The Ateneo Art Awards Shortlist for 2012
A three-channel video installation documenting seafarers from a small Visayan island, two multi-piece sculptural installations, and a video celebrating the quirkiness of the jeepney: this year’s Ateneo Art Awards went to works firmly rooted on local sensibilities, translated by three talented artists with global perspectives. Continue reading
MM Yu, "Beliefs II", detail
Another terrific trio opened at Silverlens last week, three shows that also relaunched the gallery as a single space with three exhibit areas. SLab and 20Square opened in 2008 as two distinct galleries under the Silverlens group, envisioned for non-photography exhibits. These two spaces and the original photography gallery will now all carry the Silverlens name, with a soon-to-open Silverlens Singapore in the pipeline for the last quarter of the year. Continue reading
Neil Oshima, "Gummy Worms", 2009
I’ve had the good fortune to view pieces from Isa Lorenzo and Rachel Rillo’s private art collection before, an invitation I wouldn’t have passed up. The chance of savoring Rachel’s cooking served as an equally strong lure as the superb art they laid out for our enjoyment. I think that it’s great that they’ve mounted selected works at silverlens, the gallery they own and manage. A Photography Collection allows their clients and supporters to share in their affinity for an art form that they both practice so well. Continue reading
I look forward to the Ateneo Art Awards every year. I believe that it does a credible job of recognizing the best works by young visual artists. I do not always agree with their
Bembol dela Cruz and Kawayan de Guia
selections, and I do have an issue with the awards’ age limit. But overall, I still find it relevant and prestigious, a worthy acknowledgement of efforts undertaken in the past twelve months. All the chatter that rolls in along with the announcement of winners just adds to the fun! Yes we get names that appear every year— but doesn’t that just prove that those who always make it to the shortlist consistently do great work? A key component to the judging process requires artists to recreate an exhibit for the benefit of the panel of jurors. Yes, this imposes an onerous burden on the artists, one that the galleries must pitch in for. Having exhibits properly documented certainly helps. But it does prove difficult to capture an exhibit’s original flavor, despite the galleries’— and the artists’—best efforts. Perhaps, this should be addressed.
Kaloy Sanchez, "Flightless"
It must be the season for group shows. The third one I’ve seen this month, Hate Mail, at Manila Contemporary, is the second in a series of exhibits that, per the wall text, “…looks at visual linguistics in relation to communicating fundamental human emotions…” It comes after Love Letters, which the gallery, fittingly enough, mounted close to Valentine’s Day. Continue reading
Elmer Borlongan, "Pag-ahon"
I never thought I’d wish Manila Contemporary had more space. But when an exhibit like Monumental comes along, even the vast proportions of Metro Manila’s most capacious gallery seems crowded. Continue reading
MM Yu, "Pantone" and Nona Garcia, "Unfinished"
Nona Garcia/ MM Yu, "Hallow/Hollow", detail
More often than not, sticking to what you do best keeps things simple, and guarantees the most success. Such is the case with Space And Two Points, the two-person exhibit of Nona Garcia and MM Yu, currently on at MO Space. By tapping into the photo-based aspects of their art practice, they bring us collaborative works that come together seamlessly while still retaining both their imprints. You get the sense that they both thought this show through. Or perhaps, their friendship allowed them to work comfortably with each other, melding common elements of their art into remarkable joint pieces. Continue reading
Nona Garcia, "Fall Leaves After Leaves Fall"
Kiko Escora, "Bungi"
In the absence of any exhibit notes or artists’ statements, it seems safe to assume that The Death of Death (Is Alive and Kicking) is a group show about death. Simply go by the number of skulls up on the walls of the Art Center at SM Megamall. It would have been nice to understand what went behind the more subtle, less archetypal works. But then again, sometimes a piece should just hit you, make an impact on first impression. After all, art need not always explain the meaning of life. Or in this case, death. Continue reading
Exhibit entrance
With the crowds surging around me, it felt like Megamall a day before Christmas rather than the middle of July at the bastion of Philippine culture. Thirteen artists stood onstage, each one clutching what looked like mega-sized, brightly-colored, multi-layered snow cones. The ceremony marked the formal recognition of the triennial Thirteen Artists Awards, given to progressive artists below the age of 40, successors to the original Thirteen Moderns who had challenged the accepted notions of 
Philippine art seventy years ago. Continue reading