Jo Ann Bitagcol, the country’s top model who turned photographer, takes the “selfie” to a profound level in her first solo exhibit at Avellana Art Gallery. In “Tripolar,” she creates images through various media of her inner journey.

 

Bitagcol said the title refers to “a mental state of extreme emotional swings.”

 

The idea came at a turning point in her life when she had to confront issues about herself, loved ones and career. On closer look, the images are a play on polar opposites that reveal how her life has been a roller coaster.

 

The most obvious images are those of Bitagcol in her signature mannish look—pants, shirt and men’s slip-ons—or in a severe tailored shirt and skirt.

 

Unlike in glamour or fashion photography where the model looks at the camera, Bitagcol’s thick hair covers her face as if to hide emotions. The viewer realizes that the model is doing some introspection.

 

There is only one striking photo of the model’s face but in a blur, evoking a metaphysical mood.

 

Going beyond conventional photography, she creates her images on transparencies and offset prints whose basic color codes of blue, magenta, yellow and black have been manipulated to create mysterious and dramatic monotones.

 

In jest, Bitagcol says it’s like seeing the subject in “Fifty Shades of Gray” quite literally.

 

Voodoo dolls

 

Then there are installations and voodoo dolls—not dolls to place a hex, however, but to send good wishes. The cross-stitches on the heart are not for angry needles. She refers to “XXX “as the Internet idiom for “kisses.”

 

Bitagcol says producing her self-portraits involved self-awareness and contemplation. In the process, she discovers how her life has gone through cycles that took her to a different

course.

 

She recalls her humble beginnings. She migrated from lahar-stricken Pampanga to Bulacan in her youth.

 

After graduating from Marcelo H. Del Pilar High School, she worked in a cotton factory.

 

Her modeling career was a fluke. She was discovered in a panciteria in Malolos. On a Good Friday, she sought help from a friend on how to be a working student in Manila.

 

Designer Peter Lim, advertising executive/makeup artist Jay Lozada and director Jeffrey Jeturian were in the same eatery and approached Bitagcol to ask if she was interested in modelling.

 

She joined the model search “Body Shots” in 1996, but got her break when designer Inno Sotto and producer-director Richard Tann hired her for “Fashion Watch” lunchtime fashion shows.

 

Despite her average height of 5”9’, Bitagcol stood out for her unconventional beauty and graceful gait.

 

In 1999, Bitagcol tried her luck in Paris but could get jobs only in showrooms and shows of Asian designers. At that time, Brazilian beauties were the norm.

 

“Asians couldn’t get on the mainstream. The market wasn’t right for me,” she says.

 

Although casting agents stopped her on the streets and asked if she could act, Bitagcol declined because she didn’t speak French.

 

Crossover

 

She returned to Manila in the 2000’s to resume her career. During photo shoots and backstage, Bitagcol observed photographers and turned to photography. Nelson Villarica lent her equipment.

 

She apprenticed with Lilen Uy, whose images inspired her for their soulfulness, and also got tips from Jun de Leon, Juan Caguicla, Jake Versoza and Mark Nicdao.

 

She also took workshops in classic photography with film and dark room processing.

 

By 2007, she bravely put up her business, Jo Ann Bitagcol. In less than 10 years, Bitagcol has acquired a list of celebrity, corporate, real-estate clients such as Ayala Land, Inc.

 

Asked how easy was her crossover, she replies, “As long as you know the basics—lens opening, shutter speed and lighting, it’s up to you to make your own recipe.”

 

Her most challenging photo assignment came from Philippine Tatler. In a reversal of roles, it was the model’s turn to photograph the lensmen whom she had worked with. The photographers teased her about her lighting and set-up, but Bitagcol shot back in Tagalog, “I’ll set up, and leave it up to you to pose. How you look on the photo is not my problem.”

 

Circumspect

 

One day, while hanging out in designer Jojie Lloren’s atelier, Bitagcol expressed her desire to push herself by holding a solo show.

 

When curator Albert Avellana saw her photographs, he was impressed with her artistic viewpoint. They were not vanity self-portraits but studies in light and form, with herself as model.

 

“I saw something fresh. She had a story to tell,” says Avellana. “This isn’t an exhibit about a photographer’s collection of stock photos.”

 

Avellana guided her on how to mix media such as photography and basic illustrations.

 

The difference between selfies and self-portraits and “Tripolar” is that the photographer went through a process of self -examination which was circumspect and solitary, leading to a catharsis, explains Avellana.

 

Taken with an automatic self-timer, some photographs show a half-naked Bitagcol, her back against the camera, hair flying in the wind. They look as if she’s turning way from the past and looking towards the light.

 

Though the message may seem mystical, the photos are straightforward studies in light and shadow, the crux of photography.

 

“Tripolar” runs until June 6 at Avellana Art Gallery, 2680 FB Harrison, Pasay City. Call 8338357.