A Bao nut art: Philippine culture in a nutshell

To date, Wolf has already created 1,200 paintings on bao. Most of them were already sold while some are in a travelling exhibit nationwide. (Photos by Jayrome Pablo/PNA)

MANILA — Bao or coconut shells have many uses. Once emptied out of their juice and meat, they are usually repurposed into coin banks, soup bowls, plant holders, and other items that could suit their owners’ needs.

But in the hands of a visual artist like Bernadette Solina Wolf, they become canvasses for the majestic depiction of Philippine culture particulary its indigenous people.

Twelve years ago, Wolf started working on them to create one-of-a-kind souvenir items as a consignee in Ayala Museum and in different resorts in Puerto Galera.

A Bao Nut Art

“I started painting using bao as canvass upon the suggestion of my husband to make something out of the coconuts since I’m an artist,” Wolf told Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.

Being an engineer, Wolf’s husband saw the many possibilities of coconut shells especially in painting.

“He studies the qualities of bao using German technology. He checks the oil sediments, fine lines from itak, because he says not all the bao can be used,” she said.

After a series of cleaning and polishing, Wolf said her husband hands to her the nutshells which may be used for her art.

“So, this nut art, is a collaboration with my husband, he cleans and primes the coconut shells and checks how concave the shells are before I could do paintings on them,” she said.

Wolf said that painting on the coconut shells requires more than just artistic skills as it involves “communication with the shell and culture.”

“I cannot force a motif on the shells. I ask each shell what it wants and the shell tells me what to do, it’s like working with the shell, it tells me what culture I should bring out from it,” she said.

Wolf recalled that sea creatures were mostly the subjects of her paintings during the first five years of her nut art. After reaching a saturation point, she said started painting other subjects like Philippine birds, water bearers, “Madonna and Child” and the like.

“I think my theme had a direction when I first launched my paintings on bao in Art in the Park in Salcedo where one of the students from La Salle asked whether my works can really be considered as art,” she said.

Wolf shared that the remark made her think of the best theme for her paintings – the Filipino tribes.

“The bao is symbol of our identity which we always take for granted. In fact, it took another nationality, a German, who is my husband who saw the possibility of bao to be brought in art galleries,” she said.

From then on, Wolf painted members of the ethnic groups like the Bagobo, T’boli and Yakan in their colorful clothes, and other symbols of the Philippine culture like the national games.

“I hope through my nut art, Filipinos, especially the women, would have higher self-esteem and they will see the richness of our culture as seen in our weaves and accessories just like the Malaysians and Indonesians. You know the absence of artistry can lower one’s self-dignity,” she said.

To date, Wolf has already created 1,200 paintings on bao. Most of them were already sold while some are in a travelling exhibit nationwide.

For the month of June, 21 of her nutshell artworks are displayed in an exhibit at the Museo ni Apolinario Mabini-Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila.