Joel "JOPAN" Panarigan

Creating art pushes me to another level of existence and legacy. It gives me the strength to unleash sets of tranquility, events, emotions, and experiences. Art is a mystical charm that gives life a picture of the past, present, and future. Every paint running on an art piece is a product of the artist's mixed feelings and thousands of words expressed. I became an artist because of such passion and my family's support. Many things inspire me to make art, such as history and current events.

I'm an adventurous artist that wants to express the bigger picture of things, people, and events. After exploring many art styles, in 2000, I finally founded my own, which I call Moutobodism. Established in the Philippines, Moutobodism, which also stands for Mouth Tongue Body Art Movement and Process, is a mix of expressions and emotions emanating from its possessor or art maker. This art style is guided by Moutobodism Manifesto, which I wrote. Freedom of the mind, heart, and soul is Moutobodism's primary focus. My works using this style have won awards internationally.

With Moutobodism, I use my mouth, tongue, and body to paint and explore myself and unleash the “giant” within me. I use non-toxic paints, such as colored food, coffee, ketchup, or natural colored juices like beetroot, orange, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables. One can also use an animal's tongue, such as a pig's tongue, to replace a paintbrush. Apply it to any surface and freely express your emotions.

The discrimination and judgment of many people have been a challenge. The mainstream art scene judges a piece of art based on theoretical approaches, for instance. I've been challenged to create more art pieces to prove to people there's no limitation to being an artist. I choose to believe that those who don't like my art don't understand it. But there are more than eight billion people globally; I don't need to please everyone to continue what I love the most, which is art-making.