PASINAYA 2010 CCP OPEN HOUSE FESTIVAL

With more than eighty (80) free shows and two thousand (2,000) artists performing in various venues of the CCP, this whole day event has activities for audiences of all ages and interests. The once-a-year event features sneak previews of upcoming productions of the CCP Resident Companies, namely: Ballet Philippines, Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company, National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), Philippine Ballet Theater, Philippine Madrigal Singers, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Tanghalang Pilipino and UST Symphony Orchestra. Guest companies and artists also perform and exhibit their works. This year’s event features a Higantes Parade for the Opening, the biggest gathering of tinikling dancers entitled Bonggang Bonggang Bamboo: The Tinikling Showdown at noon, and the Omnibus Show and Grand Curtain Call at 5pm. From 9am till 5pm, audiences can choose from music, theater, dance, poetry in performance, storytelling, exhibits, tours, arts market, food booths and film screenings. Pay what you can! See all you can! (Suggested donation: Php 20.00)

Sunday February 7, 2010
Various venues at the CCP
9:30 am: Opening Program
10 am – 12pm: Morning Programs
12 pm: Bonggang Bonggang Bamboo: The Tinikling Showdown
1pm – 5pm: Afternoon Programs
5:30 pm: Omnibus Show and Grand Curtain Call

For more information call 8322314
or visit our website
www.culturalcenter.gov.ph

ART THAT DEPICTS THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH

2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space
435 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802

CALL FOR ARTISTS

EARTH
Call for art that depicts the beauty of the Earth; environmental concerns or solutions; the relationship between man and nature; recycled, found object or assemblage art; art that comes from the Earth (clay, glass, metal, etc.) or the artist’s interpretation of the topic.

JUROR
Sam Bower is the Founding Executive Director of greenmuseum.org, an online museum of environmental art, launched in 2001. He is also Co-Founder (with Anne Veh) of Generative Partners a consulting firm for green architects and builders that specializes in a systems approach to art. Prior to this, Sam created environmental art for 8 years as part of a San Francisco Bay Area collaborative art group known as Meadowsweet Dairy. He helped found Cellspace, a nonprofit community art space in San Francisco, and Co-Directed Crucible Steel Gallery. Sam has worked as a solo artist, puppeteer, and web designer, and in advertising, events planning, and the environmental nonprofit sector in the US and Ecuador. He has served on the Board and as an Advisor to various art and environment-related nonprofits and art projects. His current passion is for free open source eco-art projects and is working on a book project related to sustainable culture.

CALENDAR
Exhibition Runs April 3, 2010 – May 5, 2010
Entries Received by Sunday, February 21, 2010 by midnight
Notification on Friday, March 12, 2010
Delivery on Monday, March 29 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Tuesday, March 30 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Special arrangements (days/times) will be made for installations or work artists install themselves.
Artists’ Reception on Saturday, April 10, 2010 7 – 9 p.m.
Pick-Up Thursday, May 6, 2010 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

ELIGIBILITY
This exhibition is open to all artists. All media except video and film accepted. Please do not enter work previously shown at 2cc. Questions? Please e-mail 2ndcitycouncil@earthlink.net or call (562) 901-0997.

AWARDS
First: $500 Second: $300 Third: $200 Eye-Opener: $100

ENTRIES
Prospectus with entry form is available at www.2ndcitycouncil.org or request one by email from 2ndcitycouncil@earthlink.net. Email images and entry form to 2ndcitycouncil@earthlink.net . PayPal available on our website or fees can be mailed in. 2cc also accepts mailed entries by slides or photographs. Photographs or digital prints should be no smaller than 5 x 7” and no larger than 8.5 x 11. This pertains ONLY to the size for the jurying process (no size restriction on actual work).

ENTRY FEES
There is a $10 fee per entry for members and $20 entry fee per slide for non-members. No fee for 3D detail slides (2 detail slides per artwork). Please make checks/money orders payable to 2cc. Entry fees are non-refundable. Mail entries and/or membership fee to: 2nd City Council, P.O. Box 90503, Long Beach, CA 90809.

