PWU Dean of Fine Arts and Design Reiner Suva (2nd from right) with Fine Arts student exhibitors.

Taft Avenue is one of the busiest streets in Manila. A hodgepodge of activity, from pedestrians to side walk vendors, street children to traffic enforcers, you name it and Taft Avenue has it, all drowned by the noise of bustling traffic.

But one block, between Julio Nakpil and General M. Malvar streets, changes the dimension of the local scene. Along the walls of the Philippine Women’s University (PWU) is a display that screams louder than any demonstration and reaches farther than any movement. Down the walls of this famed institution are the voices of the youth, hidden in the subtlety of visual play.

The School of Fine Arts and Design of PWU held a “Street Art Exibition” which was held during the weeklong celebration of PWU’s Fine Arts week. Under the theme “Cut Through, Cut Across”, the festivities highlight the contemporary approach of the institution’s Fine Art and Design program.

“We’re building communication, we want to bridge the gap between the public and the art,” says Reiner Suva, PWU’s Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Design. This event is the culmination of the students' work combining all art forms to lay the foundation of educating “hybrid” artists.

With a central subject revolving around the topic of elections, PWU students executed their street art pieces under the careful guidance of the faculty with regards to the discourse of their concepts. This conceptual approach, paired with the conviction that these young artists have, speaks volumes in terms of the students’ ability to translate thoughts to actual work.

Some of the concepts the students came up with include election violence, media and their role in shaping the consciousness of the masses, hope for the people in power, candidates’ promises, the youth and their political ambitions, and the hopes and dreams of the Filipino people.

“The street actually serves as a huge gallery, the walls are the artists' canvass,” Suva added.

Although coming from different perspectives, these ideas mesh and drive into a central movement of awareness. The students understand the need to inform the public of the essentials of the coming elections.

“Yung mga natutulog ang isipan, sana makita nila, bilang tao, ang pangangailangan nating magkaroon ng tunay na pagmamahal sa kapaligiran at sa kapwa.” (For those who have their minds closed, I hope they understand, as human beings, our need to have genuine love for our surroundings and each other), expressed Neil Russel Balajadia one of the artists involved with the street art exhibition.

Other students who contributed their works to this street art exhibition were Rober Mark Liwanag, Christian Verayo, Rewelin De Aros, Hessan Atienza, Ricardo Peñaranda, Jeric Bastillo, Paolo Lorenzo, Gregg Cuison, Patrick Ebarvia, Christian Echeche and Art De Leon, all of whom are under the Fine Arts program majoring in Advertising.

Aside from the street art exhibit, the Fine Arts week also displayed works from different fields such as interior design, industrial design, paintings, sculptures, photography, installation art and studio art. All of which showcases the talent of the students and their ability to integrate various approaches in their works.

All the credit goes to where it is due - the students. “Ang school kasi ruler lang 'yan, ang lapis ay nasa bata,” (The school is only a ruler, it’s the child who holds the pen), Suva stressed. And it is with this mentality that they aim to equip each of their students. By empowering each child, they prepare them for the challenges that lay outside of the academe.

As they take back the streets, they are setting the canvass for their future.