rastle.xyz

Acrylic on Canvas
24in x 36in
Rastle Lozano

Halamen or Hala Men is in itself a cheer, an exhortation to men. “Hala” in Filipino may be a warning or a means to call one’s attention. In Spanish, it is a cheer. Hala men is an exhortation to all men to take care of themselves, to make use of therapeutic methods. Hala men is a call to true manhood wherein the need for therapy or healing is the acknowledgement of one’s finitude, weaknesses, limitations (symbolized by the cactus).

For collaboration, “Halaman” is also the Tagalog (Filipino) term for “plant”, in bringing wordplay, it was altered into “men” to combine plant and men. My teammates, Nino Reantaso and Jay Bonaagua decided to include their hobby in the curation. Both have succulents and cacti as their plants, and thought of combining these into the acrylic piece.