LOST IN TRANSLATION

JEMINA Reyes at the Ricco Renzo Galleries
By Cid Reyes

Jemina Reyes opens her solo exhibition billed as “Lost in Translation” at the Ricco Renzo Galleries and Caffe on October 16.

The title of the show alludes to the famous quotation of the American poet Robert Frost: “Poetry is what is lost in translation.” In these recent works, Jemina, an avowed Abstract Expressionist, reflects on the queen of all flowers, the rose. The subject references Shakespeare’s line, addressed by Juliet to her Romeo: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” The artist’s trademark feathery brushstrokes swirl gently, forming the shape, density and texture of roses. Male and female figures embody the artwork’s romantic dynamics.

Jemina Reyes states her artistic principle: “My art is when the canvas hears the expression of my soul.”

“Lost in Translation” is on view till Nov. 6. For inquiries: 0927-3244013.

The Ricco Renzo Galleries and Caffe are located at the LRI Design Plaza, 210 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel-Air, Makati City. www. rccorenzo.com

MOMENTS FROZEN IN TIME

Moments Frozen In Time
An Exhibit of Dance Images

October 27 to December 2
Opening on October 27, Tuesday, at 7 p.m.

For Martha Graham, dance can only be collected in other media. Alongside film and video, photography is the most important means of recording dance. Its images are sculptures of human posture and light. Like theater photography, it uses stage lighting. Like photojournalism, it concentrates on the motionless moment within a movement.

Moments Frozen In Time: An Exhibit of Dance Images is a traveling exhibit organized by the Tanzarchiv (German Dance Archive) and the Goethe Institut. Rather than just present the history of dance photography, it focuses instead on the more modern trend towards the visualization of dance.


Exhibit highlights and programs include:
 Dialogue as a Means to its End dance performance by Donna Miranda at the exhibit opening on October 27
 The Green Table film screening at the exhibit
 Rhythm Is It! film screening on November 4 and 7
 Moving Body with Mind and Spirit artist talk with Jeannie Javelosa on November 18

Yuchengco Museum is located at RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala & Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues, Makati City. To RSVP, contact Luisa Zaide of Goethe Institut at 817-0978 or e-mail program@manila.goethe.org.

ARTEPINAS, INC.

ARTEPINAS, the Premiere Portal of the Philippine Art Scene which was founded in 2007 is now a non-stock, non-profit corporation. Affirming its global status and reach, Artepinas was recently incorporated as it continues to persevere to pursue the optimum promotion of Philippine arts and culture as its primary agenda. Artepinas, Inc. is a non-stock and non-profit corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Republic of the Philippines with SEC Registration Number CN200914122 and Tax Identification Number 007-364-557.

Artepinas, Inc. immediate focus is to become a player in the national and international market for Philippine and global art. Its programs call for the organization of sustainable art activities that will redound to the benefit not only of Artepinas Inc., but also to the Philippine art community as a whole, in response of the inability or paralysis of other Philippine art organizations to fulfill the basic task of developing and elevating the condition of the Filipino artist. Eventually, these programs will expand to a medium and long-term development plan anchored on the activities to further the viability and sustainability of the Corporation’s operations, and the future of its endeavors, as well as those of its Board of Trustees, members and artists.

Among the purposes for which the Corporation is incorporated are:

-To pursue the optimum promotion of Philippine arts and culture as a primary agenda, to trust artists and to support a climate in which they can thrive.

-To amplify comprehension of Philippine art, ignite discussion and arouse innovative thinking by documenting artists at work and in their people who make it encouraging and enhancing ingenious thinking and perspicuity.

-To launch activities/events related to arts and culture to include Philippine visual arts, film, music, dance, theater, literature, new media, interdisciplinary arts, and combined arts by way of exhibitions, seminars/workshops/training/lectures/research and out-reach programs, productions, performances, documentations, publications, competitions and festivals, artist residencies and immersion programs, collaborations, artist exchange programs, and such other activities/events.

-To discover new and emerging artists from diverse geographic, ethnic, cultural, and artistic backgrounds, further develop and support their creativity, and help foster and manage their personal artistic careers by introducing them to the ever-growing national and increasingly international audience.

-To provide a venue for activities/events related to arts and culture, to include Philippine visual arts, film, music, dance, theater, literature, new media, interdisciplinary arts and combined arts.

-To establish and maintain effective partnerships with a range of national, regional and local artists, art organizations, contemporary and alternative art venues, institutions that foster Philippine Arts and Culture, and all other stakeholders, both private and public, setting aside the ego, the politics, and personal agenda; all for the enhancement and advancement of our own arts and culture that is primarily of service to our own country and its people.

-To establish and maintain effective partnerships with a range of national, regional and local artists, art organizations, contemporary and alternative art venues, institutions that foster Philippine Arts and Culture, and all other stakeholders, both private and public, setting aside the ego, the politics, and personal agenda; all for the enhancement and advancement of our own arts and culture that is primarily of service to our own country and its people.

Artepinas, Inc. maintains Unit 839 Park Avenue Mansions, Park Avenue, Pasay City, Philippines as its seat of operations. Joseph Crisanto R. Martinez is the Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Martinez single-handedly ran free online arts promotions by way of the Cordillera Artists Central website and the Artepinas blogsite for the past four years. The Corporation currently operates with four (4) vital departments, namely: the Exhibitions Department headed by Joey V. Cobcobo, the Information Department headed by Nikko V. Zapata, the Finance/Administrative Department headed by Boy L. Viloria, and the Marketing Department headed by Beth M. Laluces. A strong management team committed to effective and efficient service in all aspects of operations assures the highest quality client service and is basis of this Corporation’s current and future success.


