Exhibit installation view
Three colleagues come together for Cosmetic Order, the exhibit now running at MO Space. To quote from the wall notes, this show “…takes from the artists’ fairly recent entanglements with superficiality.” Continue reading
I can’t remember the last time Kiko Escora mounted a solo exhibit. We’ve kept up to date with his work largely through The Drawing Room’s participation in art fairs and his own intermittent appearances in group shows around Manila. This one, then, is long overdue. Continue reading
By Andres Barrioquinto
For his solo exhibit, Shadow Dancer, Andres Barrioquinto continues with his series of portraits embellished by elements from Japanese prints. He has taken this direction for the past two years, decidedly moving away from the darker, mildly grotesque, faces of his early paintings into the realm of the decorative. Andy has adopted the bright palette associated with these prints— bright purples, and oranges, and reds— piling on layers of traditional Japanese figures (the samurai, the geisha, the theater actor) as adornments that partially obscure his subjects’ features. Continue reading
Natee Utarit, "Economy Lesson"
For many of us who keep abreast of the Southeast Asian contemporary art scene, Natee Utarit is a rock star. Arguably Thailand’s best-known painter, he enjoys the same stature that Manila accords Ronald Ventura or Geraldine Javier. Like them, he is a familiar presence in the auction circuit. Natee has exhibited extensively throughout the region, including solo shows in China and Korea. Last year, the Singapore Art Museum mounted a mid-career retrospective of the 41-year-old’s work. Continue reading
By Jigger Cruz
The skull must be to us as the peace sign was to the hippies and rebels of the 1960s and 70s. We see it everywhere, on everything. The visual arts, especially, has adopted it an all manner of works. Damien Hirst’s For The Love of God counts as one of the more notorious ones in recent history, platinum cast and encrusted in diamonds, priced at close to $100 million dollars. Unfazed by the controversy created by the sale (or non-sale, depending on which report one subscribes to), the artist made another one, this time using the cast of an infant’s skull, to inaugurate the Gagosian Gallery’s Hong Kong branch early this year. He called this second version For Heaven’s Sake. Continue reading
Maya Munoz, "Untitled V"
Maya Muñoz and Kiko Escora enjoy a reputation for consistent work. Their two-person exhibit, Short Frictions, now on its second week at Manila Contemporary, does nothing to dispel this notion. You could even say that Sidd Perez, the exhibit’s curator, succeeds in prodding them slightly from their norm. This has resulted in pieces that do them both credit, Maya more so than Kiko, in my opinion. Continue reading
I don’t usually post events like these, but when the proceeds go to a worthy cause, I feel I should help spread the word.
Now on its third year, MaARTe has been envisioned by the Museum Foundation of the Philippines as a bazaar to showcase one-of-a-kind artisanal items that celebrate Filipino craftsmanship. It opened yesterday, October 21, and will run until Sunday, October 23 at SLab. MAARTE complements Art Flood, the Silverlens group’s annual charity art sale. This year, Art Flood’s beneficiary is the Sagip Buhay Foundation. Continue reading
Joseph T. de Juras, "Signa Temporum", detail
Every two years, since 1994, Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. has taken the lead in organizing the Philippine Art Awards (PAA). Since its inception, the competition has yielded an impressive roster of winners: Gabby Barredo, Peewee Roldan, Alfredo Esquillo Jr., Winner Jumalon, Alfredo Aquilizan, Kawayan de Guia, Ambie Abaño, Marina Cruz, Joy Mallari, Mark Justiniani, Nona Garcia, Ronald Ventura. A panel of judges chooses ten winners from four regions (Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao) to further compete for one Grand Prize and seven Juror’s Choices. Continue reading
Roberto Chabet, "Redon Window/ Black Room, White Window", 1963
Of all the exhibits in the yearlong survey of Roberto Chabet’s art, I enjoyed this one the most. It has been the only one—so far—that has allowed us a glimpse into Mr. Chabet’s personal relationships, a hint of the persona behind the formidable reputation. While his role as a mentor has been frequently emphasized, this show has given us a chance to appreciate his interactions with his peers, an earlier phase in his artistic practice. Continue reading
Rodel Tapaya, "Kagat Daliri", detail
Rodel Tapaya mounts an exhibit of paintings in a style he knows best, what art writer Professor Alice Guillermo labels in her essay, The Hauntings of Rodel Tapaya, as cultural surrealism. He continues to mine our Filipino folk traditions for narratives that he can translate onto his canvases. This time, he casts his eye on superstitious beliefs, adages passed down from those wives of yore, practices that still come alive in parts of the country untouched by urban jadedness. Continue reading