Gallery Nine opens Year of the Water Rabbit, a Sculpture Show, as a 5th edition of its annual Chinese New Year presentation.
The exhibit also highlights the diversity of sculptural media as rendered in metal, wood, glass, stone, resin and more, using techniques from traditional to state-of-the-art.
Participating artists are Roy Michael Alejandrino, Ral Arrogante, Mark Gil Berenguela, Jeff Dahilan, James Frani Dayrit, Fhiexbird Orozco, Harold Gomez, Jose Jose, Marlon Lucenara, Ram Mallari Jr, Pepe Mendoza, Jerry Morada, Sam Penaso, Lucky Salayog, Jinggoy Salcedo, Michael Torres, Jik Villanueva, Sheldon Villanueva, and Melissa Yeung Yap.
The show runs from 9 February to 23 March at Gallery Nine, SM Megamall and can be viewed online from 12 February onwards at http://www.galleryninemanila.com. For inquiries, call Bea at 09778073369.
Featured photos: Works of Ram Mallari, Jinggoy Salcedo, and Roy Michael Alejandrino
“Artistic Legacies” presents an intimate look into these artistic families and their artistic journeys, from the catalyst to their continuing legacies.
Family values are deeply etched into our culture as Filipinos. It is considered the foundation of an individual’s social life. The bond between a parent and a child can be considered sacred even. A relationship should hold values such as respect, discipline, honor, love, and everything good under the sun.
“Artistic Legacies” presents an intimate look into these artistic families and their artistic journeys, from the catalyst to their continuing legacies. The exhibition proves how art can be an instrument for uniting families and teaching family values.
Mabunga by Ramon Orlina
Unnatural Beauty by Raul Lebajo
Love Dance by Eduardo Castrillo
The exhibition also aims to show the artistic journeys that branched from generation to generation, highlighting the importance of family. The artworks on display are works that have come from these families that take their art and their family to heart. A special bond between them will stand the test of time and last for generations to come.
The participating artists include Ramon Orlina, Anna Orlina, Michael Orlina, Eduardo Castrillo, Mierro Castrillo, Nixxio Castrillo, Ovvian Castrillo-Hill, Fil Delacruz, Janos Delacruz, Emmanuel Garibay, Alee Garibay, Bam Garibay, Nina Garibay, Raul Lebajo, Gio Lebajo, and Nikulas Lebajo.
Opening ceremonies of the exhibition will be held at the Reflections Gallery of Museo Orlina on January 29, 2023, at 3 pm. The exhibition will run until March 31, 2023.
For more information, you may call Museo Orlina at tel. no (046) 413 2581 mobile no: +63 995 7354462 or e-mail them at info@museo-orlina.org.
For her forthcoming second solo exhibit in October, the artist will showcase her “Belle Fleur” series calling for women’s empowerment.
There is truly no limit to what a woman can do. Artist Mylene Quito proves this with her second solo exhibit this coming October 2022 at Ayala Malls Manila Bay featuring her “Belle Fleur” series calling for women empowerment. She hopes to inspire women to follow their passion, continue to reinvent themselves, and bloom.
The black backdrop in the Belle Fleur collection symbolizes all the dark times and failures she experienced throughout her art journey. Quito recalls all the painful storms she went through and reminisces an episode where a critic said she will not make it. Claiming she wasn’t talented enough, and would never succeed without their help . . . all of which she now feels thankful for as she realized it only made her stronger.
Every painting in the collection are flowers that symbolize the diversity of women – soft, sweet, powerful; all silhouetted with golden linings – symbolic of rebirth and indestructibility. “No matter what a woman’s flaws and imperfections are, we are uniquely beautiful,” Quito shares.
The Lotus is one of her favorite pieces, a testimony of human resilience and unwavering spirit; also a flower often associated with rebirth and enlightenment. Latched in mud, it submerges in the river and blooms sparkling clean in the morning. Similar to life, we are filled with different problems and anxieties but we will always find a way to rise.
