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

 

 

Eugene Jarque and Mac Valdezco Ride In Circles

Mac Valdezco and Eugene Jarque call this exhibit Riding In Circle, an awkward title for a wonderful display of their latest work.  Unfortunately, the show ends in a few days.  This post comes a bit too late, but I thought it a pity to let the show pass and allow

Mac Valdezco, detail, "Mini Rider", monoprint on bed of strings

it to simply disappear, swallowed up by the general chaos of the holidays.

Eugene Jarque, "Untitled (Vessel)", acrylic on wood, 48 inx80 in

Eugene’s works take off from the series of painted aluminum strips on canvas that he has been producing for the last two years. For this show, he opted to use thin bands of wood instead of metal.  This allowed him to layer strips atop each other and  render portions of each piece in relief.  He completed Untitled (Rays) and Untitled (Vessels) in this manner.

Eugene Jarque, "Untitled (Rays)", acrylic on wood, 73.5in x 48in

Relief detail, "Untitled (Rays)"

This experiment with wood revived his interest in printmaking techniques, and led him to conceptualize the other pieces in this show.  He etched patterns on wooden slabs just as a printmaker would create engravings.  Eugene, however, stopped short of transferring his patterns onto another medium, and, instead, used the wood as his ground, staining his slashes with resin for Unprocessed 1 and Unprocessed 2, and utilizing acrylic and graphite to add color to Structure With Fungus.

Eugene Jarque, "Unprocessed 2", resin stains on etched wood, 22.5in x 48in

The show also includes several of Eugene’s

Eugene Jarque, "Unprocessed 1", resin stains on etched wood, 48in x 48in

wall-bound works in metal, which he again approached as a printmaker creating plates.  The squares of steel don’t come any larger than 24 inches x 24 inches and he wrapped these around  canvas and wood, brushing their surfaces with acid or primer and allowing their effects to interact with his acrylic, ink, and graphite patterns.

Eugene Jarque, "Things Fall Apart 2", metal primer, acrylic, printing ink, aluminum on wood, 12in x 12 in

Mac, on the other hand, has found herself a new medium to play with.  In her hands, plastic bag handles, which she christens “syrups”, take on forms that resemble her graphite doodles on canvas (of which she has

Eugene Jarque, "Kite 1", 24in x 24in and "Untitled", 24in x 12in, aluminum, acid, graphite on canvas

two on display).  She has mounted them hanging from the ceiling; I thought they gave off a very Christmassy vibe.  Mac sought to project their star-like patterns onto the gallery’s walls, but unfortunately, I viewed the show in the middle of the day when only the faintest shadow could register.

She has also put another spin on her series of thread monoprints.  This time, Mac cut the printed paper into strips and wove them to look like the rattan balls used for the Southeast Asian sport Sepak Takraw. She displays them nestled in thread inside plastic receptacles, or hanging cradled in canvas slings.

Mac Valdezco, detail, "Black Syrup", plastic bag handles

Mac Valdezco, "Yellow Syrup", plastic bag handles

The show has three days left to run, enough time for those in search for something to see beyond the malls.  When Mac and Eugene let their creative geniuses loose, they never disappoint.

Riding In Circle runs until 30 December 2010 at Blanc Peninsula Manila, Peninsula Manila Hotel Arcade, Makati Avenue, Makati City. Phone (632) 752-0032 or visit http:www.blanc.ph

Detail, "Yellow Syrup"

Mac Valdezco, "Black Syrup", plastic bag handles

Mac Valdezco, "Mini Rider" display, monoprint on thread in plastic receptacles

Mac Valdezco, "Black Rider", monoprint, canvas carrier

Mac Valdezco, "Untitled", graphite on canvas, 48in x 72in

The TUP Implosion

Neil Arvin Javier, "It Was So Good", mixed media (collage), 153x183 cm

Alrashdi S. Mohammad, "Expand" and "Active", mixed media, 183x137 cm

With the CCP not exactly in my neighborhood, I debated whether I had the time to swing by Implode, a special exhibit of selected alumni from the Technological University of Philippines College of Architecture and Fine Arts.  Luckily, my schedule cooperated, as did the traffic lights on EDSA, and I found myself in the CCP’s third floor gallery in half an hour, right before the show opened. Best of all, save for the artists busy with their last minute arrangements, I had the space all to myself.