Business Landline Phone: (632) 664 40 77
Business E-mail Address: info@artepinasinc.tk
Business Website: http://www.artepinasinc.tk/
Contact Person: Joey R. Martinez, President/CEO
Contact Person: Joey V. Cobcobo, Exhibitions Manager/COO

HANGOVER SQUARE

Hangover Square
Lena Cobangbang and Maria Taniguchi
7 October - 2 November 2009
Mag:net. The Columns. Ayala Avenue. Makati

After a problem is recognized and information gathered, thoughts scramble and swirl into chaos until they find their own natural alignment, finally signaling the conscious mind—Eureka! At least, that’s how it was supposed to be prior to the 19th century. But in the advent of Modernism, the process of creating went haywire, when thinking about thinking about thinking seemed to have short-circuited the mind, running on to never-ending nightmares of dead-ends, vicious cycles, complex labyrinths, infinite layers, endless loops and impossible entanglements.

Hangover Square, a two-woman show by Lena Cobangbang and Maria Taniguchi,opening at the Mag:net on October 7, looks back to the point where the world went wild with ideas; when the past was completely (or theoretically) abandoned and destroyed for a chance to rebuild a shining new society, a brave new world albeit the risk of reversing human civilization and replacing it with anarchy or dystopia. In rethinking modernism, Cobangbang and Taniguchi supposes that it is about “waking from a dream to step into another dream, like waking from a hangover whose cure is to drink again and be in another vicious cycle of waking up to another hangover which would eventually lead to binge drinking.” Or in modernism’s case, “binge idealism.”

Well, we all know what happened along the way. All these idealisms led to humans having the capacity and technology to destroy the entire planet in one blow. Entropy increased exponentially with development and advancement. Modernism’s unfulfilled aspirations led to cynicism, mockery, relativism and senselessness as the only sincere alternative, and ultimately boredom and ennui, and always, corruption.

At the end of the 20th century, this thing called the internet, which the people of the past never had, exploded, and the rules of the game changed once again. Before this, thinking of the possibilities and solutions were somehow limited to one’s field of knowledge and specialization; the bigger picture was simply impossible to construct. But now that there is a "free-access" database of all the ideas of the world—possibly linking together every idea that ever was and is and will be—there is again hope to make sense of this increasing complexity and entropy. More and more fields in the arts and sciences are becoming interconnected. New significant discoveries are being made every day that it's hard not to be excited and idealistic.

Then again one can’t be too giddy and overly optimistic or one might risk looking like a naive fool. It’s hard to be sustainably impressed these days considering that we are bombarded with shock after shock after shock, so much so that the aftershocks no longer astound or terrify. Soon enough after its conception, any idea becomes a banal part of everyday stimuli and landscape. We could all turn into magicians and sorcerers and gods and goddesses tomorrow, and within a month’s time, probably get bored of the fact, and carry on complaining about some mundane thing. From the perspective of a 19th century person, we may as well seem like super humans with our knowledge and ability, manipulating tools, gadgets, and technologies to solve multifarious problems as instantly as the wave of a magic wand. And yet, for us people of today, having this power, this access to every human thought and idea at the click of a button is nothing to be so continually thrilled about. We are always anxious to update and improve in fear that we will be left behind.

Cobangbang's and Taniguchi's show is like swinging in this bipolarity of drunken romantic idealism and cool intellectual nonchalance. Any talk of gender at this point may be retrogressive, but it can’t be helped to point out that this bipolarity is certainly not unfamiliar to any female psyche. Finding comfort in contradictions, balancing multiple states of mind, and rethinking insanity may be the only way the 21st century can be survived. If there was such a thing as a bipolar utopia, Cobangbang's warm, color and whimsy and Taniguchi's iconic minimalist monochromes may be a close ideal. Imagine waking up in the morning and being alert, meditative, calm, deep, collected, rational, and reasonable, and come sun down, be as rude and as crude and as romantic and as mad and as spiritual and as mystical and as senseless and as empty as one pleases.

To balance these polarities – could be the elegant alchemical equation.

Hangover Square will be on view until the 2nd of November, 2009.
Mag:net at The Columns
Ayala Avenue corner Gil Puyat Avenue.Makati City
1200 Philippines
(63) 909.5328

The 62st AAP ANNUAL ART COMPETITION 2009

The Art Association of the Philippines
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
In cooperation with
GSIS Museum
present

The 62st AAP ANNUAL ART COMPETITION 2009


RULES AND REGULATIONS

Kindly read the rules and regulations carefully. The AAP shall strictly implement the rules published herein. All members/competitors are required to comply.

GENERAL RULES ON THE COMPETITION

1. The 61st AAP Annual Art Competition 2008 is open to all bona fide members.
2. Regular Members may join all five (5) categories.
3. Associate Members 16-20 years of age as of submission date may join only the Special Categories, namely Art Photography and Drawing.

4. MEMBERSHIP AND FEES:
a. Membership should be renewed on or before the date of submission by paying the annual dues. Non-members who wish to join should apply for membership first before they are allowed to enter the competition.
b. Regular Membership is open to artists who are: Fine Arts students, art patrons, art enthusiasts and cultural workers 21 years old and above.
c. Associate Membership is open to artists 16-20 years old as of submission date who may be students, art enthusiasts or cultural workers.
d. For bona fide members and applicants, please submit two (2) recent 1x1 photos for the AAP Identification Card.
e. For new members, please submit a comprehensive resume, two (2) recent 1x1 photos for the AAP Identification Card and fill up the AAP Bio Data.
f. Regular Membership Fee is Two Hundred Fifty Pesos (Php 250.00) for both renewal and new membership.
g. Associate Membership Fee is Two Hundred Fifty Pesos (Php 250.00) as well.
h. A participant may join several categories, provided that ONLY ONE ENTRY PER CATEGORY will be submitted.
i. To encourage wider participation among members, AAP will no longer collect or require entry fee for all the categories.