MEMBERSHIPS
Membership benefits include:
* One free entry
* Per entry savings for all exhibitions
* An annual exhibition where MEMBERS ONLY show their work (same cash awards as other exhibits).
To become a member, please visit our website at www.2ndcitycouncil.org to see the various options available to you.

BAGONG TAON, BAGONG BUHAY, BAGONG ARTISTS

We cordially invite you to the opening of our art exhibit entitled, "Bagong Taon, Bagong Buhay, Bagong Artists!" on January 30, Saturday at 5:00 PM at Tatay Mesio's Inihaw-Binalot, Manila East Road, Cor. Dona Aurora St., Angono, Rizal.

This exhibit is a colorful mix-up of new and relatively new artists in the art scene: the Gomez Family, the Dato Brothers and the Senior students of Roots of Learning Child Develoment Center.

This features the works of Ernie Gomez, Mhargrette Dela Cruz Gomez, their daugther Victoria Margrette; brothers Alfred and Alfonso Dato of Tam-awan Village in Baguio City and Roots' Fourth Year students Adrian Maranan, Arcie Laurente, Nadine Chavez and Mary Helene Spandonis.

Also featured in the exhibit is the giant caterpilar made by Roots' students after their interaction and Higante Making workshop with Angono's renowned artist Mr. Nemesio Miranda Jr.

Should you have any queries, please contact:
Marge Dela Cruz at 0919 595 0055
mhargrettegdelacruz@yahoo.com.ph.

CHAIR CHRONICLES

CHAIR CHRONICLES
Charlie Co

As in a novel that introduces a story to its reader, “Chair Chronicles” opens up a narrative to its audience. Artist Charlie Co utilizes media he has already been known for to extract images out of the most basic item within the home – the chair. It articulates a universal situation where man is in a meditative yet egotistic moment, with his naked desires and selfish interests flourishing only when he comes into contact with no one else but himself. These works appeal to the audience as they are periods in life as chapters are to a novel.

Artist Charlie Co draws the curtain on 2010 to present “Chair Chronicles”. A chair, basic and plain as it may seem, re-enacts a story as in a stage presentation. It relates the theatrical chaos, dramatic confusion, and spectacular insanity found in the diverse personalities of characters. It supposes the perplexity that becomes of the person out of the entwined roles and occurrences as the narrative of life goes on.

The exhibit is comprised of Co's old and new works in paper, canvas, and mixed media. These works revolve around the idea of a chair along with its mysteries and metaphors rooting from its form and function.

Opening Cocktails on 29 January 2010 at six o’clock in the evening.

Chair Chronicles runs from 29 January until 25 February 2010.

NOVA Gallery is located at Warehouse 10-A La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City

For inquiries, call 392-7797; or email gallerynova@gmail.com

WHITE HOT

AN AUSSIE IN MANILA

Manila, 21 January 2010 - In the tradition of children the world over who pull their toys apart to see what makes them tick, the exhibition “An Aussie in Manila” deconstructs the adopted lifestyle of Philippine-based Australian artist Henry Bateman. In a visual exploration of his 4 years in the Philippine capital and through his unique approach to photography he examines and comments upon his Manila experience.

From a Metro Manila Shopping Mall to the Holy Week celebrations, from observations of the local art scene to a self critical appraisal of his own work, the work in this exhibition is an intellectual journey colored by antipodean aesthetic.

What is it that distinguishes Manila in the eyes of this Aussie expat?

It’s not only the jumble of the urban streetscape or the overtly polite shop assistants. For Bateman there is more to this Filipino/Chinese/Spanish/American conglomerate. In this profligate meeting of East and West, where for most, the dance is attuned to the melody of the cash register his sojourn has become an enthralling escape from the eucalyptus.

Henry Bateman has been making art for over three decades. His first paid gigs were designing lighting and/or sets for a variety of Australian theatrical productions that ranged from straight theatre, through dance to musicals. In between these jobs he developed his studio practice.

He first showed his studio work in a group exhibition devoted to drawing at Sydney’s Boronia Gallery in 1984. This was followed by a solo exhibition of paintings, later in the same year, at the University of Western Australia. His 1985 exhibition “Hung up on a Wall” attracted controversy over the nudity depicted in the exhibition’s poster, a reproduction of one of the works on display.

