“Everything the power of the world does is done in a circle,” declares John Frank Sabado, the self-taught artist from the Cordilleras.

Sabado premises his statement on the ubiquitous presence of the mystical shape in his art works most  of them in mixed media.

Notes the artist, a native of Mankayan, Benguet:

“In the old days, when people were strong and happy, all their power came from the sacred hoop. As long as the hoop remained unbroken, the people flourished.

“The patpattay tree was the living center of the hoop, and the circle of the four quarters nourished it. The east gave peace and light; the south gave warmth; the west gave rain; and the north with its mighty wind, gave strength and endurance.

“This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our tradition.”

The pieces bear realistic and symbolic elements from the life and culture of the Cordilleras, meticulously incorporated—at times colorfully woven, literally—into the characteristic highland patters and designs. Easily recognizable ritual elements and tribal customs are rendered stylistically within his idea of a mystical frame, the circle or its variations. As he matures and evolves not just intellectually but also spiritually as an artist, however—with the soil, wind, trees, and sky of the Cordilleras both as cradle and inspiration—he seems to turn more contemplative rather than celebratory.

That can only happen to someone who is at peace with his inner self and in harmony with his outer world, someone whose creative energy is focused not on the transitory but on the timeless.

Sabado, who turns 33 this May, is active on the art scene of Baguio City, where he is based. He has participated in a number of group shows as well as art festivals, in Baguio and Manila, with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Alliance Francaise among the more prestigious venues. In 1993, he was part of the 3^rd Asean Travelling Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur and other Southeast Asian Countries. In 1999 he represented the country with two other Filipino artists-Agnes Arellano and Alfredo Aquilizan, at the “Crossing Borders” exhibit at the Asia-Pacific Triennale in Queensland, Australia. This March he will represent the country in the 2nd Fukuoka Triennale at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan.

Although steeped in the lore and tradition of the Cordilleras, Sabado seems committed, at the same time, to the role of the artist as social catalyst, as he makes known in “Culture as Talisman,” his 1997 solo exhibition.