Dex Fernandez, "Ready To Riot", mixed media on photograph, 90x122 cm.

What a revelation!  I didn’t realize until I saw the works gathered together how many of today’s exciting artists graduated from TUP:  Lirio Salvador, Lynyrd Paras, Mac Valdezco, Eugene Jarque, Dex Fernandez, Mark Andy Garcia, Joey Cobcobo, Froilan Calayag, Ryan Rubio, Ferdie Doctolero, Noell El Farol (who curated the exhibit).  The works lean heavily towards paintings and wall-bound pieces, but all so well-constructed.  Nobody can fault these guys for their technical skills.

Dexter Fernandez, "Hi", mixed media, 112x 165x36cm.

I have to admit a bias towards the non-paintings —Mac Valdezco’s reprised Plastic Ghost, her polymorphic sculpture from saran wrap and wire, Dex Fernandez’s Ready To Riot, mixed media on photograph, and Bente-Benteng Kuwento , Edward Simon’s installation of framed photographs. Dex’s manipulated photo complemented Hi, essentially a three-dimensional canvas piece with the texture of tooled leather, transformed into a robot-like creature.

Edward Simon, "Bente-Benteng Kuwento", photo installation

The exhibit also yielded two surprising discoveries, artists John Sy and Neil Arvin Javier.  John, who works full-time for GMA 7, showed two paintings. His canvases groan from the weight of figures compressed so close together that they seem to meld into one single pattern. They remind me of David Cortez Medalla’s piece in the Ateneo Art Gallery collection.  Arvin, on the other hand, brought out a collage from his stash of pieces,  works he has only shown to “underground” galleries. I thought It Was So Good ,with its references to graffiti art, was one of  the most eye catching  in the entire show.  It would be great to see what else these two can do!

John Sy, "Night Sky", 122x214 cm.

Implode runs from 14 October to 28 November 2010 at the Bulwagang Juan Luna, 3F Cultural Center of the Philippines, Roxas Blvd, Manila.  For more information call  the CCP Visual Arts and Museo Division (632) 832-3702.

Joey Cobcobo, "Insomnia", oil on canvas, 122x153 cm.

John Sy with "Proof Of Life", acrylic on canvas, 183x122 cm.

Eugene Jarque, "The Roamer", mixed media, 183x122 cm.

Ferdinand Doctolero, "Tri-Part-Tied",mixed media on canvas, 183x183 cm.

Eric Guanzon, "Fifty-Seven Deaths", inkjet print on aquarelle paper

BJ Esber, "Ulyanin", acrylic on canvas, 90x90cm.

Lexygus Calip, untitled, mixed media, 183x122 cm.

Lynyrd Paras with "Wasak Kung Wasak", oil on canvas, 183x183cm.

Mac Valdezco, "Plastic Ghost"

Ryan Jara, "Which Way", mixed media, 197 x 197 cm.

Ryan Rubio, "Dancing Maria"

Mac Valdezco Versus Mac Valdezco

Many of her colleagues teasingly refer to Mac Valdezco’s February show, In Focus, as a mini-retrospective (See this blog’s

Mac Valdezco, "Plastic Ghost", from cling wrap, wire, and masking tape

February 2010 Archives).   That exhibit inaugurated the art program of the Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences, and curator Albert Avellana did bring out choice pieces from Mac’s body of work.  For the artist, seeing all the pieces she had put together posed a challenge.  How would she achieve the same effect for her next solo outing?  Mac decided that she needed to push herself, pit her pieces against each other, set new ones up against the old, spur herself to outdo previous work in the same media.

Detail, "Plastic Ghost"

In I Versus I, Mac shows us her undiminished ability to come up with extraordinary work from her favorite cache of ordinary materials.  At the ground floor space of Avellana Art Gallery,  a series of five, bond paper-sized collages greets us.  She created patterns for  Moth Bombs 1 -5 by printing thread between folded paper (like wings of a moth), cutting these out, pasting them onto another sheet of paper, then superimposing more patterns on each piece, this time by running them through a sewing machine.   This series takes off from her previous set of prints, Buhol, where she used colored photocopies of pressed

Another detail, "Plastic Ghost"

thread.

