him Marvel and other color comics.

He honed his craft by copying different comic styles and models. In Grade Three, he won first prize in a school-wide drawing contest. In Grade Four, he was doing portraits, a skill that sustained him as a fine arts student at the University of the Philippines Diliman where his portrait “racket” in pencil, ink or pastel earned him P50-100. This supplemented his Napoleon Abueva scholarship.