Annie Cabigting, Warhol's grave, for "Black and White Under A Shroud of Gray and Gray"
Apologies for the sparse postings, but somehow, a project we undertook a few months ago has morphed into Art Fair Philippines 2013, and now it seems that every free minute of the day has been devoted to that beast! For more information—yes, shameless plug!—please do check out www.artfairphilippines.com or https://www.facebook.com/artfairph Continue reading
Noi Gonzales, "Pakikisama", at Pinto Art Gallery
I’ve been stranded in the seven kingdoms of Westeros these past few weeks, ensnared by the five mammoth volumes of The Game of Thrones. I thought it high time to come back to reality, to catch up on Manila’s art scene—my original form of escape. I wanted to see some exhibits that were due to close, and to make sure I made it to some of this weekend’s more promising openings.
My two-day art binge took me from the heart of Taguig’s Global City, to the streets of Makati and yonder, all the way up to the hills of Antipolo. Continue reading
Rodel Tapaya, "Kagat Daliri", detail
Rodel Tapaya mounts an exhibit of paintings in a style he knows best, what art writer Professor Alice Guillermo labels in her essay, The Hauntings of Rodel Tapaya, as cultural surrealism. He continues to mine our Filipino folk traditions for narratives that he can translate onto his canvases. This time, he casts his eye on superstitious beliefs, adages passed down from those wives of yore, practices that still come alive in parts of the country untouched by urban jadedness. Continue reading
Elmer Borlongan, "Sto. Nino and Monsters Mattress"
“Not a day without a line” has been stenciled onto a wall at the rear of Pinto Art Gallery. This quote, from Vincent Van Gogh, welcomes viewers to a room full of Elmer Borlongan’s drawings, a section of his exhibit devoted to pen and
ink studies of the oil paintings scattered elsewhere in the gallery. It repeats a mantra that Emong lives by, one that may very well provide the secret to his continued success. Continue reading
Salingpusa Collective, "Karnabal", 1992
Elmer Borlongan, "Walang Iwanan", 1999 and "Hating Kapatid", 1993
Only Dr. Joven Cuanang can make Manila’s culturati trek all the way to the hills of Antipolo early on a Sunday morning. Continue reading