The more exciting piece in this floor, however, is installed in the red room located to one side of the gallery.  Plastic Ghost is a polymorphic sculpture from saran wrap, the material she played around with for her Invisible Pilot pieces.  This is the best piece I’ve seen her produce with this

Mac Valdezco, "Moth Bomb 2", mixed media collage (print, paper, thread)

medium.  She used wire—alambre— that she coated white, to provide the piece’s basic shape.  Then, as she had done before, she repeatedly sheathed this wire skeleton, shrouding it with rolls and rolls of the clingy plastic, letting it find its form.  The finished piece measures about five feet long.  Its bulbous, translucent core and wispy, tailing tendrils seem more like an oversized jellyfish to me, albeit one that floats gracefully in that sea of red.

Mac Valdezco, "Moth Bomb 3"

Incubation Period Phase 1 makes us pause halfway to the second floor, on the stairway landing. For two years now, Mac has been making assorted shapes from colored cotton tape.  Relatively small in size, probably not longer than five inches per, she has now amassed a substantial number of these pieces.  She has not figured out what to do with them yet.  Meanwhile, she has sprinkled them on the wall and inside the landing’s alcove, spreading them up towards the ceiling.  With their primary

Mac Valdezco, "Moth Bomb 5"

shades, they remind me of Murakami’s iconic work for Louis Vuitton bags, the ones with scattered logos that every fashionista coveted a few seasons back.

Upstairs, Mac surprises yet again.  Throughout the spaces in this floor,  she presents works on earth-toned canvases.  They contain patterns that echo her collages downstairs, two of them in acrylic.  But the more impressive ones are her drawings, large-scale renditions of her doodles in pencil, which she magnified to suit her 4′x3′ canvases.

Mac Valdezco, "Incubation Period, Phase 1"

In one of the rooms, by a trio of these drawings, lies Propeller. I find this the best piece in this exhibit, the one where we can really appreciate Mac’s genius.

She was transfixed by gamo-gamo, the nocturnal moths that come out in vast numbers at dusk, believed to be harbingers of rain.  These do not survive the night, and by morning, lie in heaps on the ground.

Detail, "Incubation Period Phase 1"

Mac took inspiration from the sight of these insects amassed around her home.  She used paper baking cups to simulate the texture and shape of moth wings, leaving them folded, arranging them to slightly overlap.  Propeller is made to resemble a rug thrown casually on the floor. Yet, because of the piece’s craftsmanship, the paper cups take on the qualities of sheer and delicate

Another detail, "Incubation Period Phase 1"

doilies. I thought it deserved the comparison to something more romantic, perhaps to an angel’s wing fallen from the heavens.

Mac let loose on some old books for her last suite of works.  She cut them up and bundled their pages together.  She told me she wanted the paper to look like fur. Mac gathered various bundles, creating an assorted number of clusters.  Each cluster, all different sizes, with a few of her cotton tape shapes slipped here and there, completes

Mac Valdezco, "Propeller", from paper baking cups

one piece.  Mac then “framed”  each piece inside clear ziplock bags.  She bestowed one-word titles on these works, naming them as she would pets:  Home, Roots, Spikes, Mais.  Again, Mac has made whimsical pieces that truly delight.

Detail, "Propeller"

I’ve said it before and will again.  When Mac Valdezco puts on a show, I know I’m always in for some really good art.  She does it so quietly, sans fanfare, yet always so consistently.  Who wins this bout of Mac versus Mac?  The art lover, of course!

Mac Valdezco, "Non Violence", pencil on painted canvas

I Versus I runs from 7 August to 11 September 2010 at Avellana Art Gallery, 2680 FB Harrison St, Pasay City.  Phone (632) 833-8357 .

Detail,"Non Violence"

Mac Valdezco, "Toyuds", pencil on painted canvas

Three pencil drawings on painted canvas

Mac Valdezco, "Spikes", from old book pages, cotton tape shapes

Mac Valdezco, "Camping", old book pages, cotton tape shapes, and ziplock bag

Mac Valdezco, "Roots", "Camping", and "Mais"

All bundled up--back detail, "Camping"

Focusing on Mac Valdezco

In Focus: Mac Valdezco

In what must be a first in Manila, the newly-opened Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences in Salcedo Village in Makati has

launched its art program.  Done hand-in-hand with Art Cabinet Philippines, the hotel makes its public areas and third floor gallery available as venues for showcasing art.   Along with room service, guests can look forward to changing exhibits, even on each

Mac Valdezco, "Invisible Pilot"

floor’s elevator foyer.

