Jay and Lee Amante with a piece by Lynyrd Paras at the Blanc booth
For the first time in an art event, I found myself watching the people present more than I looked at the art on display. Continue reading
Scenes from Manilart 09
Category Archives: manila art scene
Thirteen Artists at the CCP 2009
Exhibit entrance
With the crowds surging around me, it felt like Megamall a day before Christmas rather than the middle of July at the bastion of Philippine culture. Thirteen artists stood onstage, each one clutching what looked like mega-sized, brightly-colored, multi-layered snow cones. The ceremony marked the formal recognition of the triennial Thirteen Artists Awards, given to progressive artists below the age of 40, successors to the original Thirteen Moderns who had challenged the accepted notions of 
Philippine art seventy years ago. Continue reading
Wonderful Sculpture at the De La Salle University Museum
Junyee, Pintados series
Poklong and Marina at the Ateneo Art Gallery
Un/Fold Marina Cruz Exhibit Installation
One year after winning the 2008 Ateneo Art Awards, Poklong Anading and Marina Cruz Garcia bring us two shows, both coming off from their respective residency grants from the Common Room Networks Foundation in Bandung, Indonesia and the La Trobe University Visual Arts Center in Sydney.
Serendipity at Silverlens
At the gallery's foyer, a grouping of the works of Julius Clar, Kawayan de Guia, Neil Oshima, and Allan Razo
I have conscioulsy refrained from writing about photograph exhibits. I can appreciate good composition, and to a certain extent, great lighting. I even follow some of the contemporary art practitioners who work with this medium. Cindy Sherman and her manifold manifestations fascinates me. Its just that I am a total ignoramus when it comes to the processes used to bring forth photographic images. A real handicap because in the art of photography, just as it is in printmaking, a knowledge of the techniques employed by the artist deepens one’s appreciation of the final output. Continue reading
Creations in Clay
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"
earth with their hands. These artists help us appreciate this creative expression today. Continue reading
America Ain’t That Sweet for Hannah Pettyjohn and Small Wonders at Mag:net Ayala
Hannah Pettyjohn, "DFW RIP (Urban Sprawl)" and "American Mary"
AMERICAN SWEET BY HANNAH PETTYJOHN
A little more than two years ago, half- American Hannah Pettyjohn spent time in Texas to reconnect with her roots. While there, she worked at a geotechnical engineering lab, lived in a white house that looked exactly like all the other houses in the neighborhood, got to know her father’s family, and read David Foster Wallace. Continue reading
Snippets from the New York Art Scene
The King of Pop: Warhol at the MOMA
Francis Bacon, "Painting 1946" at the MOMA
The mood of the art market remains subdued, fallen from the delirious highs of recent years, with galleries and auction houses victims of the sub-prime crisis, bankrupt banks, and Bernard Madoff investments. Yet, New York has seen worse, though perhaps not in recent years, with a proven resilience that allows it to stay at the center of the art universe. As is true with everything else in the city, the art scene offers something for every inclination, from the old European masters, to the American mid-century greats, to the experimental conceptual expressions of today. There’s just always something going on, and as much as I wanted to, I had to tell myself I couldn’t possibly see everything in one visit. Continue reading
Viewing The Paulino Que Collection of Young Contemporary Artists (aka, The I Wish They Were Mine Show)
Three years ago, Ambeth Ocampo arranged for the
Kim Atienza and Ayala Museum's Ken Esguerra with Jojo Legaspi's "St Thelma"
Board of Trustees of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines to view Paulino and Hetty Que’s collection of Philippine art and historical objets. Ambeth, perhaps only half-kidding, dubbed the occasion the tour of the”… real National Gallery”. As he took us through the assembly of works, from Juan Luna’s canvases, to Fabian dela Rosa’s landscapes, then onto the Amorsolos, and the Thirteen Moderns, from the Ben Cabs to the Ang Kiukoks, we realized what Ambeth meant. The staggering display covered the whole gamut of Philippine art history from Damian Domingo’s Academia de Dibujo to the 1980s. Continue reading
Tin-Aw Turns One!
Don Salubayba "The Best Unit of Oneself is Oneself"
When Dawn Atienza decided to finally open her own gallery, she knew the kind of place she longed for. Aside from an easily accessible location, she wanted her space to simulate the relaxed, informal atmoshpere of Art In The Park, the Museum Foundation’s annual affordable art fair. Continue reading