Elmer Borlongan, "Laklak", 1994
Kim Atienza inadvertently set me on the road to art addiction. In 2003, one of the pieces from his collection, Alfredo Esquillo Jr.’s Mamakinley, held me in thrall at the Whitney Museum. The quest to learn more about an artist I hadn’t heard of till then lured me into the world of contemporary Philippine art. I’ve been fixated ever since. Continue reading
Hand carved revolver from Gemelina wood
Over at our house, we love Apartment 1B. We get cravings for their pizzettas and truffle popcorn and Buffalo wings that make us head to Salcedo Village at a moment’s notice. That they make an effort to show good art adds to their appeal. A few months back, over the holidays, they reprised MM Yu’s photos from her show Waste Not Want Not, and I loved that I could enjoy her work again. This time, paired with glasses of wine consumed in the company of family and friends. Continue reading
Goldie Poblador, "Immensity", detail
To conceptualize this show, Goldie Poblador turned to the writings of Jesuit paleontologist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Throughout his life, Teilhard de Chardin courted controversy as he tried to bridge the gap between his scientific ruminations with the teachings of the Church. He posits that all matter undergoes evolution, and one day all will be integrated into one consciousness. Goldie attempts to capture this integrated consciousness by reducing living organisms to their essences, their souls. How does one transform a soul into a tangible object we viewers
Goldie Poblador, "You #23"
can visualize? Goldie returns to glass, a medium she works very comfortably with, to— literally— crystallize each of the souls of her living organisms. As a nod to Teilhard de Chardin’s work as a scientist, she mounts her essences/souls inside glass boxes, mimicking specimens in a natural history museum.
Previously, Goldie captured essences of a different sort. For her senior thesis project in UP, she mixed liquid scents of
Goldie Poblador, "You #5"
the city: squalor, pollution, the aroma of coffee. She contained them in glass bottles that she inflated herself. Her installation resembled a department store’s perfume counter. Goldie received critical acclaim for this piece. She made it to the Shortlist of the 2009 Ateneo Art Awards, and the Singapore Art Museum asked her to reprise a portion of it for their exhibit of Filipino art last November.
Goldie Poblador, "You #10"
In this show, The Within, Goldie plays to her strengths and delivers another winner. Her organisms, made with glass she again has blown herself, are delicate, fragile, wispy, yet full of detail—transparent facsimiles of the real things, exactly as souls should be. She has insects,
Goldie Poblador, "You #15"
spiders, jellyfish, plankton, fishbones, and coral, all true to size. Goldie covered the gallery’s walls with cut fabric that I thought resembled scales. She says that she had meant to fill the walls with feathers, but she could not gather enough of them. No matter, the fabric does a good job of providing a textured backdrop to her glass specimen boxes.
Goldie Poblador, "You #11"
Goldie partially enclosed the rear of the gallery to house her best piece. How does one capture the human soul? With clear glass balls attached to steel rods as she does with Immensity. Here is a human reduced to its barest form, even its visage has been stripped away, clasped before it by hands detached from its main body. Yet something of its essence remains. Pin lights inserted amidst the life-sized form give off an ethereal glow, emitting the presence of some form of life within.
Goldie Poblador, "Immensity"
The Within runs from 3 November to 3 December 2010 at the 4th Floor, The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences, 119 LP Leviste St., Salcedo Village, Makati City. Phone (632) 828-4774 or visit http://www.artcabinetphilippines.com or visit http://www.picassomakati.com
Goldie Poblador, "You #12"
Installation of insects and a soul
Goldie Poblador
Installation view
When cross-disciplinary artist Maxine Syjuco started conceptualizing her piece, She May After Drinking You Sink Quickly Or
Maxine Syjuco, performance photo collage and papier mache dress from her installation, " She May After Drinking You Sink Quickly And Drown"
Drown, she shuttled between two construction sites. Outside her bedroom window she would track the progress, and hear the inevitable noises, that came with building a small structure, one that would eventually house a studio for her parents, artists Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco. At the same time, the space that had been earmarked for her work, what had just been designated as the new gallery space of The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences, was also in the process of being refitted. It would open just in time for the Syjuco family’s exhibit at the hotel.
By Maxine Syjuco
Maxine’s installation recreates the construction site of her parents’ studio inside the newly opened gallery. She uses it as remembrance to both what the gallery space had just gone through, and what had been a constant presence in the vicinity of her personal space. She recycles materials salvaged from the site in her home and transforms them, thereby reflecting and continuing the creative process that went on before in both places.
Waste materials have been given new life: the coco-timber used for the studio’s scaffolding has been reused here; they form
By Maxine Syjuco
the structure that anchors the entire piece. Maxine fabricated long and flowy dresses from the paper sacks that had contained gravel and cement. She finishes these dresses by scribbling lines from her poems that she had previously
By Maxine Syjuco
rejected as not being good enough.
Maxine hangs several photographs within her interactive piece. She describes these black and white pieces as recycled artworks. To put them together, she started off with old photographs of her performance pieces salvaged from albums that had been damaged by flood. She took new photos of these damaged photos, and then superimposed them on new photographs taken of the construction site. It is from these images of herself that the patterns of the papier mache dresses have been taken from.
