Victor Cabuga Secuya is a 64 year old reclusive personality often misunderstood because of the directness in his people engagements and not- so- rare piercing interrogations that can force one into uncomfortable self-reflection. His former students of Humanities and Philosophy named him a terror, but for those who know him up close and personal, he is a warm guru who desires that every person be the best of himself. He values self-discipline, and while he loves being with people, he treasures solitude, being alone in his studio the most.
His studio is his haven where he enjoys working on his canvas amidst mahogany, falcata and ficus trees. The bougainvilleas and bromeliads create a green surrounding that is awash with red, yellow, tangerine, and fuschia--often seen in his canvasses. There he churns out not only paintings but journal essays and poetry.
What molded Secuya’s reclusive personality? At a young age, he grew up in the seminary and in his teens became enamored by the quiet and simple lifestyle of the monks – Buddhists, Taoists and especially Trappist monks. His stay at Trappist monasteries so impacted him that he almost decided to become a monk himself. Life didn’t allow that path for him but the Trappist monks influenced his views of the world and of life. The daily routine he experienced in the monastery further enhanced his love for silence and solitude.
Secuya believes that an artist must be comfortable being alone for long stretches of time so he can work unhampered and undistracted in his thought process and his rendering. This is not inimical to his personality already molded since his youth. He said that being silent and alone for hours is like the daily routine of prayer and work of the monks.
Secuya’s aesthetics have many influences as he is a voracious reader and traveler. His African sojourn, being one of the most influential, can be gleaned from his old and new works. In his artist narrative, he confessed his fascination for African art and its influence in his artistic journey. Through the years, Secuya honed his craft like a monk in the monastery. He intends to live this way until his last breath. Artistic creation is not only a way of life for him, it is who he is. In silence and solitude, he embraced his art tightly and completely for the past 40 years.
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