From her La Familia exhibit inspired by her childhood roots, Quito pushes for more greatness beyond as she conquers the Philippine art industry.
From one woman in bloom to another, she says, “Once you become a successful woman, remember to raise others. Start a domino [effect] through your kindness and always remember to stay grounded.”
The studio is a ground-breaking project of one of the respected icons of Philippine visual arts, Raul Lebajo.
This year marks the 80th birthday of one of the respected icons of Philippine visual arts, master surrealist Raul Lebajo. What makes the celebration significant is that it coincides with the fulfillment of his ground-breaking project – a studio – which now houses his masterpieces, old and new, and can showcase them to a range of art lovers and collectors, even to up-and-coming artists.
Nestled inside the sprawling Lebajo ArtFarm and family resort in Sinaliw Malaki, Alfonso, Cavite, the studio is a two-floor edifice with wide spaces. The roof interior is made of bamboo sticks, which emits a cool atmosphere and looks exquisite aesthetically.
The first floor serves as the main studio. It displays various works of the Lebajo patriarch and his two sons Nikulas and Gio, who both pursued their father’s artistic inclination to arts. The second floor or the loft is where the working area of Raul can be found. It is here where Raul stays most of the time painting to his heart’s content while having a view over the verdant surroundings of the farm.
The main studio is where all the paintings of the Lebajo patriarch are being displayed.
Nikulas Lebajo’s masterpiece (left) and Raul Lebajo’s huge artwork adorn the main studio.
“Inspiration comes from a wellspring of imagination – what I see from my surroundings – from simple to the most extraordinary, things I can draw motivation from,” Raul shares. “I just keep on painting. No one forces me to paint. It’s like a stream of thoughts, which keeps flowing when creativity is at its peak.”
Raul believes that an artist is someone creative, passionate, and effective. He is someone who is not constrained by money. Ultimately, the reward will come when people see the value of your work, he quips.
“I’m grateful that I can leave behind a legacy that my children and grandchildren will carry on,” Raul muses.
Two masters: Raul Lebajo welcomes National Artist BenCab to ArtFarm.
Not too far from the main gallery is the basement, where the master’s bedroom is located, then the guest room, and kitchen area. The look and feel of the property all came from Raul’s ideas.
One of the best parts of having the studio in this location is to be closer to nature. The scenery is delightful and tranquil. The air is a lot cleaner and fresher, too. You feel relaxed. You can look forward to a picturesque sunrise and be fascinated with the chirping of the birds around you while doing your gardening activities.
Raul and his wife Elena nurture together the ArtFarm.
Staying in this kind of healthy and comforting environment makes the artist more productive in creating masterpieces that resonate with his present views of the world at the time of the pandemic.
For the time being, the studio accepts visitors by appointment only. For inquiries, call +639296956656 and look for Gio Lebajo.
K11, the cultural pioneer that has been bringing global art and culture to the masses since 2008, is presenting yet another unique art program to the public.
‘Symphony of the Future’, open to the public from 23 June to 18 December along the Promenade of K11 MUSEA, the Avenue of Stars, and Salisbury Garden in front of the iconic Victoria Harbour, is a meticulously curated public art program that reflects K11’s mission to be at the forefront of the evolving art world and demonstrates its ongoing commitment to combining art, lifestyle a, and technology.
The three featured art pieces that have been contributed by international and local artists, namely, HΞXAVΞRSΞ (2022) by Don Diablo*, Looking Up (2022) by Tom Friedman, and a prelude for the future (2022) by Olivier Cong, explore the use of new technology and mixed media to bring foresight to a hopeful future.
Dutch Artist Don Diablo. Photo: Jasper Suyk
In collaboration with Sotheby’s – HΞXAVΞRSΞ by Don Diablo: A one-of-its-kind “phygital” portal to the Metaverse
A key highlight of ‘Symphony of the Future’ is HΞXAVΞRSΞ by Dutch artist Don Diablo. HΞXAVΞRSΞ is the embodiment of physical-meets-digital (“phygital”) art and offers insight into Diablo’s vision of the future. Two editions of the same sculpture will be on view simultaneously at K11 MUSEA and K11 Shanghai respectively.