Photo collage from Maxine Syjuco
The title of this installation echoes the process that these photographs had gone through. Previously drowned photos have been drowned again in the process of redeveloping them.
Maxine’s artist statement injects a tribute to the overseas worker within the piece. I thought that added unnecessary complexity to a piece that already contains so much food for thought. On its own, it already delivers a visual punch.
Inside Maxine Syjuco's installation
The Syjuco family exhibit, Left of Center, is spread out over all the public areas of the hotel. The photo collages of patriarch Cesare, with its hilarious lines and witty images, grace the hotel’s entrance and lobby, as well as the elevator lobbies of all floors. Jean Marie has an installation piece at the lounge area. Also at the main lobby, by the elevators, Michelline Syjuco resurrects her embellished wooden horse from the 2009 Sungduan exhibit at the National Museum. It is her commentary on globalization as a Trojan horse for developing countries. Trixie’s (Beatrix) video plays on the second floor lobby’s main wall.
Maxine and Michelline Syjuco
While Maxine’s piece is undoubtedly the major work in this exhibit, you can’t help but imbibe the creative energy of this talented family. They often work together, and it shows in how their pieces gel. Their household must be so much fun!
At the main lobby, Cesare AX Syjuco, "Weird Birds"
Left Of Center with Cesare A.X. Syjuco, Jean Marie Syjuco, Michelline Syjuco, Maxine Syjuco, and Beatrix Syjuco runs from 24 September to 24 October 2010 at The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences, 119 LP Leviste St., Makati City, Philippines. Phone (632) 828-4774 or visit http://www.picassomakati.com or http://www.artcabinetphilippines.com
Michelline Syjuco, "Globalization: A Trojan Horse"
Maxine Syjuco, "Self Portraits"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw0gIXtrhnY
I first saw Brendale Tadeo’s work three years ago, in November 2007, at Art In The Park. I remember being attracted to the
Brendale Tadeo, "Machinas V"
blood red drips he used as backdrop for the distorted santo heads on his oil on paper pieces. At that time, he worked as an apprentice to artist Don Salubayba and did projects with Anino Shadowplay. A native of Zambales, he also became a regular at the workshops of Casa San Miguel, Coke Bolipata’s oasis for the visual and performing arts in that province.
Brendale Tadeo, "Machinas VIII"
Financial difficulties had forced Brendale to abandon his Fine Arts studies. But the desire to create kept him at the fringes of the visual arts scene. He attended short courses at the CCP and worked with the artist group TutoK. He learned composition by closely observing Elmer Borlongan. His perseverance has paid off. Next month, he goes back to the Philippine Women’s University as the first Art On The Verge scholar, a grant made possible by Rogue Magazine and Art Cabinet Philippines. He continues to help out at Casa San Miguel, where he now has been generously given studio space.
Dindin Araneta, Brendale Tadeo, and Coke Bolipata with "Machinas I"
For his first one-man show, part of his Art On The Verge grant, Brendale worked closely with independent curator Boots Herrera. In Machinas, he explores how machines have become extensions of the self, especially to those who depend on them to eke out a living. For the tricycle driver, or the messenger, or the bus driver, and even for the mangbobote who goes around scavenging for waste, the machines they work with on a daily basis act as their lifeblood, as vital to their survival as an artery or a lung. He uses photo transfers to create the figures on his mixed media pieces. Just as it was in Art In The Park three years ago, I thought his pieces came alive with the colors he chooses as his backdrop, the bright drips of magenta or green or orange.
Elmer Borlongan and Lisa Periquet
You do get a sense of Don Salubayba’s influence in this particular set of works. But then, this show marks a beginning for Brendale. As he moves on to take instruction in a formal academic environment, we hope to see his raw promise crystallize into something purely his own.
Brendale Tadeo, "Machinas VI"
Machinas ran from 29 April to 21 May 2010 at the Nova Gallery, Warehouse 10A, La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City. Phone (632) 392-7741 or visit http://www.novagallerymanila.com
Art On The Verge is an annual grant awarded to deserving visual artists, 32 years old and younger, who wish to continue with their formal studies. For more information, visit http://www.rogue.ph or http://www.artcabinetphilippines.com
Borlongan Pere et Fils, Emong and his dad
Brendale Tadeo, "Lola"
Brendale Tadeo, "Machinas III"
Brendale Tadeo, "Mano Mano Series"
In Focus: Mac Valdezco
In what must be a first in Manila, the newly-opened Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences in Salcedo Village in Makati has
launched its art program. Done hand-in-hand with Art Cabinet Philippines, the hotel makes its public areas and third floor gallery available as venues for showcasing art. Along with room service, guests can look forward to changing exhibits, even on each
Mac Valdezco, "Invisible Pilot"
floor’s elevator foyer. Continue reading
Anton del Castillo, "Battle Plan I, II, III"
The three of us first came together sometime May, Katrina Tuason Cruz of Rogue Magazine, Dindin Araneta of Art
"Allegorical Partition" and "The Battle Ship"
Cabinet Philippines, and myself. We met to discuss another project that never did pan out, but in the course of our discussions, we hit upon the idea of putting together a scholarship program that would initially focus on the visual arts. Art lovers all, we felt that every budding artist deserved the chance of a formal education. The Philippine art scene somehow manages to remain vibrant and engaged despite the huge obstacle of almost no government support. Filipino visual artists make do and produce spectacular work in various media. We felt that the lack of financial means shouldn’t be a hindrance to committed individuals intent on contributing to Philippine art. We hope to encourage this via Art On The Verge.
