Wherever I am, the world comes after me. It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it. Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist. "The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver
The UP Asian Center joins the university and the art community in mourning the passing of Professor Leonilo Doloricon (1957–2021), artist, teacher and former dean of the College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines Diliman, and alumnus of the UP Asian Center.
Although he is indelibly associated with the College of Fine Arts, Dean Neil has a master’s degree in Philippine Studies from the UP Asian Center. He finished his M.A. in 1994 with a thesis, “Ang sining protesta at ang kilusang masa: ang istorikong pagsasapalaran, 1983–1988.” More recently, he served as one of the judges in a photo competition hosted by the UP Asian Center, Asia 4.0, in November 2019.
Known for his practice and advocacy of “social realist” art, Prof. Doloricon was featured in a chapter in the book, Philippine Social Realists, written by Amadís Ma. Guerrero and published in 2019 by Erewhon Artworld Corporation. The book profiles ten artists who work within the social realist mode.
Although his paintings, prints, and other works convey his politics, philosophy, and practice of art, he also discusses the relationship between art and nationalism in a lecture uploaded in the TVUP, “Sining at Nasyonalismo.”
More recently, he was a guest in an episode of mARTy TALKs, which was uploaded in YouTube in May 2021.
Since his passing, many of his works have been featured and/or discussed in tributes that have appeared in several media outlets such as Rappler, ANCX, PhilStar Global, and Business Mirror, among many others.
The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website. For other news and upcoming events at the Asian Center, click here.