To start things off, Albert Avellana curates In Focus:  Mac Valdezco.

Mac Valdezco, "Buhol"

I have always felt that Mac Valdezco deserves more attention than she gets.  Much like the artist herself, Mac’s pieces stand quiet and understated, making it easy to overlook their depth.  You need a second, closer look to appreciate them.  She uses yards and yards of twine, or  layer upon layer of paper strips and cotton tape, to create the polymorphic sculpture and wall-bound pieces that have thrice landed her in the short list of the Ateneo Art Awards.  One can only marvel at the imagination and diligence that painstakingly creates wonderful pieces from the most ordinary of soft materials.

Mac Valdezco, "Japa"

For her Invisible Pilot series, Mac uses  rolls and rolls of cling wrap to put together translucent items of clothing:  a pair of trousers, a top, and a hoodie.  I have even seen her include shoes and undies in this series.  Invisible Pilot results from Mac’s reflections on the fate of our material selves when our souls have moved on.  Once piled on, the overlays of saran turn milky white, looking exactly like ghostly possessions.

Mac Valdezco, "Ascending Java"

In Ascending Java Mac sews together multi-colored strips and squares of water proof fabric, the kind used for windbreakers and backpacks. You get an eye-catching eight-foot-long quilt made up of geometric, carefully-measured shapes. Move further back and you notice that the the few round swatches actually form a rope of Buddhist prayer beads.  She also uses these beads as inspiration for Japa, stitching together small  cheesecloth pouches.  The piece does resemble a bunch of beads scooped together.  So serene!

Mac Valdezco, "Merge"

The two best pieces in the show, in my opinion, are Merge and Maroon.  Fascinated with the washcloths and dishrags sold in wet markets or by street vendors, Mac asked the women  who weave these from leftover fabric  to do the same with velvets and suede sourced from a furniture exporter.  Done mostly in bright reds, these organic forms deliver both a visual and tactile delight.  Very sosyal these giant basahans!

Mac Valdezco, "Little Gods"

Its great to see Mac Valdezco doing what she does best, delivering her own brand of art:  sophisticated, spiritual, sublime.

Mac Valdezco, "The Undisturbed" (foreground)

In Focus:  Mac Valdezco runs from 16 February to 14 March 2010 at the 3F Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences, 119 LP Leviste St., Salcedo Village, Makati.  For more information, visit
http://www.artcabinetphilippines.com

Mac Valdezco, "Life"

Mac Valdezco, "Changing Bodies #4"

Mac Valdezco, "Dried Leaves 1 and 2"

Mac

Opening night guests with Benjo Marquez of The Picasso

Wonderful Sculpture at the De La Salle University Museum

Junyee, Pintados series

I admit,  I would never have gone had curator Boots Herrera not borrowed one of my pieces,  a favorite one at that.  But having seen Iskultura, I would deem it a show

Roberto Feleo, "Self Portrait as Ming"

one shouldn’t miss.  The exhibit uses the core collection of the De La Salle University Museum, pieces from Wili and Doreen Fernandez, to start off what the exhibit notes call a “sampling of Philippine sculpture” from the 1970s to today. The museum worked with private collectors and artists for the later, mostly small-scale,  contemporary pieces.  Going around, one can’t help but marvel at how timeless the pieces from the 70s and 80s are, the works of Saprid and Luz and an early Feleo.  And what exciting work the sculptors do today, both the relatively young ones just making names for themselves, like Mac Valdezco and Israel Gonzales, and those in

Unabashedly admitting this is mine! Israel Gonzales, "Hinunod Series"

mid-career, like Junyee and Agnes

An Agnes Arellano Godess

Arellano.

Check out the photos and let the show speak for itself.  The pieces make the slow crawl to Taft Avenue worthwhile.

