Snippets from the Bacolod Art Scene

Gallery Orange

Amidst wandering through marvelous old mansions, faded reminders of a genteel past, and overindulging in muscovado-laced delicacies, a cultural tour of Bacolod included glimpses of the city’s contemporary arts landscape.  The scene seems to gravitate towards two venues, at least as far as I could tell from a three-day stay.

At Gallery Orange entrance

Bacolod native, painter Charlie Co runs Gallery Orange, a downtown space for homegrown talent. We caught Illusion Allusion by Peter James D. Fantinalgo at one of the gallery’s three exhibit areas.  He exhibited photorealistic paintings that showcase his skill at trompe l’oeil, and an interesting set that incorporated imprints of his jeans.  At the upper level, Guen Decena mounted an installation she calls Constant Point of Vanishing.  Both just in their twenties, their efforts are admittedly raw, but do display earnest attempts at working with their

Peter James D. Fantinalgo with one of his paintings

concepts.  I thought Guen’s black and white work had panache.  She’s off to Manila soon, to undertake a residency with Leslie de Chavez’s Project Space. She’s also slated for an exhibit at Alliance Francaise in 2012.

Guen Decena and her installation "Constant Point of Vanishing"

Charlie and his wife Ann (who bakes a mean sansrival) invited us to his studio where we enjoyed perusing his drawings and checking out some of his works in progress.

Peter James D. Fantinalgo, "The Realistic Idea of the Real"

Illusiion Allusion installation view

Peter James D. Fantinalgo, "Bequest"

More paintings by Peter James D. Fantinalgo

Guen Decena, "Constant Point of Vanishing", detail

Guen Decena, "Constant Point of Vanishing", detail

Capitana Gallery occupies a section of Balay Ni Tana Dicang, a restored family home-turned museum in Talisay.  The gallery operates as an extension of Avellana Art Gallery.

Mac Valdezco, "Pink Suit"

On view, Mac Valdezco’s Twin Cyclops.  As usual, Mac does wonders with ordinary materials.  She came to Bacolod, foraged groceries and bookstores for supplies, and managed to put together a show using twine, non-woven cloth, cartolina, and plastic loops.  The exhibit also includes two of her pencil patterns on canvas.

Mac Valdezco, "Cloud Gatherer"

Mac Valdezco, "Blue and Red Body"

Mac Valdezco, "Three Legged Shadow"

Mac Valdezco, "Foggy White Air"

No self-respecting art lover can leave Negros without paying homage to Alfonso Ossorio’s Angry Christ, a mural from 1949, at the Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker in Victorias.  We visited this treasure of Philippine modern art on our last day .  Yes, it’s as magnificent as everybody says it is. And so are the mosaics, carvings, and metal works that complete the chapel. I have sat down with Mark Justiniani several times for magazine interviews, and he has always discussed the profound influence Ossorio’s work has had on him.  I can imagine the power this would wield on a young child, one inclined to the arts, who grew up playing around its environs.  To finally experience its omnipotence ranks as the high point of this sojourn.

Alfonso Ossorio's "Angry Christ"

Illusion Allusion and Constant Point of Vanishing run from 7 July to 31 August 2011 at Gallery Orange, 2F Annex Bldg, Lopue’s Mandalagan, Bacolod City.  Phone (6334) 7090604 or visit http://facebook.com/orange.bacolod

 Twin Cyclops New Works by Mac Valdezco runs from 17 July to 3 September 2011 at Capitana Gallery, Balay ni Tana Dicang, 36 Rizal St., Talisay City, Negros Occidental.  Phone (6334) 495-2104.

The Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker is located inside the Victorias Milling Company compound in Victorias, Negros Occidental.

One of Charlie Co's paintings in his studio

In Charlie Co's studio, pastel on paper

In Charlie Co's studio, a painting inspired by Cirque de Soleil

Bacolod-based artists Dennis Ascalon and Charlie Co with Karen Montinola

 

 

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.

SUBSTANCE, WORKS IN CLAY AT TIN-AW

Anna Varona proved to be the show’s revelation with her piece, Revolution No. 9, a free-standing, large-scale ( six feet high!) timepiece that moves counterclockwise. Ceramic rotary phones glazed in varying hues serve as the clock’s digits, with actual numbers scattered around

Charlie Co, "Bulangero" and "Floating"

its face. One of her other pieces, the kinetic Walang Katapusang Chacha, attracted just as much attention. She had minute figures coming in and out of openings on a foot-high glazed head.

Anna Varona, "Walang Katapusang Chacha"

I also liked the works in terracotta, Aba Dalena’s Askal, Joe Geraldo’s three-piece Tungango, and Mark Valenzuela’s Blah Blah Blah. Of course, the pottery superstars, Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn, and Joey de Castro delivered quality pieces. Jon’s Dreadnaught Guitar, which he put together following a handbook on how to actually make guitars, definitely had a lot of fans.