At the turn of the century Bateman abandoned painting in favor of photographic based works. It was the post production facilities of the computer that attracted his interest. Over the years he has developed a unique approach to manipulating his photographs that enables him to express his thoughts about his subjects rather than rendering their literal representation. In 2007 a selection of these works were exhibited in Canberra, the Australian Capital, at the Australian National University.

Bateman also writes regularly about the international arts scene for the Los Angeles based contemporary art website www.artslant.com and about the local art scene for the Philippine based Expat Travel & Lifestyle Magazine.

The “An Aussie in Manila” exhibition is part of the Australian Embassy’s celebration of its National Day on the 26th of January, showcasing the best of Australian music and art. Known as Celebrate Australia 2010 it will also feature the exhibition White Hot: Contemporary Australia Glass, featuring the works of renowned Australian glass artists from January 27 to February 26 at the Ayala Museum. The Australia Day celebrations also include performances and master classes by didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton and the Orava String Quartet. The group is scheduled to perform on 27 January at Greenbelt 3 Park; 28 January at the Alabang Town Center; and 29 January at the TriNoma.

“An Aussie in Manila” will be Bateman’s fourth solo exhibition in the Philippines and his second at the Sining Kamalig Gallery which is situated on the 4th level of the Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City. The exhibition runs from January 28, 2010 through to February 21, 2010 and at 3pm on February 13 the artist, Henry Bateman, will give an Artist’s Talk entitled “Photographic Art as a Commodity”.

For more information contact:

Sining Kamalig Gallery tel: 401 3457 email: siningkamalig@gmail.com

MONTEHERMOSO ART AND RESEARCH CALL

Montehermoso presents the Art and Research call, the aim being to facilitate the production, diffusion and exhibition of contemporary art projects.

Aid is offered for:
1. Production of contemporary art projects (8 grants up to 10,000 Euros each)
2. Curatorship (1 grant up to 15,000 Euros)
3. Research and development of a film script (1 grant up to 9,000 Euros)

Authors of any nationality, regardless of age, can present their projects individually or collectively.

For more information on the regulations and an application form, please click here.

SÍMRES – OPEN CALL

SÍMRES – OPEN CALL
GUEST STUDIO FOR VISUAL ARTISTS REYKJAVÍK / ICELAND

SÍM - The Icelandic Association of Visual Artist call for applications.

SIM runs 2 residency apartments situated in 2 different places in Reykjavík: At Seljavegur 32 and at Korpulfsstadir. The residencies are applicable for Icelandic and foreign artists and the length of the stay is 1 -3 month.

The rent is very fair, compared to the local prices, 250 - 450 € per month, depends on location and type of room.

The Apartment / studio is now open for applications for the period July through December 2010.

Deadline for applicants is March 1st. 2010.

Application forms and any further information is available at
http://sim.is/ Index/English/
e-mail: sim@simnet.is
website: www.sim.is / www.umm.is

Applications should be addressed to:

Samband íslenskra myndlistarmanna, SÍM
The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists
Hafnarstræti 16
Box 1115
121 Reykjavík, Iceland
sími: 551 1346
fax: 562 6656

PHILIPPINES: 2010 ASEAN CULTURAL CAPITAL

Philippines: 2010 ASEAN Cultural Capital

The Philippines has been recognized as the ‘cultural capital’ of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2010 and 2011. As the first country given this distinction in the 10-member association of countries in the region, the Philippines hosts this year’s ministerial and experts meeting on culture and arts (AMCA-SOMCA) and the 4th ASEAN Festival of the Arts to be held in March.

This early, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in cooperation with other agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Education, and the Provincial Tourism Office of the province of Pampanga, is now getting ready for the festival.

With the theme “The Best of the ASEAN,” this year’s festival aims to showcase what the member-countries consider to be their best. It could be a performance, book, exhibit, film, and the like. NCCA Executive Director with a creative team of artists from the International Theater Institute and NCCA synergized with an interdisciplinary group of arts coordinators in Pampanga are focused in preparing a rich panorama of the diverse wealth of talents and resources.

