Tag Archives: nikki luna


Nikki Luna and Ernest Concepcion Get Beat at The Lopez Museum

Nikki Luna, "Precious and Fertile", detail

The word beat connotes either the pulsating rhythm of a musical piece or the exhaustion resulting from defeat.  The first definition puts us in mind of a fun-filled frenzy while the second brings on images of imminent collapse.  The contrasting styles of Ernest Concepcion and Nikki Luna parallel this duality.  Yet, as this exhibit at the Lopez Museum shows, when deftly handled, Ernest’s humorous illustrations and Nikki’s pleas for the oppressed can both make for one powerful show. Continue reading →


Nikki Luna, Zean Cabangis, Jojo Serrano, and Jet Pascua Open 2012 for the Silverlens Group

Nikki Luna, "Leaf Cuttings 1", detail

And so we begin again.

A young man in his 20s who has just come to his own joins forces with a staunch advocate of women’s rights, a painter resurrects from oblivion, while an expatriate Filipino reflects on his home country’s history.  The silverlens ladies started their year—and ours too— by setting the bar high.  If this trio of shows serves as harbingers for what we have in store for 2012’s art scene, we’re in for some pretty good stuff. Continue reading →


Yasmin Sison Explores What’s Underneath The Sky Plus Alternative Collages and Nikki Luna’s Menagerie of Lilies

Yasmin Sison, "Haraya (Underneath The Sky)"

Yasmin Sison revisits familiar elements in this solo exhibit, her first in Manila since her 2009 show, Into The Woods, at SM Art Center.  She returns to her portrayals of children.  This set brings them indoors, away from the forest and the shore that have served as settings for her more recent depictions of kids at play.  These hark back to 2007’s Gingerbread Girls, with the kids seated against a plain backdrop, looking squarely at the viewer. Continue reading →


Hate Mail at Manila Contemporary

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 →


Nikki Luna Says Thanks, But No Thanks

Almost two years ago, I stumbled onto Take Care of Yourself by French artist Sophie Calle.  A message from her boyfriend triggered the development of this powerful piece.  He broke up with her electronically, sent her an email that ended with the admonishment “take care of yourself”.  Calle spent the next twenty four months showing his message to 107 women (including one parrot) and documenting their reactions in poetry and prose, photographs and video.

Nikki Luna, "Gift and Grief"

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Hanna Pettyjohn Brings Glad Echoes while Nikki Luna Channels the Easter Bunny

Two ladies, both counted among the most exciting visual artists working today, take over SLab and 20Square to give us two very distinct experiences: Continue reading →