Tag Archives: Tin-Aw


Alwin Reamillo’s Balut Rain and Reign at Tin-Aw

Exhibit installation view

You didn’t need to hunt for eggs at Tin-aw this Easter.  Alwin Reamillo had them everywhere:  hanging from the ceiling, leaning on shelves, spread out over the low table at the center of the gallery.  On opening night, he even had some of them warming inside a pot, ready to be put in a basket, then taken out into busy Makati Avenue.  AngBalutViand, A Transcultural Project by Alwin Reamillo represents the Manila leg of an undertaking that started in Hong Kong, part of the territory’s annual Art Walk. Continue reading →


Don Salubayba Pops Up!

Don Salubayba takes on the role of storyteller in Lamat, his one-man exhibit now on view at Tin-Aw Art Gallery. He

Don Salubayba, "Pinag-uugatan", mixed media on wood, 12"x24"

turns to his inclinations as an animator, honed through his involvement with the Anino Shadowplay Collective, in this attempt to bring to life a legend on the origin of the Philippines. Continue reading →


Happy Birthday Tin-Aw!

Jose John Santos III, "Clouded"

In my book, Tin-Aw holds the title as Makati’s most convivial gallery (Art Informal gets my vote for the Ortigas area).  How often have I stopped by for a quick look, only to end up staying longer than intended, chatting and laughing with other art lovers who also just happen to drop by?   Where else do you run into art superstars Mark Justiniani, Joy Mallari, Geraldine Javier, or Alfredo Esquillo Jr., and get to sit down with them as old friends?  Here, art is taken seriously, but is never intimidating.  You get treated with the same amount of charm, and welcomed with the same offer for Chocnut or coffee, whether you happen to be super collector Paulino Que or Mr. Newbie To The Art Scene.  Therein lies the secret to Tin-Aw’s success, the reason we all keep coming back to see what treasures their backroom holds. Continue reading →


Anting Anting Turns Ten

Alfredo Esquillo Jr., "Pangakong Langit"

Alfredo Esquillo Jr., "Pangakong Langit"

When we think of Cavite, we think of Emilio Aguinaldo hoisting the flag of the first Philippine Republic from his balcony in Kawit, of the tulisans that struck fear and terror on average folk, of Ramon Revilla, as Nardong Putik, brandishing his agimat against the forces of evil.  We also know the agimat as the anting-anting, an amulet against danger and death, one’s defense against bodily harm. Continue reading →


Creations in Clay

Anna Varona, "Revolution No. 9"

Anna Varona, "Revolution No. 9"

What a terrific coincidence that two leading galleries opened shows this week featuring terracotta and ceramic sculpture, pottery, and other stoneware pieces. What a great opportunity to see works from a cross-section of artists working with clay, from the old established hands of Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn and Julie Lluch, to the Negros sculptors Joe Geraldo and Mark Valenzuela, to up-and-coming artists Anna Varona and Pablo Capati. All the great civilizations, from the Egyptians onward, have molded

Aba Lluch Dalena, "Askal"

Aba Lluch Dalena, "Askal"

earth with their hands. These artists help us appreciate this creative expression today. Continue reading →


Reclaiming Esqui

Siyam-Siyam

Siyam-Siyam

I have Alfredo Esquillo Jr. to blame for my art addiction.  In 2003, I stumbled upon his work while viewing The American Effect, an exhibit at the Whitney Museum in New York.  That piece, Mamakinley, depicting a bonneted and beribboned William Mckinley cradling a little brown Filipino baby in his claws, stayed rooted in my mind, so

Prodigal Son

Prodigal Son

arresting and powerful it was.  Up til then, my exposure to Philippine art had been that of the so-called masters, the artists of my parents generation.  I did not realize that the art of my own time could be just as compelling. Continue reading →