In other news, the year 2010 has been declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the International Year of Rapprochement of Cultures. The declaration of the present year as such makes “rapprochement of cultures the hallmark of all policy-making at local, national, regional and international levels, involving the greatest number of relevant stakeholders.”

Thus far, over 300 proposals have been submitted from various member states. In an open-ended list of activities for the year in connection with the rapprochement, the Philippines has pledged to promote the culture of peace through interfaith dialogue, education and the arts and to undertake a cultural festival on traditions and crafts with the participation of women and youth and intercultural dialogue activities with indigenous communities including the varied events for the celebration of the Dia Del Galleon and the performances centered on collaborative productions on the constellation of literary giants Tagore, Casaire, and Neruda.


For the article of Philippine Daily Inquirer's Jerry Esplanada, please go to this link:
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20091207-240692/RP-named-Asean-culture-capital-for-2010-2011

FERNANDO ZOBEL IN THE 1950s

Q.C. POSTER PAINTING CONTEST ON CLIMATE CHANGE LAUNCHED

Calling all high school and college students of Quezon City ….

The Serbisyong Bayan project of Mayor Sonny Belmonte and the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD) proudly announces the launching of the “Q.C. Poster Painting Contest on Climate Change”.

“Climate change” is no longer just a buzz phrase or an abstract concept that is far removed from our lives. Our tragic and traumatic experience with the recent floods brought about by typhoon “Ondoy” has literally brought home the message that climate change is for real. And its effects are expected to get worse in the days ahead, if we don’t act now!” Mayor Sonny Belmonte said.

He further added “that joining this contest is your one little way of doing something to help reverse the effects of climate change before it’s too late! So, pick up your brush and let’s paint the future green!”

The “Q.C. Poster Painting Contest on Climate Change” aims to provide an opportunity for high school and college students enrolled in public and private schools in Quezon City to express their views and concerns on climate change and disaster risk management issues and how these could be collectively addressed.

The theme of the contest is “Every Day is Earth Day in Quezon City”.

The entry must depict citizen action to address climate change and/or environmental protection and its impact on the quality of life in Quezon City.

There will be a total of eight (8) winning entries: four (4) each from high school and college levels. Each winner shall receive P 20,000.00 to help defray the student’s tuition fees and other expenses.

The entry must be submitted in poster format – 11 x 14 inches. Any form of media (paint, oil, acrylic, watercolor, crayon, colored pencil, pastel, charcoal, stickers, etc.) or other materials on paper or boards in either a flat or two-dimensional effect can be used. The entry must incorporate the theme “Every Day is Earth Day in Q.C.”.

All entries must be original and must include a completed entry form in duplicate (a copy must be attached at the back of each entry). Eligible high school and college students may submit multiple entries. Photocopies of entry forms shall be accepted. All incomplete entry forms will automatically be eliminated.

Entry forms are available at the Office of the Principal / Dean of all respective schools in Quezon City.

All entries must be submitted directly to the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD) office located at Gate 6, Kalayaan Ave. , Quezon City Hall Complex, Diliman, Q.C.

Deadline for the submission of entries is on or before January 29, 2010.

An esteemed panel of judges will select the eight (8) winning entries.

All the winning entries will be reproduced and posted strategically in major establishments, barangay halls, and other conspicuous areas in the city.

For further inquiries, visit the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD) office or call tel. nos. 920-8319 and 924-1539.

ROMEO FORBES CHILDREN’S STORY WRITING COMPETITION

CANVAS invites you to join and submit an entry its annual Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing competition, and possibly see your written text rendered in full color in a children's book.

This year, 13 Artists Awardee Don Salubayba does the honors and provides the inspiration with this untitled contest piece:

Contest Rules and Conditions

1. The Romeo Forbes Children's Storywriting Competition is open to all Filipinos.

2. Entries must not have been previously published, and all entrants must warrant the originality of their submitted entries.

3. Writers may submit only one entry, in English or Filipino, which shall be of 1,600 words or less.

4. There is no particular theme, other than the use of Don Salubayba's contest piece, shown above, as the inspiration or basis for the entry.

