Alwin Reamillo, "Untitled (Crab Eye)", shredded bank notes and mixed media on crabshell in plexiglass
I approach group shows with trepidation, frequently hoping I don’t find a hodgepodge of pieces haphazardly thrown together merely to make up the numbers. Although Manila’s most recent group exhibits (at least the ones I’ve managed to catch) have not given cause for complaint. Neither does Post No Bill, just opened at Manila Contemporary. Continue reading
Rumor had it that Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI) would discontinue its support of the Philippine Art Awards after this year, a competition they first established 1994. Luckily for us, Dannie Alvarez, Executive Director of the Philippine Art Awards (PAA) Secretariat has quickly dispelled this notion. Continue reading
Original art deco doors at Casa Roces' Daily Mirror room
If you happen to find yourself in need of an art fix down Malacañang’s way, in the environs of the historic San Miguel district of Manila, head straight for Casa Roces on JP Laurel Street. Peachy Roces Prieto and her daughter, jewelry designer Bianca Santos, took an uninhabited family home and transformed it into a venue for wonderful meals and exhibiting art. Continue reading
Louie Cordero, "No Future, No Title No. 11"
Over at West Gallery, Louie Cordero and Jacob Lindo bring us the exciting possibilities of collages. As part of the gallery’s monthly quartet of exhibits, both artists have coincidentally mounted solo shows that make use of this art making technique. We witness how a similar approach yields to two distinct aesthetics. Continue reading
Because we normally calculate prices per square foot of canvas, we’ve been programmed to equate bigger with better when it comes to paintings. Bragging rights go to those who snag an exhibit’s largest piece. While massive paintings certainly impress, and do show off an artist’s skill to great advantage, something must be said for works more intimately sized. How refreshing for Tin-aw to mount a show that celebrates diminutive pieces, pint-sized in all but the talent they showcase. Continue reading
Elmer Borlongan, "Laklak", 1994
Kim Atienza inadvertently set me on the road to art addiction. In 2003, one of the pieces from his collection, Alfredo Esquillo Jr.’s Mamakinley, held me in thrall at the Whitney Museum. The quest to learn more about an artist I hadn’t heard of till then lured me into the world of contemporary Philippine art. I’ve been fixated ever since. Continue reading
Charlie Co, "Checkmates", special installation for Art In The Park
Some of you may know about my association with Art In The Park, the annual affordable art fair. I thought that because of my involvement with the event, from when it was first conceived in 2006, it would not be all the thing to feature it in this blog before. However, after six years, it no longer seems presumptuous to assume that Art In The Park has found its place in Manila’s art scene. Still, it felt better to have someone else post their own account of the fair.
I turn this space over to RCS, The Man On The Bench, part time artophile and full time purveyor of the written word. Continue reading
What would you get if you crossed some Anselm Kiefer and a dose of Joseph Cornell with Chucky from Child’s Play, the 80s slasher flick? Probably something bordering on the incredible spectacle created by Oca Villamiel at Light And Space Contemporary. Oca wanted to recreate the experience of the Payatas dumpsite in this solo show he calls Stories Of Our Time. He immersed himself with the residents of the infamous landfill, an enormous tract of land in Quezon City, north of Metro Manila, sharing in the daily drudgery of those who call it home. Continue reading
David Cortez Medalla, "Self-Portrait"
Welcome to the blockbuster exhibit—Manila style.
Leave it to the private collector to take up the slack of our state museums. Lucky for us, Paulino Que has always been generous about bringing out portions of his collection for the public’s delectation. As Manila’s biggest collector of Filipiniana, no important exhibit is complete without something of Paulino’s on view, be it one on religious ivory figurines or pre-Hispanic terracotta ossuaries. Continue reading
Roberto Chabet, "PIERO", 1999
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) throbbed with activity when I arrived Saturday morning. Even if I did beat the crowds who would come later for Mamma Mia’s matinee, an activity in the Little Theater, plus Cinemalaya auditions, meant more groups of people than usual milled about the basement and the fourth floor. In the third floor, however, the usual quiet reigned over Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino and Bulwagang Juan Luna, the main gallery, where the bulk of the pieces for Roberto Chabet’s To Be Continued had been installed. Continue reading