This is Diablo’s third and latest art project in partnership with Sotheby’s, with whom K11 also maintains a long-standing relationship. This collaboration and undertaking to bring diverse forms of art to the public are reflective of both K11 and Sotheby’s missions as cultural pioneers.
The visionary HΞXAVΞRSΞ– a one-of-its-kind “phygital” portal to the Metaverse – features videos illustrating Diablo’s vision of the future of the Metaverse. The artist invites the audience to peek through the futuristic doors to view the videos of the sculpture that are embedded inside and embark on a journey of imagination. The videos are remotely transmitted by Diablo himself to the audiences in Hong Kong and Shanghai through the internet, and the content will evolve Featuring multimedia art and music, HΞXAVΞRSΞis a cross-disciplinary creative endeavor for the public, transcending cultural and geographical boundaries.
The heated discussion about the Metaverse both scares and excites people as they look forward to its endless possibilities but also fear the impact on our social community. Diablo hopes to bridge the gap by bringing a piece of the Metaverse into the real world through HΞXAVΞRSΞ and to open the door to invite people to discover what lies beyond the physical world and also within their imaginations.
Diablo has been leading the way in the world of digital art and NFTs, and his previous “phygital” NFT works INFINITΞ FUTURΞ and DΞSTINATION HΞXAGONIA were highly sought-after. This time, he has converted HΞXAVΞRSΞ’s videos into NFT, transforming theminto an NFT sculpture.
Other works featured in ‘Symphony of the Future’
Besides HΞXAVΞRSΞ, ‘Symphony of the Future’ also features Looking Up (2022),an augmented reality piece by American conceptual artist Tom Friedman. Friedman draws from personal experiences to recreate prosaic moments that inspire reflections of everyday life. Viewers are invited to interact with the artwork in a different dimension by simply scanning the QR codes shown in Salisbury Garden with a smartphone.
Looking Up (2022) is an augmented reality (AR) piece from Tom Friedman’s celebrated Looking Up series of outdoor sculpture.
In addition, a prelude for the future (2022), a performance by Hong Kong artist Olivier Cong which reinterprets In a Landscape by American composer and music theorist, John Cage, will be broadcast from 7 pm to7:30 pm daily along the Avenue of Stars, and a virtual livestream of Cong’s performance can be viewed by scanning the QR codes made available along the Avenue of Stars. The artist himself will also give live performances in Salisbury Garden to re-enact the virtual livestream. Cong is a contemporary music artist and composer known for his evocative performances. He has collaborated with numerous cultural organizations including Hong Kong Light Pulse Festival and West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. a prelude for the future explores our contrasting expectations of the physical and digital realms and their differences.
Inspiring imagination through innovation and education
K11 has always supported the sustainable development of art, aiming at fostering the link between art and the public. Therefore, alongside this public art program, an extended program of community-focused and educational tours, as well as a webinar will be lined up for all ages to understand more about art, providing an opportunity for more imagination beyond the physical world.
The “waves” in the seas are often a source of merriment and joy. Feeling the splash of the waters gives us a feeling of relief and comfort. Diving in the deep waters and discovering the beauty of marine life is an awesome experience.
All these and more are the emotions captured in “Ebb and Flow: Return to Nature”, an exhibition of the best and most distinctive paintings, prints, photography, and sculptures at the Yuchengco Museum in Makati.
Grab this chance to be mesmerized by the wonders of water in all its forms. European and Filipino artists have come together: to show the beauty of water, its importance, and what happens when water and the life that it sustains are nurtured or are ruined.