5. All artworks shall be for sale. Artist prices are subject for review by the AAP Board. The AAP is entitled to a 30% share of the sale value.
6. An entry is considered to be an artistic product of an individual. No group entries shall be allowed. All artworks should be the original artistic creation of the participating artist. Non-compliance will result to disqualification of entry or revocation of title.
7. All entries must be SIGNED. Information to be written on the Entry Details Form and attached at the back of entry: artist’s name, address, contact details, category, entry title and price. (Signatures of the artists will be covered with a masking tape to ensure impartiality during the judging)
8. Each entry should be accompanied by a 5 x 7 (5R) colored photograph of the artwork, with the same information as above written on the Entry Details Form and attached at the back of photo. You may also avail of the services of the AAP Official Photographer for a minimal fee.
9. Entries for the Painting, Mixed Media, Art Photography and Drawing Categories should be framed and have provisions for hanging. Pedestals are optional for entries to the Sculpture Category.
10. SUBMISSION DATE: NOVEMBER 21, 2009 Saturday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Entries in the Painting and Mixed Media Categories are to be submitted at the GSIS Museo ng Sining at the CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, while entries for the Sculpture, Art Photography and Drawing should be submitted at the Kanlungan ng Sining, Rizal Park, Manila.
11. All accepted entries would be featured on the 61st AAP Annual Art Catalogue 2009. However, due to limited exhibition space, entries will be pre-screened by a panel of judges. Only entries, which pass pre-screening, will be exhibited in the above venues.
12. All decisions by the Board of Judges are final.
13. PRIZES:
Major Categories (Painting, Sculpture and Mixed Media)
1st Prize Php 50,000 Cash + Trophy
2nd Prize Php 30,000 Cash + Medal
3rd Prize Php 20,000 Cash + Medal
Special Categories (Art Photography and Drawing)
Best Entry Php 10,000 Cash + Medal
Honorable Mention Awardees will be awarded with Plaques.
14. AWARDING: The Awarding Ceremony will be announced at a later date.
15. EXHIBITION: Exhibition will follow the Awarding Ceremony.
16. RETRIEVAL: Retrieval of non-winning entries will be from January 10 to February 10, 2010 in the same venue the entries were submitted. Painting and Mixed Media entries shall be retrieved at the GSIS Museo ng Sining, while Sculpture, Art Photography and Drawing entries shall be retrieved at the Kanlungan ng Sining. All entries not retrieved within the period shall automatically become property of the AAP.
17. AAP shall not be held legally liable for any damages to entries as a result of the competition or the failure of the participant to follow the rules and regulations.
18. Submission of entries signifies acceptance of the rules and regulations of the competition.

RULES ON ARTISTIC FORMAT AND SPECIFICATIONS
Open Theme for all Categories

Painting• Any pigment on ground e.g. oil / acrylic on canvas, watercolor on paper, tempera on board, etc.
• Dimensions: 30x40 inches, excluding frame. Vertical or horizontal orientation.

Sculpture
• Three dimensional artwork in the round, using any material or technique
• Dimensions: Maximum of 4 feet or within the volume measure of 60 cubic feet. 100 kilos maximum weight.

Mixed Media
• Assemblage, collage, decoupage, relief panel with found objects, etc.
• Dimensions: 30x40 inches with maximum thickness of 6 inches from the wall. Vertical or horizontal orientation. 25 kilos maximum weight.

Art Photography
• Photographs should be original, unpublished and taken during November 2007-November 2008. The participant must be the original author and sole owner of his or her photo entry/is.
• Dimensions: 11”x17” inches or A3 Size. Vertical or horizontal orientation, full color or black and white printed on photo paper. Photographs should be framed and ready for hanging upon submission.
• Medium could either be film or digital, but no entries on disk or e-mail will be accepted.
• Alterations after exposure - digital darkroom, painting, airbrushing, paste-on or assembly are not allowed. Creative effects must be done in-camera at the time of exposure, such as multiple exposure, flash fill, light painting, filtration, etc.
• Creative effects or minimal digital manipulation such as enhancement of color and contrast is allowed, but paste-ups and collages are prohibited.
• Person(s) appearing in the photograph should have a signed release form supplied and kept by the artist.

Drawing
• Graphite, pen and ink, ball pen, charcoal, colored pencils on paper Dimensions: 21 x 29 inches excluding frame. Vertical or horizontal orientation.
For details and inquiries, please call (632) 4960992 or text 09209208149. You may also drop by the AAP Office and Gallery, Kanlungan ng Sining, Rizal Park, Manila. You may also post your questions at: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/aapartists / or http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Pinoy- AAP/

IN-LIGHTENMENT

“IN-LIGHTENMENT”
Valeria Cavestany
3-31 October 2009


Cavestany’s iron-and-light menagerie

Once again artist Valeria Cavestany is out to explore fresh views on old themes, this time pertaining to the relationship between humans and animals in her latest exhibit, IN-LIGHTENMENT, at the Galleria Duemila, from October 3-31. Featuring a menagerie of more than thirty animals welded in iron and lit from within the exhibit is a reiteration of the enduring universality of myths—or superstitions, as Cavestany sometimes likes to call it—or stories spun around common creatures like fish and insects, dogs and roosters, and members of the lizard family.

