Arturo Sanchez, Jr., "Caught In A Time Warp", collage on convex mirror, detail
What a difference a week makes! Hard to believe, as we bask in today’s sunshine, how torrents of water engulfed our fair metropolis just seven days ago. While mundane matters deservedly took a back seat to stories of despair, hope, and good samaritanship, these exhibits prove that art can still offer some solace for the soul. Catch them while you can— while the good weather lasts: Continue reading
At Blanc Compound's Melted City: Hazel Lee Santino, "Lemert Park", oil on tracing paper on oil on watercolor paper
The past two weeks saw a flurry of shows opening in Manila, and I’ve spent the last few days catching up: Continue reading
Mariano Ching, "Under The Western Sky Series 3"
The exhibit’s title did puzzle me, but it should have clued me in. Clint Eastwood in Hats On, Bottoms Off shows works inspired by Westerns—the cowboys and Indians variety, an odd, unexpected choice of concepts. But a chat with artist Allan Balisi, who had thought this up with Cos Zicarelli, revealed that there is nothing more to this than a bunch of cowboy movie enthusiasts getting together to produce work. Everyone in the group was game enough to stick to the plan. Continue reading
Renato Barja Jr., "How To Fight The Loneliness"
In The Jungle and The Rain, Renato Barja Jr. takes us on a stroll through his former neighborhood, an urban landscape he douses with the color of unpainted
Renato Barja Jr.,"Bumbo the Butcher"
cement, the same ashen hue that water turns into after it’s been used to scrub off grime. He looks back at the love-hate relationship he maintained with this corner of Cavite, at the cast of characters he encountered for five years on a daily basis. With them he shared in the din, the putrid smells, the overall drabness of a working class community, one that recession and Typhoon Ondoy had reduced to skid row. Continue reading
Iggy Rodriguez, "Toxin", acrylic ink on arches paper, 45x34 in.
In the November 2010 issue of Vanity Fair, an article on Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, makes passing mention of three schools he set up to run programs that keep traditional arts alive. One of them is the Prince’s Drawing School, organized as a means of “reviving traditional methods that had largely been abandoned by the art-education establishment….” The article goes on to say that the idea for the drawing school came about because “…the Slade, the Royal Academy, the Royal College—all the big graduate schools in London— were closing their life rooms.”
Mike Adrao, "Demakina 5", ballpoint ink on paper, 11.5x8 in.
In our part of the world, art enthusiasts maintain a healthy respect for the technical skills of our artists. Perhaps because most notions of what comprise art still veer towards the traditional. Paintings, however, tend to receive the bulk of attention. So when Iggy Rodriguez and Mike Adrao decide to mount a show of purely drawings, majority of them no bigger than a standard A4 bond paper, it feels like a novelty. Mano Mano makes us pause and appreciate this return to the basics. Both, as we can see from the images, are clearly masters of drawing, of capturing the most minute details while working with ink and charcoal. Prince Charles will definitely approve.
Iggy Rodriguez, "Delusions of Grandeur", acrylic ink on arches paper, 48x48 in.
Mano Mano runs from 16 to 30 November 2010 at Blanc Compound, 359 Shaw Blvd. (Interior), Mandaluyong City. Phone (632) 752-0032 or visit http://www.blanc.ph
Mike Adrao, "Demakina 4", ballpoint ink on paper, 11.5x8 in.
Iggy Rodriguez, "Sa Kaibuturan ng Pag-unlad", acrylic ink on arches paper, 24x24 in.
Mike Adrao, "Demakina 8", ballpoint ink on paper, 11.5x8 in.
Mike Adrao, "Demakina 10", ballpoint ink on paper, 11.5x8 in.
Mike Adrao, "Mekanismo 3" and Iggy Rodriguez, "Coming of Age"
Mike Adrao, "Mekanismo 2", charcoal on paper, 48x48 in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFV-GALrZfc
I expected the usual chock-a-block exhibit of paintings that Manila galleries love to mount every December to wrap up the year.
Ling Quisumbing Ramilo, "Salvavida"
Instead, I walked into an intelligent discourse among women artists that yielded a variety of enjoyable pieces. Continue reading
"Realms Of The Senses" and Andy Barrioquinto
I had always been drawn to Andres Barrioquinto’s faces, especially the monochromatic ones of recent history, rendered almost flat, in tones of blue. Continue reading
Tatong Recheta Torres, "All Star Cast"
At foreground, Leeroy New's "Rust Cloud"
As a child growing up in downtown Manila, Tatong Recheta Torres would escape into the world of movies. Enveloped in
Exhibit installation
the darkness of Recto Avenue cinemas, his imagination transported him from the bustle of a congested city. Off he went, out into the realm of Bioman, and Godzilla, Darna and Valentina.