Iskultura runs from 9 July to 11 December 2009 at The Museum at De La Salle University, 2F Yuchengco Bldg, Taft Ave, Manila.  For more information, call (632)524-4611 loc. 368

Lamberto Hechanova, "Crucifix"

Jecky Alano, "Reclining Nude"

Sculpture by Pete Jimenez

Rocha, "Untitled"

Rod Paras Perez /Eulogio Enriquez, "Untitled" and Virginia Ty-Navarro, "Dancers" (right)

Mac Valdezco, "Little Gods", from cotton twine

Honrado Fernandez, "Formal and Spatial"

Pidge Reyes, "Bee", from cement and chrome

An untitled and undated Arturo Luz, made from Supa wood

Napoleon Abueva, "Kaganapan", bronze study for marble piece

Solomon Saprid, "Woman and Child at Play", and "Female Nude"(back)

Baidy Mendoza, "Chess Set"

Ral Arrogante explaining his work to students

Mac Valdezco, "Invisible Pilot Series", from saran wrap!

America Ain’t That Sweet for Hannah Pettyjohn and Small Wonders at Mag:net Ayala

Hannah Pettyjohn, "DFW RIP (Urban Sprawl)" and "American Mary"

AMERICAN SWEET BY HANNAH PETTYJOHN

A little more than two years ago, half- American Hannah Pettyjohn spent time in Texas to reconnect with her roots. While there, she worked at a geotechnical engineering lab, lived in a white house that looked exactly like all the other houses in the neighborhood, got to know her father’s family, and read David Foster Wallace.

In this exhibit, Hannah

Hannah Pettyjohn, "JCD", "JTP", and "HCP"

channels the isolation she felt as a temporary transplant into middle America. She portrays her subjects donning surgical masks similar to those she herself had to wear at her job, and then declines to call them by their names. She refers to them simply by their initials. The masks, because of what remains concealed, create barriers that discourage any chances of  real intimacy or empathy between us, the viewers, and these nameless subjects. They remain distant and aloof from us, just as they remained virtual strangers to Hannah, and she to them.

Around the exhibit, Hannah has scattered cast plaster replicas of the houses in her Dallas neighborhood, each one mirror images of each other.  She recreates the tedium and repetition so typical of a soulless suburban panorama. She even records landscape from behind car windows, once again imposing a gulf, an invisible gap that keeps her, and us, at a distance.

American Sweet by Hannah Pettyjohn can be viewed from 6 May to 6 June at SLab, 2f YMC Bldg., 2320 Chino Roces Ave. Extension, Makati City. Ph: (632)816-0044 or visit www.slab.silverlensphoto.com

SHOEBOX DIORAMAS

Mac Valdezco, from her Invisible Pilot series

Ikoy Riccio, "Sheep"

Here comes a show so aptly titled for the dimensions of both the pieces on display and the size of the gallery. Mag:net’s branch at The Columns in Ayala Avenue barely holds ten people at once in its narrow expanse, yet has somehow

Yasmin Sison Ching, "Crochet Experiment 2"

managed to host some pretty interesting shows. This one, conceptualized by husband and wife, artists Yasmin and Mariano Ching, fits the venue perfectly. They wanted to showcase deliberately minute works evident for their handcrafted quality. All nine artists deliver delightful miniature extensions of past bodies of work. I love Mac Valdezco’s shoes from clingwrap, her current medium of choice. Yasmin Ching’s piece continues her experiments with producing soft sculpture from yarns she crochets herself, first seen in her piece for the Surrounded By Water group show at Blanc Compound. Other standouts for me include Ikoy Riccio’s sheep sculpture from paper clips and Mike Munoz’s lightbox.

Mike Munoz, "IXOYE(Fish)"

I hate to resort to the cliche small but terrible, but really, that’s what this show is all about: small works that have been made so well that they can give some of the humongous wall-bound stuff currently on view in other galleries a run for their money (and that’s another cliche!).

Bea Camacho, "Gloves", limited edition photograph

Shoebox Dioramas, group show of Bea Camacho, Eugene Jarque, Hitoshi Kanamura, Ikoy Riccio, Jordin Isip, Mac Valdezco, Mariano Ching, Mike Munoz, Yasmin Sison, is up from 6 May to 1 June at Mag:net at The Columns in Ayala Avenue. Ph (632)929-3191 or visit www.magnetgalleries.com

Mariano Ching, "(Unknown Pleasure)"

Eugene Jarque, "Color Handbook of Garden Insects"

Jordin Isip, part of Head 1, 2, 3, 4

Homecoming From Beijing

Push and Pull by Jose John Santos III

In the great CS Lewis classic, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Professor Kirke’s seemingly run-of-the mill armoire becomes the portal to enchanted, magical Narnia.  Upon entering its doors, four children transport from war-ravaged Britain into a world of pathos, quest, achievement, adventure.