World mythologies assign different meanings to different animals. For instance, snakes or serpents can be helpful or harmful, depending on whose story is being told. The Hopi Indians living in the dry American Southwest have stories about a water snake that is associated with springs while the Romans regarded snake spirits as protection for their homes. Precisely because the snake sheds its skin as it grows, some cultures view it as a symbol of rebirth and have associated it with healing.

The Bible, however, describes the snake as a treacherous creature, and a Japanese myth tells of a huge eight-headed snake that holds a princess prisoner.

The freighted relationship between humans and animals stems from their closeness throughout history, which in turn has given rise to myths and legends. Often, animals perform heroic deeds or act as mediators between heaven and earth. As in many cultures across Asia, they may also be the source of the wisdom if not hold the power of a shaman.

These are just some of the themes that artist Valeria Cavestany explores in IN-LIGHTENMENT. “Many stories surrounding animals are certainly without borders,” she says, citing the eternal tale of the gecko (lagartija in Spanish and sargantana in Catalan) and the lizard family as the embodiment of regeneration and resilience. “If they lose their tails they grown them back. That is one of the most compelling visual metaphors for the human ability to reinvent the self.”

For Cavestany, such resilience is also the enduring quality of people who triumph over setbacks. In a sense, reinvention is her personal story as well. The Spanish mestiza has taken the well-trod road of art—a choice that, at first blush, might seem to have been inspired by her mother, an exceptionally creative homemaker and model born and raised in the Philippines. But it was the desire to grasp the workings of the world and its ethnicities that impelled Valeria’s deliberate course, which first brought her to Manila in 1980.

Today, nearly three decades and several group and solo shows later, Cavestany declares, “I am Filipino.” And in the Philippines is where she has been painting and creating through other media such as light and metal, her version of personal histories and cultural junctions, to emerge as one of the city’s finer artists imbued with what one critic has described as “infinite charm…stylishness and flourish.”

Fresh from a successful solo exhibit at the Casa Asia in Barcelona this August, Cavestany, through IN-LIGHTENMENT, seeks to speak anew on old themes in much the playful way she did at her exhibit Fragments and Flowers in Istanbul in 2008. Here, her thirty watercolor and mixed-media paintings bore her trademark boldness in combining, this time, Chinese, Filipino, Turkish, and Ottoman motifs.

Cavestany confesses that she herself favors works by new artists precisely because of the brisk perspectives they bring. According to her “Circumstances compel today’s artists to be constantly innovating and it’s always good to look for the unfamiliar, whether one is traveling or creating.”

IN-LIGHTENMENT delivers on the same premise -- reviving the familiar through new materials to produce a fresh take on one of the oldest relationships that have bound all living things. Exhibit runs from October 3-31 at Galleria Duemila, 210 Loring Street, Pasay City. The gallery is open Mondays to Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm. For more information, please contact Eryl Torres or Thess Ponce through Tel. No. (632) 831-9990 or Telefax(632) 833-9815, email: duemila@mydestiny.net or visit our website at www. galleriaduemila.com

GRAND PRIZE IN 2009 ASEAN-KOREA MULTIMEDIA COMPETITION

JOPHEL BOTERO YBIOSA OF THE PHILIPPINES WINS GRAND PRIZE IN 2009 ASEAN-KOREA MULTIMEDIA COMPETITION

Jophel Botero Ybiosa, a resident of Quezon City and student of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines won the Grand Prize (Gold Award) in the Photography Category of the 2009 ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition. Ybiosa's three winning entries entitled "The Guide", "Festive Day" and "Reflection of a Culture" feature the Higantes Festival of Angono, Rizal and Aliwan Festival in Manila.

At the awarding ceremony held in Seoul Art Space - Seogyo on September 23, Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Luis T. Cruz lauded Mr. Ybiosa for its creativity and excellence in photography and further encouraged the student to continue with his involvement in various ASEAN awareness programs.

University of the Philippines student MM Yu was also awarded the honor of "Special Guest Artist" in recognition of her outstanding entries.

The contest, which carries the theme "Cultural Diversity and Harmony," was divided in two categories namely, video/multimedia and photography, and was participated in by over 350 ASEAN and Korean university and graduate students. Winning entries and other selected works will be displayed at the Seoul Art Space from September 23 to October 10.

The ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition was organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center, in cooperation with the 10 ASEAN embassies in Seoul.

ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting economic and socio-cultural cooperation between ASEAN and Korea.

On the other hand, Ybiosa was also awarded as one of the Finalists in the Print Category of 2009 Bangkok International Print and Drawing Competition. The Awarding Ceremony was held last May 18, 2009 at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakkri Sirindhorn as the Guest of Honor.

Ybiosa is currently taking-up a course in Teacher Education in Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He actively represents his university in various competitions local and abroad.

Last June 26, 2009, he won the Championship title in the Interschool Extemporaneous Speech Contest held in Aldaba Hall of University of the Philippines, Diliman. He was also the Top 7 and Top 10 Winner of 2009 Photoworld Cup-June Edition organized by Federation of Philippine Photographer's Foundation.

Ybiosa is also one of the Semi-finalists in the Oil Painting Category of this year's Metrobank Art and Design Excellence National Competition On October 20, 2009, he will be awarded as one of the Finalists of 2009 Shell National Student Art Competition in Ayala Museum. He is also a proud member of Philippine Internet Users’ Society (PIUS), Organisasyon ng Batikan at Respetadong Artista ng Bayan (OBRA Inc.), NCCA Artists for Crisis, Ramon Magsaysay Camera Club Inc. (RMCCI), Federation of Philippine Photographers’ Foundation (FPPF), Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) and National Press Photographers (NPP).