Leeroy New, "Red Venus"
In this show, Odeon Universal Galaxy, Tatong teams up with Leeroy New. Their first exhibit together takes its name from the most well-known movie theaters in Avenida. They take us into a flick of their own making, one that brings us to the world of sci-fi, horror, and Japanese anime they devoured as kids.
Leeroy New, " The Thing From the Deep"
When you walk into Blanc Compound’s main exhibit space, you feel just like Obi Wan and Luke as they enter the cantina in search of Han Solo. Only a bit less PG. Tatong’s painting on the center wall, All Star Cast, depicts backstage of a beergarden somewhere across the Milky Way from Pluto. Leeroy’s human-sized creatures mill around, enjoying the entertainment.
Another view, "Red Venus" and "The Thing From The Deep"
Detail, "The Thing from the Deep"
Leeroy, himself reared on Blade Runner and The Thing, allows his imagination to take flight once more. This time, his fiberglass and polyurethane sculpture have more detail. You can’t help but scrutinize and enjoy the clear figurines he piles atop two of his works, like some sort of space age barnacles.
Leeroy New, "Fear and Desire At the Gate"
It would’ve been good if Tatong had one other painting. But perhaps that couldn’t have been helped. Tatong and Leeroy should make movies more often. This was so much fun!
Tatong Recheta Torres and Leeroy New
Odeon Universal Galaxy runs from 24 August to 10 September 2009 at Blanc Compound, 359 Shaw Blvd, Mandaluyong City. Phone (632)750-0032 or visit http://www.blanc.ph
Rodel Tapaya, "The Aswang Turns Into a Cat"
I arrived from an almost month-long furlough with my husband and kids in busy, bustling, frenetic, and always exciting New York City. I loved rediscovering favorite masterpieces in the great museums and stumbling onto new ones at the contemporary art spaces that dot the city’s art haunts: Chelsea’s Gallery District, the New Museum at Nolita, Soho. But nothing beats plunging headlong into the art scene that never sleeps—that of our very own!
With Melbourne-based curator, Jeff Khan, here for a residency grant with Art Cabinet Philippines, I took advantage of the long May day weekend, and caught up with shows running on their last few days. Aaah— it’s good to be home! Welcome back to me!
DIORAMA BY RODEL TAPAYA
I have always been an unabashed Rodel Tapaya Garcia fan. I discovered his art the first time we organized Art In The Park for the Museum Foundation of the Philippines. Since that sunny June day in 2006, both that annual art event and that small painted face on burlap that I brought home have become very dear to me.
Rodel Tapaya, Cafre of Balayan detail, tin casement
In this show, Rodel continues with his exploration of art beyond paintings. He revisits the diorama, a device that has fascinated him since he started working as a full-time artist. Here, he uses it as a means to narrate the long-forgotten Philippine folk tales that provide substance to his work.
Rodel Tapaya, "Pedro and the Snake"
Rodel Tapaya, Cafre of Balayan, interior diorama detail
In the tradition of an altarpiece, he houses each diorama in tin sheets hammered and decorated like the urnas we find in old Filipino homes. Inside, found objects and sculpted wooden figures depict scenes from the old stories. The beauty of the pieces, though, lie in his artisanship, his embellishment of each casing, painting them with figures and forms that continue the myths told within.
Rumor has it that the Singapore Art Museum appropriated four of the pieces for their collection. True or not, that only proves what I’ve always loved about Rodel: he grounds his work on very Pinoy facets, yet they do not feel at all parochial, appealing to both his loyal, local fans and to art collectors beyond our shores.
Rodel Tapaya, Pedro and the Snake, outside detail
Diorama Rodel Tapaya is on view from 25 April to 16 May 2009 at The Drawing Room, Metrostar Bldg., 1007 Metropolitan Ave, Makati. Ph(632)897-7877 or visit www.drawingroomgallery.com
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PENCIL WORKS BY CHRISTINA QUISUMBING
Christina Quisumbing, "Honeycomb"
Ling Quisumbing has resettled in Manila after almost a decade working in art-related projects in New York. In September last year, she exhibited an assemblage of found objects, Madre, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which took inspiration from the process of renovating her grandmother’s old house into a home for herself. Even then I thought that piece fantastic, and, intrigued, wanted to know more about the artist who put it together. What a wonderful surprise to stumble into her current show at the second floor gallery of Manila Contemporary!