Joe Geraldo, "Tungango 1, 2, 3"

Jon Pettyjohn, "Sentinels"

Although the show had several works from 11 artists, curator Patrick Flores’ deft placement of the pieces did not overwhelm. I loved

Mark Valenzuela, "Blah Blah Blah"

the lime walls and pedestals! And as with every show in Tin-aw, I felt right at home.

Substance features works on clay by Pablo Capati III, Joey de Castro, Charlie Co, Aba Lluch Dalena, Joe Geraldo, Julie Lluch, Jon Pettyjohn, Tessy Pettyjohn, Mark Valenzuela, and Anna Varona from 8 to 22 May 2009 at Tin-Aw Art Gallery, Upper GF, Somerset Olympia, Makati Avenue, Makati City. Ph (632)892-7522 or visit www.tin-aw.com

Julie Lluch, "Cactus for John Pettyjohn"

Pieces by Tessy Pettyjohn

HIMAS MAS AT ART INFORMAL

 

Photos and Stoneware by Joey de Castro

Joe Geraldo, Joey de Castro, and Pablo Capati continue to impress us in their show at Art Informal. Here, we can examine each of them with more depth. Not only do they have more pieces on view, fellow sculptor Joel Alonday, who curated the show, places each one’s pieces in a separate section of the gallery.

By Joey de Castro

At the foyer, Joey’s ceramics share the spotlight with his photography, the medium in which he first started his artistic forays. Apparently, he got into ceramics because of his frustration at never finding the right containers for his succulents. This led him to create his own. What a lucky break for pottery lovers!

Stoneware by Pablo Capati III

I find Pablo’s pieces in this show more interesting. He allows his sculpture more movement, especially his women figures. They seem more polished, more deliberately done,  than his pieces on display at

Detail of Joe Geraldo's Mask installation

Tin-aw.

By Joe Geraldo

Joe Geraldo’s figures just keep getting more compelling. I did not realize that he used to work with wood, and only lately, decided to shift to terracotta as his medium. He brings us haunting pieces, grotesque and exaggerated social commentaries on his native Negros. The most arresting piece, though, is his assemblage of masks, 60 of them, no two alike, which hang on the gallery’s main wall. Again, he digs into his Southern background, to Bacolod’s Masskara fiesta,

By Joe Geraldo

for inspiration.

A view of Joe Geraldo's mask installation and terracotta figures

 

Tracing their beginnings: an assemblage of early works by Joey, Pablo, and Joe

Himas mas means to caress. In this show, we see a wondrous display borne out of hands that fearlessly shape, stroke, coax, and yes, caress, life from the loam of the earth.

Himas mas with Joey de Castro, Pablo Capati III, and Joe Geraldo, is on view from 14 May to 8 June 2009, at Art Informal, 277 Connecticut St., Greenhills East, San Juan. Ph (632)725-8518 or visit www.artinformal.com

Viewing Paulino Que’s 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.  

Alfredo Esquillo Jr., "The Thomasites Were Here"

Geraldine Javier and Ateneo's Leo Garcia with her piece, "Bubbles In His Head"

Trust a collector like Paulino Que to keep up with the times.  What had not been on view then, he shares with Philippine art lovers now as he brings out his collection of young contemporaries.  What a treat to see the best of the best of paintings from 1996 to today, from the most celebrated and exciting artists we currently follow.  

View from upstairs of Elmer Borlongan's "Solo Show"

Thank you to Paulino for generously sharing a part of his collection, and allowing us the privilege to witness contemporary art history in the making.

Kawayan De Guia, "Subtle Repercussions A"

Yael Buencamino, Gerry Tan, and Mark Justiniani's "Roundtrip Overload"

John and Pam Santos with John's piece, "Behind the Scenes"

Of the 21 pieces up on Finale’s huge walls,  there are a few that I wish I could wrap up and hang on mine:  Jojo Legaspi’s St. Thelma tops my list.  No one else depicts stark terror and anger as finely as he does.  You feel the profanity come to life.  Then, Geraldine Javier at her lyrical and melancholic best with Bubbles in His Head.  So sadly beautiful.  I wish I had the means to commission Behind the Scenes by Jose Santos III.  John just keeps getting better and better.  The Thomasites Were Here  brings us  another of Alfredo Esquillo Jr’s excellently- rendered commentaries on Philippine historical events.   Too bad I don’t have the space for this triptych (as if!).  And I must say I also love Kawayan De Guia’s  Subtle Repercussions A which I find to be the most contemporary of the bunch. 

Robert Langenegger, "Rolling Paperworks" and Louie Cordero, "Untitled"

Would love to hear your favorites!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mona and Soler Santos viewing Annie Cabigting's "Viewing Bacon"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figuring The Times, Philippine Paintings 1996 to 2009, A Selection from the Paulino Que Collection is on view at Finale Art File from 13 March to 3 April 2009.  Finale is located at Warehouse 17, La Fuerza Compound, Pasong Tamo, Makati.  Phone (632) 810-4071 or visit www.finaleartfile.com.  For more information on Geraldine Javier visit www.geraldinejavier.com