Winners of the 2009 ASEAN-KOREA MULTIMEDIA COMPETITION


PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORY

1st Prize
Jophel Botero Ybiosa – Philippines
(Polytechnic University of the Philippines)

2nd Prize
SHIN MyungGun – Korea
(SangMyung University)

Silvia Ong – Singapore
(Lasalle College of the Arts)

3rd Prize
Susan Tan – Malaysia
(Lasalle College of the Arts)

Sutayasa – Indonesia
( Singapore Management University )

Ali Usman Wahyu Hidayat – Indonesia
(Indonesian Institute of Arts Yogyakarta )

Mg Kyaw Zin – Myanmar
( Maw Lamyine University )

Muhammad Arif bin Haji Zainal – Brunei
(Universiti Brunei Darussalam)


VIDEO CATEGORY

1st Prize
Muhammad Muhaimin bin Juhari
I’m not Alone Malaysia
(Universiti Malaysia Pahang)

2nd Prize
Catthaleeya Boonphao
The Teaching of His Majesty the King Thai
(Bangkok University International College)

SUH Gong Hee and SONG Sung Won
ASEAN-Korea (Stop Motion) Korea
( Korea National University of Arts)

3rd Prize
Deddy Dixson Tati Lajitan and Teo Han Fei
Well of No Return Malaysia Malaysia
(Universiti Utara Malaysia)

Lai Wee Cent
10 Countries Malaysia
(Nanyang Technological University)

Awarding Ceremony was held on September 23 at the Seoul Art Space-Seogyo, South Korea.

TRIAD

Triad: A Jewelry Exhibit on Futurism

What is futurism?

Being forward thinkers, jewelry artists Michelline Syjuco, Kristine Dee and Paul Syjuco discussed the theme of futurism and came up with several concepts. For them it meant progress with a deep-seated respect for the past. It meant concern for the common good by doing things a little bit better along the way. It also meant, most importantly, creating new things with imagination and creativity.

The different design eras and paradigms expressed the future in different ways. The early twenties to forties envisioned the future rife with airplanes and flight as well as abstraction. Mid-century futurism contained visions of monorails and superhighways. There seemed to be a fixation with organic alien life forms, lasers, UFOs and space exploration in the sixties and seventies as well as parallel universes of mythical beings and objects in the eighties. However, these "Retro-futurist" pegs aren't exactly what the artists pay tribute to. It is the constant attempt to experiment. It is the pushing of the mind to create concepts of external objects not present to the senses. And while we all know that most concepts of the past didn't quite make the cut, being relegated to archives at best, it is the spirit of creativity and resourcefulness that is held high. After all, a lot of our perceived realities now were long ago only considered fantasies.

For a portfolio and background on artists please check our individual sites:
www.paulsyjuco.com
www.kristinedee.com
www.michellinesyjuco.com

In addition, Cicou Resturant's executive chef Cyrille Soenen will be preparing french desserts inspired by the jewelry pieces during the event.

For more Museum Foundation events and activities please visit our website at http://museumfounda tionph.org/ news/

PWU MUSEUM NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

PWU Museum Now Open to the Public
Rosario Bitanga Peralta

The Philippine Women's University Museum and Gallery is now open to the public.

On exhibit are the costumes of the National Dance Company, the Bayanihan, and other private collections associated with the dance company's travels including the memorabilia of National Artist Lucrecia "King" Reyes Kasilag.

In connection with the 90th anniversary of PWU, the first art exhibition was opened last February 24, 2009 titled "Ang Pagbabalik ng mga Pantas-Sining ng PWU.

The Museum and Gallery hosts the following line up of art exhibitions:

July 16 to August 11-PWU Alumni: Paul Dimalanta
Sept. 4 to 25: Arnel Borja
Oct. 2 to 23: The Ugnayan '80 UST Alumni
Nov. 19 to Dec. 18 (c/o of Eugene Cubillo-PWU Alumni: The Manila Bulletin Artists

Gallery objectives:

1. To provide a venue for (a.) art works of PWU alumni and students and other contemporary visual artists; (b.) for artist talks, art demous, lectures for a more dynamic art program in the university


2. To provide PWU students, faculty, the entire PWU family as well as the immediate general public ccess to art towards its wider appreciation.

Visual artist Rosario Bitanga Peralta is the current director of the PWU gallery. Contact the gallery at tel. no. 526-8421 local 203.

ART: MNL

Art and Soul at Manila F.A.M.E. International October

“The Filipino painting has been able to create a stimulating and original balance between traditional themes and new ideas. Colorful, passionate, and ostentatious, Filipino painting encompasses the totality of the contemporary experience in the country, from low to high culture.” – Sotheby’s, Global Art Auction Company

The continuing boom of young talents in the contemporary arts scene and local fine arts with their masterpieces receiving high bids in international auctions prove that Filipino artists have what it takes to conquer the international world of art. Thus, the debut of ART: MNL at Manila Furnishings and Apparel Manufacturers’ Exchange (F.A.M.E.) International.

This coming 15-18 October at the World Trade Center, renowned and budding Filipino artists and country’s leading galleries will join forces to bring you unique works of art. ART: MNL, a preview to the Philippine International Art Fair in 2010 is a new feature of Manila F.A.M.E. International meant to showcase the export potentials of the creative industries in the Philippines, particularly visual arts. It is also an exhibition designed to promote awareness and recognition of the works of Filipino artists.