Curator Yeyey Cruz and Charlie Cojuangco
We launched Art On The Verge through a fundraising exhibit at the newly-opened NOVA Gallery in Pasong Tamo, Makati. Businessman Charlie Cojuangco generously allowed the use of his new space for our purposes. An avid art collector, Charlie set up this gallery to support the endeavors of artists in his native Negros. I think this gallery, with its intimate proportions and subtle design details, will turn out to be one of the most
Anton del Castillo, "Conquistador"
interesting spaces in Makati. Artist Sandra Palomar, Charlie’s gallery consultant, envisions the place to be a venue for shows and artistic discussion.
Ateneo's Leo Garcia and Mrs. Maribel Ongpin
Artist Anton del Castillo worked very closely with curator Patrick Flores to put together Conquistador, this exhibit of Anton’s latest work in his signature medium of oil over gold leaf. He parlays
Toy Soldiers Installation
his continuing interest in war and warfare into this show of wall-bound works and free-standing sculpture. In the words of Patrick, Anton “… selects three artifices to convey this outlook: the toy soldier, the map, and the maquettes of military hardware.” Through his artisanship, Anton imbues what would otherwise be rugged machines of destruction with finesse and delicacy. He embeds a myriad of detail into his pieces, layers that you only see up close. As is his wont, this show once again blends age-old techinique with very modern concerns.
Jasmin and Jayjay Sy, Mike Gomez, and Felix Barrientos
Anton del Castillo, Inhabitant I and II and Breath of Supremacy
The first receipient of the Art On The Verge annual grant is Brendale Tadeo, a talented young artist from Zambales who has apprenticed with Don Salubayba and Anino Shadowplay.
Anton del Castillo, "The Unleashed"
For more information on Art On The Verge, please contact Art Cabinet Philippines at (63928)550-4816 or Rogue Media Inc. at (632) 729-7747. Or visit http://www.artcabinetphilippines.com
Conquistador runs from 25 November to 22 December 2009 . NOVA Gallery is located at Warehouse 11A, La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Chino Roces Avenue (Pasong Tamo), Makati City.
Anton del Castillo and Brendale Tadeo
Toy Soldiers
Exhibit Installation
Plainview Goal, Mixed Media Installation by Don Salubayba
Maps have fascinated for ages. Picture crude etchings discovered in caves, a diagram of the heavens crafted by ancient man to guide his destiny. Or the rudimentary representations of land and sea that steered Balboa, Columbus, and Magellan to historic conquests. In those days, cartographers depicted a flat planet that ended in a precipice, beyond which lay the great
Patricia and Patring by Tina Fernandez
unknown. What would the legendary explorers make of the GPRS features in cars and phones of today, when one touch of a button steers us precisely two kilometers to the east or west, or pinpoints locations with precision? Proof that maps serve both as guide and historic document, getting more sophisticated as man marches on to progress.
Makina Anatomika by Brendale Tadeo
Detail, Leeroy New Hanging Installation
In this show, Art Cabinet Philippines challenges 12 artists to come up with their take on maps, each one alloted a space of their own choosing in a recently-vacated penthouse. The non-traditional venue, with its commanding views of the city skyline, help unleash the powers of their imagination, fueling creativity in what promises to be a truly unique show. Hopefully, this heralds the beginning of a series of great concepts, a different way of viewing and appreciating the visual arts.
Allegorical Partition by Anton del Castillo
Alice by Lea Lim
2805B Map Ruminations by Anton del Castillo, Marc Cosico, Tina Fernandez, Mark Gaba, Mark Andy Garcia, Lea Lim, Leeroy New, Sandra Palomar, Alwin Reamillo, Don Salubayba, Brendale Tadeo, and Ian Victoriano is on view from 4 to 14 December 2008 at Apt. 2805B, Three Salcedo Place, Tordesillas St., Salcedo Village. Viewing times are from 5 to 8 pm. Contact (+63928) 5504816 or www.artcabinetphilippines.com
By Sandra Palomar
Detail, Who are the People in Your Neighborhood by Don Salubayba
Crab Ilokandia by Alwin Reamillo
The Kumot Adventure by Marc Cosico
Possessed of airline miles that had to be redeemed before the month was out, I conceived the idea of flying to Beijing after all the Olympic hoopla had settled. My friend, Dindin Araneta of Art Cabinet Philippines, signed up to participate in Art Beijing, from September 5 to 9, and I thought it would be interesting to tag along. Art, history, good friends, the perfect mix for a much-needed respite. I definitely got more than I bargained for, but Beijing did not disappoint. Continue reading