Michael Cacnio makes magic with Lego

In ‘Inspire,’ I hope that when you see the sculptures, you will smile in the same way as when you did as a child, upon opening a gift and seeing a toy inside!”

Such are the words of Filipino artist and 2006 TOYM Awardee Michael Cacnio. Celebrating 20 years of artistic talent as a brass sculptor, Cacnio embarks on a joint project with the “Toy of the Century,” Lego. With the “Inspire” exhibit, the same toy that entertained Cacnio for countless hours and the building blocks that educated and encouraged his creativity as a child, now tackles a major undertaking with Michael, the sculptor.

To say that this exhibit is a dream come true is an understatement. Michael Cacnio’s brass sculptures have always left me with a sense of awe. Viewing his works gives me the same thrill as watching a great, classic movie. The “Inspire” exhibit is doubly magical personally as Lego holds so many memories of my growing-up years. Today my husband continues to be an avid collector of Lego, and has been looking forward to introducing the wonders of Lego to our son since he was born. 

Michael Cacnio’s works evoke deep emotion especially to the Filipino family and community. His body of work reveals enduring truths about human nature. One cannot help but relate to the characters featured in Cacnio’s work, knowing that at one time or another, one has also experienced that same feeling of jubilation, childhood play or parental affection.

“Fill Me Up”

Cacnio’s growing fame instills feelings of pride and sentimentality. I have been going around telling people that every Filipino home should have a Cacnio sculpture. The simplicity and elegance of the pieces not only add beauty to the home, but make for great family heirlooms to appreciate and keep for generations. However, one now has to fall in line (and a very long line, at that) to get the best of Cacnio’s creations. Barely an hour into the exhibit, and most of the pieces were already sold to enthusiastic fans both in Manila and overseas.

Humble despite all his success, Cacnio is a graduate of the University of the Philippines. Through the influence of his mentors in the College of Fine Arts, and his exposure to the paintings of his father, Michael has made Philippine culture come alive with his sculptures.

Having held 50 international exhibits in Asia, US and Europe, Cacnio did not only carve a spot in the global art scene for his country, but was the only Filipino to be featured in a solo exhibit in the European Commission’s headquarters in Berlaymont, Brussels and has a permanent display in the Fukuyama Museum in Hiroshima, Japan.

Luckily, Patrick Pesengco, director of LAJ Philippines, the country’s Lego distributor, was able to arrange for a meet-and-greet with Michael Cacnio and his lovely wife Tess. In between my non-stop “oooh”s and “ahhh”s, I was able to bring back my star-struck self to reality to ask a few questions for this interview for The STAR.

Philippine STAR: You’ve shown to us that a humble toy can be made into something great. What drives you to create?

Michael Cacnio: Whatever I’m doing now is a product of inspirations from my happy childhood experiences and all the things I love to see and feel now. I draw most of my subjects from my family — especially from my three children. I picked up my imaginations from the society I live in. And most importantly, it is God’s providence that has made all my ideas in sculpture possible.

“Boost” and “Humility”

What is unique about this particular exhibit?

The exhibit is more than just two entities working on a project. I am hoping that this project will make people realize that art takes shape at an early stage, and that, with the right tools, can be developed into something larger than life.

The Lego bricks are transformed into parts of our daily lives and activities, so that you will see it, not as plastic, but something as part of reality or life. It will become you, just as it has become my sculptures in “Inspire.”

What inspired the sculptures included in this exhibit?

I had a very playful and colorful childhood, which is quite evident in majority of my sculptures. I used to play a lot outside our house in Malabon, befriend all our neighbors, run with the other children, and talk to the vendors in the streets. These are the same people who inspire me in the creation of my sculptures.

“Inspire” is like my self-portrait: a young boy using Lego and an older man welding brass, both constructing familiar forms from simple materials — plastic bricks for the boy and flat sheet of brass for the man.

The sculptor at work

The other available Lego pieces also helped me: the Lego kittens for “Charity” and “Challenge.” The wheels for the father and son “Kindle,” and the kite for the “Uplift.”

As you might have noticed, some of the titles of the sculptures in this exhibit are the different virtues as well as some synonyms of the word “inspire.” Aside from the artistic angle in this exhibit, and since we are expecting families to view it, these are the morals we would like teach our own children. These would be the lessons (I am sure all parents would agree with me) that have helped us while growing up, the same values that we would like all our children to live by.

I would like others to be given the same inspiration that I had, so they can fulfill their dreams and maximize their potential. Everyone should realize that their own original experiences can spark their imagination to create pieces that could inspire others.

What made you agree to do this project?

I guess you could say that it is with Lego that I first demonstrated my love for sculpture, at three years of age. It was my favorite toy as a child, because the possibilities are endless. I would build a different toy every day, depending on what I wanted to play with. With my kids, when I was already a sculptor, I used this as a tool to increase their vocabulary and imagination.

“Persuade”

Can you tell us about some of your favorite Lego memories?

I got my first bucket of Lego as a gift from my ninang. I can still feel the excitement when I opened the gift and saw Lego inside.

I didn’t have all the toys I wanted when I was a child, which actually pushed me to be more creative with my set of Lego bricks. I would make my own robots. I could easily form my own car. And if I wanted a big airplane, I could make one with a more complicated design.

The only limitation was my imagination, and back then I guess I already had so much of it (laughs). My parents and siblings would always see me playing, but for me it was more than that… it was exploring my imagination and creating my own Lego world! What I liked about playing with Lego is that it could become all the toys I wanted but never had.

How would you describe your style?

My style is actually expressionism. My sculptures emphasize the emotions attached to the daily activities and lives of normal people living in real communities. People can relate and these remind them of a similar character or happening in their own lives.

You usually work with brass. What was it like working with Lego pieces to create your new artworks?

I use plain sheets of brass for my sculptures; I have to heat it first before I could mold it. That, obviously, I couldn’t do with Lego bricks.

Building something with Lego is not new to me. The challenge was how to combine the two materials without compromising their respective properties.

I worked with the existing shapes and pieces of Lego and made it blend with my sculptures. I capitalized on the bright colors of the bricks to give additional beauty and feelings that my sculptures usually evoke.

What do you aspire for?

Michael Cacnio and wife Tess Cacnio with the author, Stephanie Coyiuto-Tay and husband Joseph Tay.

In God’s will, for the coming years to come, I wanted to come out with pieces that are continuously evolving and growing in terms of ideas and style. I pray to be able to express these ideas with evident maturity and artistic creativity.

In terms of size, I aspire to create monumental landmark pieces in our country. I pray to be identified as the Filipino sculptor who has contributed in preserving our Philippine heritage, by creating timeless pieces that will not only remind Filipinos of their culture, but will make others feel and appreciate the importance of maintaining their own values and traditions as well.

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“Inspire” runs at The Gallery of Greenbelt 5 until Sept. 29. Bring your kids as there are Lego tables around the exhibit for them to play at.

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Thanks for reading! To learn more about Michael Cacnio visit www.michaelcacnio.com or e-mail the author at stephaniecoyiuto@yahoo.com.