“ART: MNL is a great chance to give international exposure to our talented Filipino Artists. Opportunities such as this event are few and far in between,” said Salvador “Buds” Convocar, president of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP), a non-government organization that provides opportunities to emerging talents and discovering new generations of artists in the Philippines.

Joining the fair are some of the countries leading galleries such as the Art Circle Gallery, Art Asia Fine Arts, Dale Mathis Studio, Galerie Francesca, Gallery Big, Galerie Joaquin, Masterpiece Art Gallery, Sining Kamalig Art Gallery, Syano Art Link, Heritage Art, Galerie Astra, Galleria Nicolas, and Galerie Joaquin-Podium. Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) will also exhibit some of their members’ artworks at the fair.

Art Manila is also a collaboration of government and non-government organizations from the visual arts sector. Members of the show’s advisory board include: Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Metropolitan Museum of the Philippines (MET), National Museum (NM), Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Bonafide Art Galleries Organization (BAGO), Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) and Contemporary Art Philippines (CAP).

“ART: MNL is an exciting new art fair which could bring in a host of opportunities for the Philippine art market through its huge draw of foreign buyers,” said Jonathan Sy, President of Bonafide Art Galleries Organization (BAGO). BAGO is non-stock, non-profit association that aims to promote Philippine visual art by organizing art fairs locally and joining shows abroad.

Sy also said “joining ART: MNL is also a good opportunity to test the market of the existing foreign trade buyers of Manila F.A.M.E. International who may be more interested in decorative arts and at the same time are confident that the fair will create a new market composed of local and foreign fine art buyers.”

“It is high time for our own artists to be recognized in the global art market and bring attention to the Philippines as a rich source of great art, and this fair will be a perfect venue to prove it,” Convocar added.

Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, ART: MNL also aims to foster a cultural interaction and exchanges with other art markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

ART: MNL also includes a nude sketching session as well as seminars on art appreciation, art conservation, and art trends in collaboration with National Museum and NCCA.

For more information about ART: MNL, visit www.manilafame.com/artmnl.

COURTYARD

Courtyard
Pablo Gallery FortTaguig, Philippines


08/24/2008
MANILA, Philippines – Officials from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Sunday conducted a security inspection at the Manila City Jail a day after a riot among prisoners caused the death of one inmate. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV

In this project, Salvatus finds a news report about a deadly riot inside the Manila City Jail in 2008 and retells it in a different perspective in his new show – Courtyard in Pablo Gallery Fort.

Working with communities and experiences, Salvatus reinvestigates the incident with various media. Making a re-enactment of some sort, he presents the story in a Crime Scene Investigation-type of exhibition. Different visual images are juxtaposed in the said courtyard—from drawings, to installations and objects.

Changing the relationship of the past to the present, the account of the riot now becomes a found object that Salvatus tries to visualize using “evidence” he collected inside the Manila City Jail. Using interviews, photographs, and his immersion experience inside the compound, he comes up with his own visual conclusion and combines them with his personal ideas—ideas that make a strong impression and emotional tension, establishing an intimate and charged dialogue with the audience—will they be familiarized by it or be alienated?

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

The Gods of Small Things

Currently dubbed as the master of the dark and the mysterious by contemporary art critics, Andres Barrioquinto traverses deep into the soul of asian art and focuses on the detailed, colorful approach of early Japanese prints for his new set of works. And as Japanese art has often been characterized with its unique harmonizing of polarities, Barrioquinto creates a dichotomy of his own through such portraitures of gloom and paranoia narrated in a calm, relaxing manner. “Disorders make a person beautiful. Because when you are not perfect, that’s when you strive to be. So basically, defect and beauty comes close hand in hand. And sometimes a dent could even emphasize the beauty of something.” Barrioquinto explains. In this show, the artist has also applied a detailed layering of patterns, so as to further emphasize the repetitive, machinated feel of contemporary prints. According to the artist, this show is definitely different from his past anthology of works, because he believes that his new paintings are all equally strong in terms of visual impact. A recurring parade of flowers, cranes, and crows are distinctly playing around his latest batch of portraits. However, if studied very closely, it is also highly noticeable that the overflowing washes of patterns are but masks to the dark, grim personas trapped inside his emotionally saturated paintings. “These are imperfect entities lost in a beautiful world.” Barrioquinto explains. Recently hailed by The Business Times Weekend as a ”Master in the Making”, Andres Barrioquinto’s work matures into a finer, more detailed form, which has evolved both in technical quality and concept. However, despite all these rapid, constant changes, he still retains his signature insignia of morbidity and despair, carefully cloaked in the atmosphere of dark melancholy in his recent works. Through a façade of vibrant hues and embellishments, Barrioquinto continues to emanate an undetected presence of a black hole that exists inside every one of us. Through the aide of such visual paradoxes he continues to show it and take his audience away into a world of his own untamed imaginings, where destruction is redefined as the springboard of beauty, and eventually the endpoint of it. Overall, The Gods of Small Things is an inevitable journey to madness, forcing a certain twinge of confusion to the senses through the contrasted marriage of darkness and beauty, of serenity and discord.

“Some paintings are not meant to be beautiful” Barrioquinto says in a mysterious tone while manually depicting a sea of designs shrouding the entirety of his large scaled canvasses. With this perfect quote he ends the interview.

