Category Archives: arts and culture


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 →


Like by Pam Yan-Santos

Like can mean so many different things.  Like as akin to.  Like as a predisposition for. Like to denote approval of.  When you view  Pam Yan-Santos’ latest solo show, you come to understand that like also reveals the longing that a young mother hopes for the future of her son. 

Color the Picture

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Pam’s seven pieces revolve around Juno, her only child.  In Color  the Picture, he gets his hair cut, the first time without embracing arms to   support him,  the repeated clicking of metal shears  inducing unavoidable unease.  In Open Line two children, a boy and a girl, stand not quite close enough, yet not too far apart, their eyes almost, but not really, making contact.  What does the future hold for the chance of relationships?  Positive Thoughts  turns into a mantra chanted repeatedly by a young father to keep his frustrations at bay. We forget that the innocuous birthday party of Make A Cake! Make A Cake,  all pink and pretty and filled with balloons, actually serves as a child’s first foray into social relationships, a chance for friendships forged or awkwardness magnified.  In the diptych Circle Time  boys come together and play.  In the revelry and boisterousness of their games, who can detect who is different?

Open Line

Open Line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Positive Thoughts

Positive Thoughts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The richness of Pam’s work lies in her success at combining her skills as both printmaker and painter.  The multiple layers of serigraphs and silk screens, finished off by her acrylic images, all come together in one impeccable, robust, textured, completely satisfying whole.  I like.

Circle Time

Circle Time

Like by Pam Yan-Santos is on view at Blanc Compound from 3 to 21 Nov. 2008.  Blanc Compound is at 359 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City.  Log on to www.blanc.ph or call (632) 752-0032 for more details.  Exhibit is curated by Leo Abaya

Hello Everybody

Hello Everybody

Pam with Eileen Ramirez of the Lopez Museum

Pam with Eileen Ramirez of the Lopez Museum


Amorsolo-lite

Four months, seven museums, one book, one gala— whew!  One big tribute to the first Filipino National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo.  Manila has never seen such a comprehensive retrospective before.  Amidst all the women, and rice rituals, and portraits, and landscapes with Philippine light shining ever so bright, the smallest exhibit looms largest in my memory:  Tell-tale:  the Artist as Storyteller, Amorsolo as Co-author at the Lopez Memorial Museum. 

Perhaps it is the space that encourages this feeling of intimacy with Amorsolo the illustrator.  Or perhaps the works themselves  work their charm on the viewer,  revealing a casual, sometimes irreverent, side to the legendary man. True to form, the museum’s curatorial team inject

Ikoy Recio Soap Parade

Ikoy Ricio Soap Parade

elements of contemporary art into this body of early 20th century drawings, water colors, and ink wash pieces via Ikoy Ricio’s sawdust sculpture and small paintings.  Ikoy’s work, interspersed alongside the original Amorsolo pieces from which he derives them, contribute to the

Ikoy Recio Coat Sprint

Ikoy Ricio Coat Sprint

delight,  whimsically bringing to life Amorsolo’s illustrations:  the dancing pillow, the sprinting coat, the dangling monkey.  Another appealing touch:  actual reproductions of the books where Amorsolo’s illustrations appeared.  Faithful down to the color of paper used, these interactive components literally put a handle on how it feels to appreciate the maestro.

Ikoy Recio Shoe Skulk

Ikoy Ricio Shoe Skulk

Tell-tale:  the Artist as Storyteller, Amorsolo as Co-author is at the Lopez Memorial Museum until 4 April 2009.  For more about the Lopez Musuem, check  out www.lopezmuseum.org.ph.  For more about His Art Our Heart Amorsolo Retrospective, log on to www.amorsoloretro.com


Special Preview: Biboy Delotavo in Singapore

On Nov. 6, Antipas Delotavo opens his show, Street Guide: A Roadmap From Home at the Artesan Art Gallery in Singapore.

Classic Delotavo, the quietness of his canvases conceal the strength of his message. In his hands, the Pinoy OFW emerges from the anonymous multitudes that walk the streets of the city. A tribute from a countryman that feels for their plight.