Christina Quisumbing, "Nipple"
The concept of using various pencils as her medium began, like Madre, with the construction of her home. Piqued by the forms and textures of used pencils discarded by the carpenters who labored at the site, she played around with the idea of using these pencils to create art. Accumulating enough pencils proved to be a story in itslelf. To put together Roll Call, for instance, Ling struck a bargain with the principal of Tomas Morato Elementary School: she would replace a new pencil for every used pencil given to her.
Christina Quisumbing, Roll Call, detail
Hence, the thin tower of used pencils, many of them labelled with the names of the students who they belonged to.
Christina Quisumbing, "Querida" and "Heart"
One year and 40,000 pencils later, she brings us interesting sculptural pieces, testaments to her skill and imagination.
Ling is off soon for a two-month residency at Tembi Contemporary in Yogyakarta.
Pencil Works by Christina Quisumbing is part of the group show Parameters+Play+Repetition=Patterns until 10 May 2009 at Manila Contemporary inside Whitespace, 2314 Chino Roces Ave, Makati City. Ph (632) 844-7328 or visit www.manilacontemporary.com
Christina Quisumbing, "Drawing Table"
Christina Quisumbing, pencil on paper works
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GIRL BY LEA LIM
When you speak to Lea Lim, you realize how much of herself she puts into her work. All her seven pieces speak to us of her dreams and longings, her aspirations and reminiscences of things past, her aspirations for the future.
Lea Lim, "Girl"
In the exhibit’s title piece, the quadriptych Girl, she sees herself as holding her life options in hand. The contents of the jar may vary, but all represent different facets of her
Lea Lim, "Pinning Purpose"
person. In Pinning Purpose, she sees herself as a little girl lost in the woods, so many pathways to take, so many choices out there. She continues to ponder these questions in Little Red Riding and Hold.
Lea Lim, "Hold"
Girl by Lea Lim is on view until 16 May at Alliance Total Gallery, Alliance Francaise de Manille, 209 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel Air 2, Makati City. Ph (632)895-7441 or visit www.alliance.ph and www.artcabinetphilippines.com
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IN THE OCEAN WITHOUT A BOAT OR A PADDLE, SURROUNDED BY WATER
I must be the only one in Manila who hasn’t seen this exhibit, and I’m glad I caught it. The story of this group of artists parallels the vicissitudes of recent Philippine contemporary art history . How difficult to believe that less than a decade ago, they struggled for opportunities to show in commercial galleries who scoffed at their art. Today, the exhibit list reads like a who’s who in every collector’s wish list. How inspiring is that?
Jonathan Ching, "Pilgrims"
Lyra Garcellano, "Ruptured" and "Broken"
Mariano Ching, "Up The Hill"
I thought that the Ching brothers have come to their own with their works for this show. I loved Mariano Ching’s wall bound sculpture from GI sheets and Jonathan Ching’s origami blackbirds backlit by neon lights.
Geraldine Javier, "Jumping At The Shadows"
What next for the SBW guys? How exciting to see!
The show features works by artists Argie Bandoy, Jonathan Ching, Mariano Ching, Yasmin Sison Ching, Louie Cordero, Christina Dy, Geraldine Javier, Lyra Garcellano, Eduardo Enriquez, Mike Munoz,Frederick Sausa, Keiye Miranda Tuazon, Wire Tuazon, Alvin Villaruel, Ferdz Valencia. Show runs until 14 May 2009 at Blanc Compound, 359 Shaw Blvd. interior, Mandaluyong City. Ph (632)752-0032 or visit www.blanc.ph
Louie Cordero, "Dumbskull"
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ELMER BORLONGAN AT SITIO REMEDIOS
A few, a lucky few, received the privilege of a weekend by the beach at Dr. Joven Cuanang’s Ilocos Norte paradise, Sitio Remedios. For this weekend only, reservations came with more than the promise of bagnet and longganisa by the shores of the South China Sea. Elmer Borlongan’s one man show opened, and fifteen of the chosen had their pick of his pieces on exhibit.
Isn’t it about time that Emong, one of the nicest, nicest artists around, allows us mere mortals the chance to see more of his work, before they get snapped up by the hundreds in his waiting list? A curated exhibition at a beautiful space (SM Art Center? Blanc Compound?) in the near future would be great! Hear hear!
For more information on Elmer Borlongan’s show, visit www.sitioremedios.com or contact Boston Gallery at (632)722-9205
Noell El Farol Death Mask (Black) and Death Mask (Clear)