The Gods of Small Things will open on Saturday 6PM, October 17 at the blanc compound 359 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City. For more information, please call or sms 752-0032 / 0920-9276436, email info@ blanc.ph or visit www.blanc.ph , www.blancartspace. multiply. com

The Gods of Small Things will run until November 7, 2009.

NEGROS CURRENT

ALAMAT NG BAWANG

Alamat ng Bawang
Jomike Tejido’s 5th solo exhibition and children’s book launch
Oct 17 2009, Saturday
1/of Gallery, Serendra, Fort Bonifacio Taguig
6.30pm-9pm

ABOUT the SHOW:

Jomike Tejido’s paintings in this show weave into Alamat ng Bawang, a timeless Filipino tale of how garlic came to be. Having had four previous exhibitions mostly themed with abstract nature themes, JM Tejido’s renditions on hand-woven mats now include human figures in its dreamy landscapes that compose the illustrations for a picture book. The story, written by Segundo Matias Jr, has elements in traditional Filipino folklore such as the bahay kubo, forests, datus and townsfolk that aptly intertwine with JM Tejido’s distinct Filipino style.

The acrylic on treated hand-woven mats, sourced from a mat export company supplier to ensure its quality, has been JM Tejido’s signature style since 2000. His works have been exhibited in Paris , Singapore and Japan , where he has been a runner-up in the 16th Noma Concours Picture book illustrations (2007). He is a member and was the former president of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK), an organization for children’s book illustrators. He has illustrated over 30 children’s books since 2000, some of which he also authored, including Tagu-Taguan (Ilaw ng Tahanan books 2009), Dinosaur Pop-up (Adarna House 2005), an innovative book that teaches pop-up mechanisms. JM Tejido also created the Foldabots Toy Book series, a collection of cardboard robot toys. JM Tejido is a practising architect and lives with his wife, Haraya.

QU4TRO AGOS

CUT AND FACE

CUT AND FACE

Filipino artist Sam Penaso creates enigmatic portraits of people juxtaposed with letters and numbers which are motivated with technology and communication.

He uses a technique to create relief-like impressions on the canvas surface, resulting in the fluidity of form. The symbolism of the human face is an unending quest of man’s abilities - reading, writing, exploring the unknown and attaining the impossible and ultimately creating his own person; an individual understanding of his purpose in life and the universe.

“Cut & Face” will opens on Oct. 16 (7 pm) until Nov 2, 2009
at the Momentous Gallery- 20 lor telok (behind boat quay) “02-01 Singapore.

FTW

SCUPLTORS EL FAROL AND PUEBLO OPEN FOR THE NCCA GALLERY FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS

Sculptors El Farol and Pueblo open for the NCCA Gallery for Contemporary Arts
SCH 10.01.2009

Where else can Philippine art be more at home but at the designated center of arts and culture? Finally, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) opens its doors to contemporary visual arts in opening its first art gallery at the main lobby of the building in Intramuros.

Opening for the NCCA Gallery for Contemporary Arts is couple Noell El Farol and Mervy Pueblo, both distinguished and award-winning artists in their chosen discipline with their exhibit titled “Beyond Identification.”

The two merges their passion for arts and sciences. Noell will display his archaeological finds through a collection of plates detailing the art evolution of China while Mervy aims to capture the imagination of art enthusiasts with her blood splatter analysis soft sculpture using fabrics.

Noell is best known and won awards for his definitive glass art sculpture showcasing his learning from prehistoric past but for the inaugural opening of the NCCA Gallery for Contemporary Arts, he goes for something that he did not manually produced himself. He believes that a person’s understanding of art must not be representative only of what he personally created but also of the things that characterize his understanding of art.

Mervy, on the other hand, has been fascinated by blood splatter analysis because of her inclination to science. Before deciding on Fine Arts in college, she was considering Biology because of her interest in life forms. The arts won her over, as she is now one of the contemporary female artists who dare to introduce the unconventional to the Filipino’s appreciation of arts.

Some of her notable works include “Virus Attitude” and “Fertile Breeding Ground 1 & 2” in 2007 which are made of modified concrete and steel, “Black Mutation” in 2006 made of constructed fabric, wood, and glass, and “Out of Eden” in 2004 which is built with fabric and earth. Her carvings include “Specimen” in 2006 and she carved granite in 2007 in Vietnam and titled it “Gubu.”

“I can best describe my works as experiential,” Mervy explained, “They are the extension of my soul.” Thus, Mervy somehow reveals her inner self through her pieces.

Mervy plans to cover the large part of the gallery with her blood splatter analysis floating soft sculpture. Though she does not intend to apply the shock factor, what she wants to achieve is “to make people think, realize, and appreciate that art and science can mix. I want them to have a clinical feeling of the arts. I want to inspire people especially women that there are different art forms that we can do and do with all our best,” she said, “I just want people to realize that when it comes to art there are no boundaries.”

Mervy finished her Fine Arts degree major in Advertising at the St. Scholastica’s College in Manila. She is also into carving stones, semi-precious stones, and crystals.

Noell recently received the Metrobank Prize for Achievement in Sculpture for his lifetime’s body of work. He also did tour exhibitions in many parts of Asia particularly in Japan and other countries like Russia and the United States. He is known in pushing for the inclusion of glass art in school curriculum because he believes on not only the medium’s potential but also more of its unexplored richness. He taught at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts and is currently teaching students at the Technological Institute of the Philippines.

His pursuit of promoting glass and sculpture into mainstream arts is insurmountable. Noell has conducted workshops nationwide on how to bake glass. He has lobbied himself for grants to promote glass in fine arts schools.