30 Hours in Singapore: ArtSingapore, the Biennale, Christie’s Preview, Thai Encounter, and Dinner with a National Artist

Identities by Ronald Ventura

Identities by Ronald Ventura

Sometimes, a journey planned spontaneously turns out more interesting than one crafted around a carefully drawn up itinerary.  About two weeks ago, this is exactly what happened to me when a last-minute trip to the Lion City yielded a surprising bonanza of memorable exploits.

Turning Back by Ronald Ventura

Turning Back by Ronald Ventura

Continue reading →


8 Printmakers at Avellana Art Gallery

Pandy Aviado Installation

Pandy Aviado Installation

I always look forward to Albert Avellana’s opening nights.   When I finally turn into the gates of 2680 FB Harrison St., I know that I have not only put the bumper to bumper congestion of EDSA behind me, I  have also shed off the strain and stress of my mundane workday.  Here, where art hardly ever is mainstream, one never gets visually assaulted.  Works are appreciated as they should be, never piled one atop the other like a grade school classroom’s bulletin board of perfectly done math tests.

Albert’s gallery provided the perfect setting for Pandy Aviado, Ambie Abano, Joey Cobcobo, Benjie Torrado Cabrera, Evelyn Collantes, Florencio Concepcion, Noell El Farol, and Eugene Jarque to display the versatility of their printmaking.  In the red alcove on the first floor, I loved Pandy’s hanging installation of

Ambie's faces

Ambie

clear bottles (Tanduay Rum?) housing tiny prints on paper.  Upstairs, both Ambie and Joey  show woodblock prints alongside the actual pieces of carved wood, sculpture onto themselves, used to make the imprints.  Ambie Abano’s faces have long been a favorite with me.  It’s great when Ambie, who is also the President of the Printmakers Association of the Philippines, gets back to what she does best, displaying the talent that landed her the grand prize at the 2006 Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards.  Benjie Cabrera, on the other hand, presented delicately engraved acrylic panels, bent and curved to catch light at just the right angles.  Printmaking in a most unusual medium.

Joey Cobcobo

Joey Cobcobo

Another great thing about going to Albert’s:  once I’ve had my fill of the exhibit currently on display, his backroom, actually two other houses further inside the compound, can be thoroughly explored and sifted through, frequently yielding treasures from exhibits past.  Then there is also Eric Paras’ furniture atelier to visit, with his export line of beds, desks, dining sets, and small knick-knacks, perfect for gifts, spread out over three other houses.

Finally, after my sense of sight has been completely nourished, I naturally gravitate to the side garden of the main gallery.  Here, weather permitting, I can sit back and enjoy great conversation as I sip perfectly chilled wine,  twirl Albert’s pasta around my fork, jazz or classical music softly playing in the background.

Benjie Cabrera Engraving

Benjie Cabrera Engraving

8 Printmakers was exhibited at Avellana Art Gallery from Sept. 3 to 30, 2008.  Avellana Art Gallery is at a compound in 2680 FB Harrison St., Pasay City, phone no:(632)833-8357

Eugene Jarque

Eugene Jarque


Art Beijing, 798, and Two Great Restaurants

Possessed of airline miles that had to be redeemed before the month was out, I conceived the idea of flying to Beijing after all the Olympic hoopla had settled.  My friend, Dindin Araneta of Art Cabinet Philippines, signed up to participate in Art Beijing, from September 5 to 9, and I thought it would be interesting to tag along.  Art, history, good friends, the perfect mix for a much-needed respite.  I definitely got more than I bargained for, but Beijing did not disappoint. Continue reading →


September IS Arts Month!

 

Courtesy of Blanc Art Space
Courtesy of Blanc Art Space

That’s how September of 08 seemed to me, which began with seven art-filled days in Beijing, followed by four exhibit openings in Manila, one Museum Foundation members’ fellowship at the Silverlens Gallery, lunch with a Spanish contemporary arts researcher, and the Finale Gallery Warehouse inauguration.  Flood and rain made me miss three of the four Fernando Amorsolo retrospective cocktails (the exhibits are on for a few more months anyway) and the Metrobank MADE Awards.  Tonight, the 27th, there is Joven Mansit’s exhibit at the Boston Gallery to view.  And still three days of the month left.  Who knows what else may pop up!