Curated by César Caballero, the exhibition also counts with works by Kizel Cotiw-an (Philippines), Ramon and Romina Diaz (Philippines and Italy), Louis Dumont (Belgium), Henri Etéve (France), Jeanette Kamphuis (Sweden), Radha Makitalo (Finland), Fara Manuel Nolasco (Philippines), Ann Pamintuan (Philippines), René Reiter (Germany), and Viviana Riccelli (Italy).
Enrique’s Circumnavigation by Ramon Diaz
The “Ebb and Flow: Return to Nature” exhibition is part of the Viva Europa 2022 cultural festival, which aims to highlight shared European cultural heritage with Filipinos. This is also in celebration of the founding of the European Union. The exhibition fittingly coincides with the EU Green Week (30 May to 5 June) and the lead-up to the UN Ocean’s Conference (Lisbon, 27 June to 1 July 2022).
European Union Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Luc Véron, Madam Yvonne Yuchengco, Chairwoman, Yuchengco Museum, and Mr. César Caballero, Curator, inaugurated the exhibition. The exhibition is ongoing at the Yuchengco Museum, Makati City, from 20 to 31 May 2022.
Ambassador Véron said that the title of the exhibition “Ebb and Flow” is an invitation to meditation. “An invitation to meditate on life. No life without water. Yet, as we, sailors, know very well, water is indomitable. Our planet is blue, yet man cannot conquer the ocean. We are just its humble servants”, he said.
César Caballero, Curator described the exhibition as a “gathering once again of multi-disciplinary artists from the Philippines and several European countries maintaining connections on vital and important questions for life and the transcendental co-existence of the identity of communities and their individuals”.
He aptly stressed both the diversity and uniqueness of each citizen and the need to respect people’s beliefs and decisions.
The exhibition is an initiative of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines and the Yuchengco Museum, Embassies of Belgium, Germany, Spain (together with Instituto Cervantes Manila), France (together with Alliance Francaise de Manille), Italy (together with the Philippine Italian Association and Galleria Duemila), Finland, Sweden, and artists from the University of the Philippines, Baguio City.
Araneta City held recently an exhibit of religious relics in Ali Mall to remind the public this Lenten season of the passion and sacrifice of Christ.
Invitingly titled “Takip Silim”, the exhibit depicts Jesus Christ’s passion, crucifixion, death, and burial which ended during the day’s dusk (or takip silim). More than 40 religious images and replicas from different parishes around Metro Manila and Rizal were on display in the exhibit.
Notable images displayed are vintage holy week images of Nazareno, Mater Dolorosa, La Esperanza Macarena, and San Juan Apostol, to name a few. These inclusions mirror the religious processions held in cities and provinces across the country during Good Friday.
“We are bringing to Ali Mall this timely Lenten presentation to bring the Passion of Christ closer to our patrons and nearby communities. May this exhibit make the faith of our mallgoers stronger, especially in this period of recovery,” Aileen Ibay, Property Manager of Ali Mall, said.
The J. Amado Araneta Foundation (JAAF) and Araneta City’s Gateway Gallery partner with public interest law organization ImagineLaw in hosting an art anthology exhibit to celebrate the culmination of Philippine Heart Month.
Titled ‘Heart to Art,’ the anthology exhibit features crowdsourced art pieces by local Filipino artists that depict personal stories and experiences on heart disease and COVID-19. It is open for public viewing for free at the Gateway Gallery until March 15, 2022.
In the Philippines, coronary heart disease (CHD), a type of cardiovascular disease, is responsible for taking over 120,800 lives annually making it the number 1 cause of death in the country. Health conditions like heart disease, also aggravate the symptoms of COVID-19. About half of Filipinos who died from COVID-19 also suffered from comorbidities, most of which were found to be CHD.
Erica Rielle – A Love That Heals And Knows No Boundaries
Behind this statistic are real people, with real stories to tell. The realities faced by people with heart disease cannot be expressed through numbers alone.