Talento by Christopher Zamora

Just like this fictional wardrobe, so does Art Cabinet Philippines open up a perspective into the Philippine contemporary art scene.  In this second show of their Apartment Art series, they allow Manila collectors to take in works first exhibited in Art Beijing 2008.  Once again, this recently-vacated penthouse apartment becomes a backdrop for twelve different points of view. From Anton del Castillo’s Toy Soldier series of painted figures in red oxide on wood, Christopher Zamora’s photorealstic renderings of Filipino street life, Lea Lim’s haunted musings of a windy afternoon in the park, Eugene Jarque’s abstract expressions, Mac Valdezco’s award-winning biomorphic forms in string and cotton tape, Don Salubayba’s play on shadows, Jonathan Ching’s reflections on the circle of life, Ambie Abano’s face prints, Erwin Catral Leano’s women, and Leeroy New’s contemporary take on santos, saint figures, a whole gamut of artistic expressions is presented.   Easily, the works of husband and wife artists, Jose John Santos III and Pamela Yan Santos, stand out.  Hers for her trademark layering of serigraphs and painted images, his for his fine, Magritte-like, hyper realistic figures.

Blessed Are The Peacemakers by Jon Ching and Spork by Mac Valdezco

Portrait of An Artist as Shadow by Don Salubayba

What a commmode of talent this show assembles. Truly a peek into Narnia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Leeroy New

Intimate Spectacles shows from 29 Jan to 7 Feb 2009 at 2805B Three Salcedo Place, Tordesillas St., Salcedo Village, Makati.  Contact (63928)550-481 or visit www.artcabinetphilippines.com

Draw What's Next by Pamela Yan Santos

 

 

Art Beijing, 798, and Two Great Restaurants

Possessed of airline miles that had to be redeemed before the month was out, I conceived the idea of flying to Beijing after all the Olympic hoopla had settled.  My friend, Dindin Araneta of Art Cabinet Philippines, signed up to participate in Art Beijing, from September 5 to 9, and I thought it would be interesting to tag along.  Art, history, good friends, the perfect mix for a much-needed respite.  I definitely got more than I bargained for, but Beijing did not disappoint.

VIP night at Art Beijing, sponsored by Volkswagen

From the moment we landed at the immense, majestic, dragon-shaped, brand new Terminal 3, I was programmed to be impressed.  Whatever else television and a hastily chosen guide book in Hong Kong had to say about the city, I did not expect this ultra-modern, wide avenued, seemingly spotless metropolis.  I prepared myself to enjoy its sights for the next seven days.

Art Beijing Entrance Installation

ART BEIJING

Christopher Zamora, Pam Santos, and Mac Valdezco

Much has been made of the triumph of the Chinese contemporary arts scene, and the commercial and iconic heights Chinese artists like Yue Minjun and Zhang Xiaogang have scaled.  Art Beijing, founded by Dong Mengyang, sought to ride on this success, hoping to bring to Beijing

From Schoeni Gallery of Hong Kong

the international community of art collectors, dealers, and galleries that have made the Shanghai art fair an annual destination.  While it is the Beijing art fair’s third year, it is still considered the “younger sister” of the other Chinese events.  I would still recommend it to art lovers and other Pinoy art fair virgins like myself, whose typical exposure is still rooted to oil on canvas works.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sculpture, installations, and video art on view.

Art Cabinet Philippines was the only Filipino participant, and for a day or two, things got a bit

Art Cabinet Philippines

hairy.  Quarantine, so strict at this time because of the Paralympic Games happening at the same time, refused to release the crates from the Philippines.  It took a whole day of negotiations before they  agreed to let the cargo out, and another day to finally set up the booth in time for the fair’s VIP night.  There went the day originally scheduled for traversing the Great Wall!  But no matter, it was all in the service of Philippine art.

