RESTORATION WORK. Artist Venazir Martinez poses in front of her work which was vandalized last Oct. 10. The mural was restored in September this year with funds coming from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. (Photo was taken from the Facebook page of Venazir Martinez)
BAGUIO CITY – Young street artist Venazir Martinez has forgiven the vandal, who on Saturday vandalized her Hilabana mural works along Upper Session Road here.
In a dialogue with the police and barangay chairman of Marcoville Village, Venazir Martinez, artist for the Hilabana project funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), said she has forgiven suspect Belmar Badua.
The vandal spray-painted signature-like figures on her Hilabana mural works that is about eight feet tall which are Cordillera-inspired figures of women and men in ethnic attires.
During the dialogue, Martinez agreed with the suspect, who is a tattoo artist, to work together in repairing the damage done on her mural.
The young street artist said she will have Badua work with her in future collaborative work.
Martinez, who turned 23 on Oct. 1, is one of the fast-rising artists in Baguio with her street art work using modern-day Cordillerans as subject.
The Tarlac-born Martinez finished fine arts at the University of the Philippines–Baguio. She was also part of the Kalasag heroes mural project at the Sunshine Park that depicted on the walls the heroism of front-liners fighting the war against coronavirus disease 2019. (PNA)