Noell’s fascination with archaeology is very much evident in his works. “Synostosis and Epiphyses” emanates bones and diggings that are made of cast glass, porcelain, cotton, and constructed glass. His other works include “Earthbound” in 2004. One of his famous works is the “Alphabet Soup” in 2005. Like Mervy, Noell is also into stone carving. He did some artwork in Vietnam and other countries as well.

The NCCA feels that it is important for visual artists to have a venue where they can showcase their arts and educate the public in the process. The gallery was an original concept of Isidro Gomez Hildawa and Christopher Rollo, former committee chairs of Visual Arts and Art Galleries at the agency. They believe that there should be a strong regular program and collections management that can serve as the paramount model for art galleries in the country. It should be not only culturally informative but highlights a high level of taste and aesthetics.

The director for the NCCA Gallery for Contemporary Arts is Jonathan Olazo. “Beyond Identification” runs from October 15 to November 15. Students and art enthusiasts are invited to witness this event. Farol will also hold lectures and talks during the exhibition.

NCCA is located at 633 General Luna St., Intramuros, Manila. For more information, please call Ethel C. Buluran at 5272192.

FABULOSA

Galerie Stephanie
cordially invites you to the opening of

FABULOSA

a major exhibit for 2009 by
Lydia Velasco

Opens October 10, 2009
Saturday 7;00 PM

at Galerie Stephanie
Unit 1B Parc Plaza Building
183 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Libis. Q.C.

Exhibit runs from October 10 to 25, 2009
Preview starts on October 1, 2009

For Inquiries pls call
(+632) 7091488 / 2114529 / 2161423
09178159127 / 09178948869

2010 NATIONAL ARTS MONTH CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Call for Proposals to the 2010 National Arts Month!

For the year 2010, the National Arts Month dubbed as Philippine International Arts Festival (PAIF) will have the theme "Ani ng Sining". It will feature the talents and performances of the many artists and arts groups in the seven arts on whose trainings, competitions, and creative expressions it has invested the past year or so. The Festival will be a celebration of the fruits of the creative efforts for the past year and a looking forward to a richer, more fertile ground in the coming years for the evolution of artistic modes of expression available to the Filipino creative imagination.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts encourages culture and arts organizations nationwide to take part in this celebration by making the PIAF a part of their annual program of activities. Thus, everyone is encouraged to implement their own PIAF Program in their own communities. The NCCA also invites organizations nationwide to submit project proposals that may be considered for possible funding assistance. This funding assistance is competitive. Noteworthy projects shall be selected by the PIAF Ad-Hoc Committee from among all proposals received by the NCCA based on the following criteria:

A. Proposals for new works will be evaluated according to the following:
1. Originality of Concept
2. Innovative Artistic Treatment
3. Interaction of Various Art Forms
4. Reflection of Philippine Culture

B. Proposals for productions based on works by National Artists will be evaluated according to the following:
1. Originality of Concept
2. Innovative Artistic Treatment
3. Creative Integration of National Artists' Works and Styles
4. Reflection of Philippine Culture

C. Proposals for previously-staged productions will be evaluated according to the following:
1. Artistic Achievement
2. Audience Impact
3. Critically Acclaimed
4. Reflection of Philippine Culture

Budget per Project: Php 100,000.00
Slots open for application: 30 slots

QUALIFICATIONS:

The grant is given to individuals or groups whose proposals or current works meet the following qualifications:

1. A production that has been staged and has received critical acclaim or regional or national recognition may apply for restaging the particular work.

2. A new work with a significant theme and innovative production style and featuring the interaction of two or more art forms (architecture, visual, literary, music, dance, theater and cinema)

3. A new production that aims to deepen the public's appreciation for the artistic achievements of two or more National Artists by featuring and incorporating in a creative way the themes and styles of the selected National Artists

4. The artistic form of all of the above entries may be foreign but the content should be Filipino. However, translations or adaptations of foreign productions (e.g., Broadway) do not qualify. All entries must be original Filipino work and not necessarily funded by the NCCA.

5. The applicant's proposal must contain a detailed written account of the work's concept, its artistic treatment, and other pertinent production requirements.

6. The proposal must also be endorsed by a representative of the NCCA regional committee.

THE PROJECT PROPONENT

1. Organizations must be duly-accredited proponents to the NCCA. Otherwise, proponents may apply for accreditation by submitting all required documents (for more information please visit our website at http://www.ncca.gov.ph)

2. Proponents must complete the liquidation of an unliquidated project and secure a Certificate of Project Completion from the NCCA Project Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PMED) to be eligible to apply for the Ani ng Sining Grant.

3. Proponents with projects to be implemented until February 2010 shall not be eligible to apply for the Ani ng Sining Grant.

4. Only one proposal may be accepted from each organization/individual.

The deadline for submission of project proposals, accreditation requirements, detailed line-item budget and other requirements is on or before the midnight of October 15, 2009. Proposals received after the deadline and/or with incomplete requirements shall not be processed and will be returned by the NCCA to the proponent

Download Project Proposal Form
Go to this link: http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca/programs/about-ncca-grants-programs.php

All project proposals may be addressed and submitted to:
Plan/ Policy Formulation and Programming Division
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
5th Flr., NCCA Building, 633 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila
Telephone Nos. (02) 527-2209, (02) 527-2192 loc. 509
Cell Phone No: 0918-9427972
Fax No. (02) 527-2198 or (02) 527-2084
E-mail: pmd@ncca.gov.ph or piaf_ncca@yahoo.com

ATENEO ART AUCTION 09: BIDDING FOR BLUE CHIP LEGACY AND DREAMS