5. Judging Process. A CANVAS review panel shall read and award points for all stories received based on the following criteria:
* Originality and Storyline (40%)
* Imagery (30%)
* Quality of Writing (20%)
* X-Factor/Judges' discretion (10%)

Based on the points received, CANVAS shall forward a shortlist of at least five stories with the highest scores to the Artist. The Artist shall then provide comments on any or all the stories, for consideration by the panel of judges.

The panel of judges - taking the contest criteria and Artist comments into non-binding consideration - shall collectively choose the winner from the shortlist of stories.

If the judges cannot come to a consensus on the winner, they shall take a vote and the entry that gains the most number of votes shall be declared the winner.

None of CANVAS' review panel, the judges or the Artist shall see the entrant's name until the winner is chosen.

6. Entries must be submitted by email, as a Microsoft Word attachment, to storycontest@canvas.ph with the subject heading 2010 ROMEO FORBES CHILDREN'S STORYWRITING COMPETITION. In the body of the email, entrants must provide their name, the title of their entry, mailing and email address, and telephone/cellphone number. Only the story title should appear on all pages of the attached entry.

7. The deadline for submission of entries is 5:00 p.m. (Manila time), Tuesday, 30 March 2010. Entries received after the deadline, even if sent earlier, will no longer be considered for the competition.

Kindly note that CANVAS acknowledges each and every entry that we receive. If you submitted a story, and do not receive an acknowledgement from us within 24 hours, please assume that your story was not received and kindly resend it to us.

Entries received after the deadline, even if sent earlier, will no longer be considered for the competition. CANVAS shall not be responsible for entries which are not received, or which are received after the deadline, due to technical failure or for any other reason whatsoever.

8. All entrants hereby agree to authorize CANVAS to post such entries on its website, as CANVAS deems fit, and free from any payments, royalties or fees whatsoever.

9. There shall be only one winner, who shall receive a cash prize of PhP 35,000.00 (less applicable withholding tax) for his/her entry.

The winning writer shall also be entitled to five (5) free copies upon publication of the book.

The winner shall grant and transfer to CANVAS all intellectual property and publication rights to the story, including any translations, adaptations or modifications thereto.

It is hereby understood that the cash prize to be awarded to the winner shall include consideration of such intellectual property and publication rights to the story, and the writer shall not be entitled to any other royalties or fees from earnings, if any, that may result from future publication of, licensing of, or other transactions on the same.
(Please see our note below on why we have this rule.)

10. Except for the right to publish any received entry on its website, CANVAS shall not retain any other rights to entries that are not selected as the winner, except where separate agreements are reached with the writers.

11. CANVAS shall exercise full and exclusive editorial and artistic control over the publication of the winning entry and resulting book.

While, it is the full intention of CANVAS to publish the winning entry as a full-color children's book, CANVAS reserves the right not to publish the same for any reason whatsoever.

12. The winner of the CANVAS storywriting competition will be announced on or around the first half of June 2010 on the CANVAS website. The winner will also be notified via email on the same announcement date.

13. CANVAS reserves the right not to award the top competition prize in the event that the judges decide that no entry was received that is deserving of the top prize. In such event, however, CANVAS shall have no right whatsoever over all entries that were received; and shall not publish any entry, in its website or in any other venue, without the prior written consent or agreement of the author.

14. The decision of the competition judges shall be final, and no correspondence or inquiries into the same - including requests for comments/feedback on received entries - shall be entertained.

15. Employees of CANVAS, and members of their immediate family, as well as the CANVAS Fellow's immediate family, are disqualified from participating in the competition.


To view the contest piece, and the competition rules, please visit:
http://lookingforju an.blogspot. com/2010/ 01/join-2010- romeo-forbes- childrens- story.html.

HOME LESS HOME

THE ALCOVE'S CALL FOR EXHIBIT PROPOSALS

The Alcove's call for exhibit proposals

Filipinas Heritage Library’s The Alcove is calling all photographers and camera clubs interested in displaying their artworks at the pocket gallery of Filipinas Heritage Library.