Wang Jin Sculpture from Pekin Fine Arts

All that hard work was rewarded in the end, judging from the audience’s reaction to the Filipino work on display. The artists were Anton del Castillo, Ambie Abano, Albert Avellana,  Jonathan Ching, Eugene Jarque, Lea Lim, Leeroy New, Erwin Catral Leano, Jose John Santos III, Pamela Yan Santos, Don Salubayba, Mac Valdezco, and Christopher Zamora.   Anton del Castillo’s mixed media series, Pattern for Chaos, was definitely a huge draw, as was Mac Valdezco’s biomorphic forms made from cotton string. However, I can honestly say, without any biases, all the Filipino artists on display had their own share of fans.

Anton del Castillo

For more information on Art Beijing and the Philippine art on view, visit www.artcabinetphilippines.com and www.artbeijing.net

Erwin Leano and Leeroy New

798 ART DISTRICT

No art aficionado’s visit to Beijing will be complete without a day spent at the 798 District, a vast compound of old factories and warehouses that have been converted into galleries, bars, restaurants, and small shops.  I only had half a day to spare on my last day in Beijing, and I had to limit myself to three shows:  Pace Gallery’s Encounters with the contemporary art greats from their New York space, De Feng Art’s Robert Rauschenberg exhibit, and my favorite, Microscopic Narration: Social Images by Zhang Xiatao and Li Yifan at Iberia, the Spanish contemporary art space.

Entrance to 798

Pace Gallery had works by Jeff Koons, Chuck Close, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Warhol, Cindy Sherman, and other million dollar names that collectors in Beijing have started to acquire.  More than just the show, the gallery itself, set up so that the space seems as if it floats in a pond of lillies, adds to the whole experience.

With a piece by Chuck Close

Jeff Koons at the Pace Gallery

Da Feng Art is a small gallery in a far corner of the 798 complex.  It is owned and run by William Isler, an American.  Their show, the late  Robert Rauschenberg’s Lotus Series of photocollages, poignantly reminds one of the Beijing of the 1980s, way before the government opened up and allowed the city to flourish into the supercity we see today.

By Zhang Xiaogang

I stumbled onto the Iberia Center for Contemporary Arts as I made my way to the Robert Rauschenberg show.  As I peeped inside, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by the sight of about a thousand clear fiberglass skeletons lined up on the rafters, piled atop two dump trucks, hanging from pulleys.  This was the first portion of a two-man show by Chinese contemporary artists Zhang Xiatao and Li Yifan. The pictures just don’t capture the powerful scale of the installation, a commentary on the effects of social and environmental change in the name of progress.

By Takashi Murakami

Microscopic Narration at the Iberia Center for Contemporary Arts

798 Art Zone is at Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District

DUCK DE CHINE AND THE YIN BAR THE EMPEROR HOTEL

If I needed further proof on how cosmopolitan life in Beijing can be, two restaurants I tried on consecutive nights certainly sealed the deal.

Duck de Chine is a series of charming brick pavilions burrowed beneath the high rise buildings in the Sanlitun shopping area.  You enter through an art gallery that connects via a glass-enclosed passageway to the restaurant’s main dining area.  There is also an outdoor bistro and the ubiquitous karaoke bar further inside one of the pavilions.  But the main attraction of the place is their duck, roasted Peking or French style, either way so delicious, that we waited for 45 minutes for our table, despite having reservations.

Another view

I was with an ex-colleague now based in Beijing, so he knew not to order too many side dishes.  Focus on the duck.  We opted for the local version, and it arrived with a choice of wraps:  the usual pancakes, or more traditional for Beijing, small round sesame buns.  Superb!

The next night, I intruded on a client dinner of fellow art fair participants at the rooftop Yin Bar of the newly-opened Emperor Hotel.  It was a bit of a drive from our hotel, but well worth the frustration of trying to communicate with the taxi driver.  The hotel is part of the Design Hotels group of luxury boutique hotels.  It is a retro, mod, marvel of neon brights and white walls, all of 55 rooms.  They served us dinner in the open-air bar where we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the Forbidden City, gloriously lit up on that breezy evening.  The food, served from the kitchen of the Shi restaurant on the second floor, was fusion, a modern take on traditional Chinese dishes.  We had a sampling, all small portions, most made a bit too spicy for my taste.  But the setting, incomparable.

Duck de Chine @ 1949 – The Hidden City is at Gong Ti Bel Lu, Chaoyang District

Yin Bar , The Emperor Hotel, is at 33 Qihelon St., Dongcheng District

Entrance to Microscopic Narration exhibit

Detail: Microscopic Narration at the Iberia Center