The Ateneo Art Awards Shortlist for 2012
A three-channel video installation documenting seafarers from a small Visayan island, two multi-piece sculptural installations, and a video celebrating the quirkiness of the jeepney: this year’s Ateneo Art Awards went to works firmly rooted on local sensibilities, translated by three talented artists with global perspectives. Continue reading
Noi Gonzales, "Pakikisama", at Pinto Art Gallery
I’ve been stranded in the seven kingdoms of Westeros these past few weeks, ensnared by the five mammoth volumes of The Game of Thrones. I thought it high time to come back to reality, to catch up on Manila’s art scene—my original form of escape. I wanted to see some exhibits that were due to close, and to make sure I made it to some of this weekend’s more promising openings.
My two-day art binge took me from the heart of Taguig’s Global City, to the streets of Makati and yonder, all the way up to the hills of Antipolo. Continue reading
Mariano Ching, "Under The Western Sky Series 3"
The exhibit’s title did puzzle me, but it should have clued me in. Clint Eastwood in Hats On, Bottoms Off shows works inspired by Westerns—the cowboys and Indians variety, an odd, unexpected choice of concepts. But a chat with artist Allan Balisi, who had thought this up with Cos Zicarelli, revealed that there is nothing more to this than a bunch of cowboy movie enthusiasts getting together to produce work. Everyone in the group was game enough to stick to the plan. Continue reading
When Gary-Ross Pastrana conceptualized On The Radar: 6 New Symptoms, he went back to the original brief for SLab, the gallery where the show now runs. SLab or Silverlens Lab had been intended as a space that welcomes visual arts
Maria Jeona, "Identity crazy, your own worst enemy, hair and makeup by Maria Jeona"
experiments, a complement to silverlens, Manila’s first gallery devoted to photography projects. What better way to revisit this thrust than to put together an exhibit of six artists who have just started making names for themselves? As the exhibit’s curator, Gary gave them a bit of a nudge and a push, required nothing drastic, but squeezed out more from what they are currently doing. Continue reading
As I walked around Blanc’s original space to view Dina Gadia’s current solo exhibit, I remembered a cramped hole in the wall
Dina Gadia with "Action 2"
that I chanced upon two years ago in Hong Kong. Squeezed in between antique stores and art galleries in Hollywood Road, the tiny space sold vintage Chinese cinema banners and bundles of ancestor portraits. Dina’s current crop of paintings would have fit right in.
Jay Pacena, Allan Balisi, and Dina with "Walk"
How Does That Grab You Darling takes off from Dina’s fascination with B-movie posters from the 1930s to the 1970s. She uses bright, even acidic, shades that give off a retro vibe. Her compositions, usually of various images and texts juxtaposed as if pasted atop each other in layers, look more like collages than painted images. Her background in advertising and graphic design comes out very strongly. As do her Pop Art influences.
Dina Gadia, "Foul Horror"
You hear a bit of a buzz about Dina Gadia from art collectors these days. This show certainly provides sustenance to her fans.
How Does That Grab You Darling runs from 16 April to 8 May 2010 at Blanc Art Space, 2E Crown Tower, 170 HV Dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati City. Phone(632)752-0032 or visit http://www.blanc.ph
Mixed media piece by Dina Gadia
Dina Gadia, "Dynamite 2"
By Dina Gadia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKUKwX8WAKE