The art exhibit aims to raise awareness of heart disease as a prevalent concern among Filipinos, and build support for the issuance of trans fat elimination policies in the country. TFA is a toxic compound commonly found in partially hydrogenated oil (PHO) food items, such as prepackaged and baked and fried street and restaurant food. Poor diet high in TFA increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) like heart attacks, known comorbidity of COVID-19.
The Heart to Art exhibit represents a fervent call to strengthen efforts to combat cardiovascular diseases’ risk factors. It is hoped that through this exhibit, one’s eyes are opened to the urgent need to enact policies that will prioritize Filipinos’ heart health.
Gateway Gallery is Araneta City’s museum devoted to the promotion of Philippine arts and culture. It is a free-admission museum, open daily from 10 am to 6 pm at 5F Gateway Tower, Araneta City, Quezon City. For inquiries, you may call at 8588-4000 local 8300, or email at gatewaygallery@aranetagroup.com.
In time for the National Arts Month, professor and artist Fernando Martin ‘Nani’ Roxas opens his second one-man art show through the “Music in Me” exhibit at the Gateway Gallery in Araneta City.
More than 20 pieces of artworks of various genres and media are up on display until February 18, 2022, at Gateway Gallery’s Small Room. Viewers will get to experience his masterpieces that are inspired by the Post-Impressionists, Expressionists, and Constructivists from the Western modern art period.
Roxas’ exhibit constitutes a body of art created in various stages of his life. A professional educator who enjoys the arts and music, he favors working with acrylics on canvas, mixed media on paper board, pastel on velour, and recently, gouache on canvas. He also works in three-dimensional art as evident in the Music in Me exhibit’s solo sculpture, which will be featured on the cover for a tourism book to be published by the University of Sussex and De La Salle University.
Outside of his art, Roxas has been teaching Operations Management, Supply Chains, Systems Thinking, and other basic modules in the Degree and Executive Learning Programs of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) for over 20 years. He has published internationally in peer-reviewed journals on Sustainable Energy & Tourism. He is also the Executive Director of the Dr. Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism, where he develops training programs and research on Sustainable Tourism applications.
Catch the “Music in Me” exhibit at the Gateway Gallery, located on the 5th floor of Gateway Tower in Araneta City. Lucky visitors may even get the chance to meet Roxas and experience a personal tour of the exhibit by the artist himself!
Admission is FREE. Gateway Gallery is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. For inquiries on the exhibit, call 8588-4000 local 8300, email gatewaygallery@aranetagroup.com, or connect through the gallery’s official social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter).
Araneta City opens to the public the “Ang Batang Hesus” exhibit in Ali Mall in partnership with Santo Niño devotees to honor the Child Jesus.
In time for the feast of Santo Niño, the faithful are invited to visit the solemn display of the different images of child Jesus near the Gen. MacArthur entrance of Ali Mall from January 7 to 15, 2022.
The “Ang Batang Hesus” exhibit features more than 50 images from Santo Niño devotees and benefactors. Among them are the famous replicas of the three oldest Santo Niño images in the Philippines: Santo Niño de Cebu, Santo Niño de Tondo, and Santo Niño de Arevalo.
Aileen Ibay, Ali Mall Property Manager, sees the exhibit as an opportunity to strengthen the faith of the public given the ongoing health crisis. “This exhibit aims to give hope to people by reminding them the symbolism of Santo Niño to our faith and culture,” she said.
In Philippine history, the original image of the Santo Niño was given as a baptismal gift to native Filipinos by Spanish explorers. The image was venerated and accepted by the locals but was lost in warfare. It was, later on, discovered intact and safe amidst burning debris, a miracle regarded to show that anyone can rise from any tribulation.
A formal opening and blessing of the exhibit on January 7 were led by Rev. Fr. John Thomas of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. The exhibit is open for public viewing for free during mall hours.
Under Alert Level 3, Ali Mall and other Araneta City malls (Gateway Mall and Farmers Plaza) are open from 10 am until 9 pm from Sunday to Thursday, and until 10 pm every Friday and Saturday.
