Category Archives: manila art scene


Today and Tomorrow: A Selection From The Charlie Cojuangco Collection

Antipas Delotavo, "Sandaan Taon, Panels 1 to 5"

What a great way for the art scene to start the year!  Charlie Cojuangco hangs selected pieces from his art collection. As far as I know, this marks the first time his paintings have been shown publicly.   The show also serves as the formal opening of his space, Nova Gallery.  Charlie has been actively collecting art from the mid-1990s.  The works on view reflect his partiality towards figurative paintings, most of them by  noted socio-realists. Continue reading →


My Favorite Shows of 2009

It turns out, I chose one per quarter.  These are personal favorites, exhibits in commercial spaces I found unforgettable. I don’t  expect universal approval.  Feel free to disagree.   Here goes (in chronological order): Continue reading →


Boxed At Blanc

I expected the usual chock-a-block exhibit of paintings that Manila galleries love to mount every December to wrap up the year.

Ling Quisumbing Ramilo, "Salvavida"

Instead, I walked into an intelligent discourse among women artists that yielded a variety of enjoyable pieces. Continue reading →


Philippine Art Awards (Metro Manila and Luzon) at the National Museum

Toti Cerda, "Broken Vows'

It’s a great time to swing by the National Museum.  For history buffs, War and Dissent looks at the Philippine-American War from 1898 to 1915 and examines both sides of the conflict in meticulous detail.  For fashionistas, the Slim Retrospective offers a rare glimpse of Salvacion Lim Higgins’ exquisite creations from the 1950s to the 1990s.  And for us art addicts, the Philippine Art Awards exhibit of winners starts today. Continue reading →


Into The Woods With Yasmin Sison

yasmin delicate earthquakes

Yasmin Sison, "Delicate Earthquakes"

Yasmin Sison, "The Bird And The Fox"

Yasmin Sison, "The Bird and the Fox"

Blink and you discover that you’ve missed around five good exhibits.  At least that’s how I feel after returning from a short trip and finding myself swamped with so much work that art had to take a back seat for a few days.  It seems I have so much to catch up on.  I decided to make my first foray back into the art scene with the most high profile of shows, Yasmin Sison Ching’s Into The Woods at the SM Art Center.

Yasmin A fistful of impermanence

Yasmin Sison, "A Fistful of Impermanence"

Continue reading →


Gilda’s Wondrous Whimsical Watercolors

gilda biyaheng pinoy

Gilda Cordero Fernando, "Biyaheng Pinoy"

(This piece comes out in the November issue of Town And Country Magazine.  In the course of writing this, I spent an exhilarating afternoon with GCF.  As an added bonus to the great conversation, she allowed me to wander through her art collection.  I am sharing pictures of her pieces in this post.) Continue reading →


Bolipata and Borlongan, A Two-Part Invention

Elmer Borlongan, "Pamilyang Menthol", 1994

Elmer Borlongan, "Pamilyang Menthol", 1994

Elmer Borlongan, "Girl in a Bathtub", 2009 and Plet Bolipata, "

Elmer Borlongan, "Woman In The Bathtub", 2009 and Plet Bolipata, "Variations on the Blue Hour: Appassionata", 2008

In this show, Elmer Borlongan and Plet Bolipata bring out selected pieces of their own paintings from their personal collection. As the exhibit notes explain, the title of the show comes from a musical movement where two distinct melodies play simultaneously.  Continue reading →


The Ateneo Art Awards 2009

Ateneo Art Awards Short-listed Artists with Judges and Sponsors (photo from R. Jalandoni)

Ateneo Art Awards Short-listed Artists with Fr. Nebres of the Ateneo, Richie Lerma of the Ateneo Art Gallery, judges, and sponsors (photo from Rani Jalandoni)

Michelline Syuco with a piece from "Armadillon"

Michelline Syuco with a piece from "Armadillon"

Well, I got two of the three winners right, and the third I actually picked as a runner-up, so I guess I didn’t do too badly in predicting this year’s recipients of the Ateneo Art Awards.  I had a feeling the two-dimensional pieces would be passed over, no matter how excellently-made.  All in all, the quality of the short-listed artists only bodes well for the future of Philippine art.  I am proud to say I saw all but two of the shows in situ.  It was great to relive them at the Ateneo Art Gallery’s display at Shangri-La Plaza Mall.  Of course the experience does not come close to actually viewing the shows (where was Patty’s lace piano?), but still, you do get a feel for the sensibilities of each of the artists.  How exhilarating to witness the diversity!

Detail from Michelline Syjuco's "Armadillon"

Detail from Michelline Syjuco's "Armadillon", shown at Mag:net

 

Raul Manzano, Editor-In-Chief of Metro Society, one of the night's sponsors

Raul Manzano, Editor-In-Chief of Metro Society, one of the night's sponsors

Continue reading →


Roberto Feleo at The Drawing Room

Roberto Feleo, "Ang Pinteng ni Pedro Mateo", note flaming headress for decapitated Ifugao warriors

Roberto Feleo, "Ang Pinteng ni Pedro Mateo", note flaming headress for decapitated Ifugao warriors

When an artist of Roberto Feleo’s stature puts together a show of recent works, you try and make time to see it.  Admittedly, art took a back seat this past week. I stayed glued to the tv or to my laptop following current events as they unraveled, leading up to the momentous People’s Funeral of President Cory Aquino.  But an exhibit by Feleo does not happen every year, and with The Drawing Room just a fifteen-minute car ride away, I found myself taking a break from all the news. Continue reading →