Applicants are requested to submit a proposal letter with the following:
· Photographer’s resume, including affiliation with photography- related organizations
· Sample works
· Preferred exhibition schedule
· Brief outline and concept of the proposed exhibit
· Contact number and address

The complete exhibit guidelines are available upon request.

For more details about exhibiting at the gallery or registering for the workshop, please call 892-1801, text 0917-5594417, email cruz.ct@ayalafounda tion.org, or visit www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph.

EXHIBIT A: CALL FOR ENTRIES

Exhibit A provides a platform for budding and professional photographers alike to go head to head and inspire each other in a unique international event. Through awards and exhibitions, Exhibit A supports the notion that all photographers need to be publicly celebrated in the presence of established and well-respected galleries, art buyers, curators, magazines and advertising agencies from around the world.

DEADLINES:
Earlybird deadline is February 1, 2010 (10% discount applied to all entries). The final deadline is June 1, 2010.

Exhibition information:
Photographs from the 1st place winners in each category will be publicized and exhibited at a prestigious exhibition in Sydney, Australia. Winners work featured on le book website: The 'Emerging Photographer of the Year' will have their own web gallery featured on http://www.lebook.com/. Also, the 1st place winners in each category will be featured in a group web gallery on the LE BOOK site.

ABOUT US

The creator of Exhibit A, Anne Lagerberg, has managed leading international photography events across the globe since 2004, including the Prix de la Photographie Paris in France, the Lucie Awards in the U.S., and the London International Creative Competition in the U.K.

Before moving to Sydney with her family, Ms. Lagerberg also was Director of the Farmani Gallery in New York City. With the collected experience and contacts of industry leaders across the globe, Exhibit A strives to bring public recognition to both budding and professional photographers alike.

CATEGORIES:
Fine Art, Advertising, Photojournalism, and Portrait.

SUBMIT YOUR WORK BY CLICKING HERE

Exhibit A only accepts digital entries via our online system. Once you register, you will be guided through the steps to upload your work. 2000 pixel wide on the longest edge, saved as jpg (quality of 10), Adobe RGB (1998). We will contact the finalists for high resolution work.

ENTRY FEES:
$30 AUD for each photograph entered
$45 AUD for each series (2-5 images with a unifying theme)
We ask that you pay securely via Paypal.

AWARDS

Exhibition and International Publicity:
Winning photographs from the 1st and 2nd place winners in each category from will be publicized and exhibited at a prestigious exhibition in Sydney in 2010, which will be attended by leaders in the industry and recognized by photographic press around the world.

Awards Include:
"Emerging Photographer of the Year" + $5,000 AUD
1st Place Winners in Each Category + $1,000 AUD
Honorable Mentions
People's Choice Awards:
At the end of the entry period, you, your friends, and family may vote for their favourite images. You don’t need to enter the competition to vote for the People's Choice Awards. Winners will be listed at the exhibition and their photographs will be displayed online.

JURY

The competition is judged anonymously, by a panel of experts in the field. Winners are selected based on the originality, creativity, and depth of their work.

2009-2010 Jury Members:

Malcom Smith
Program Director, Australian Centre for Photography

Anna Planas
Print Sales Director, Magnum Photos Paris

Jared Hendler
Worldwide Executive Creative Director, Edelman Digital New York

Wade Laube
Photographic Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald

Veronique Kolasa
Founder & Creative Director, Le Book

Michael Kazam
International Development Director, Le Book

Kenan Aktulum
Creative Director, Truth NYC advertising agency

SANDY Edwards
Curator and Dealer

Scott Mckiernan
Director and Founder of ZUMA Press

2009 - 2010 Advisors:
Gael Newton
Senior Curator of Photography, National Gallery of Australia
GRAHAM HOWE
Founding Director, Australian Centre of Photography

FAQ:
1. Q: Can I send physical prints?
A: No, you may not send physical photographs. Exhibit A only accepts digital submissions, however we will accept mailed in payments.

2. Q: What size should the digital files and prints be?
A: Digital submissions must be saved as .jpg and are no greater than 72dpi.

3. Q: Can I enter one photograph into multiple categories?
A: Yes, you may enter the same photograph into as many categories as you want.

4. Q: What are the copyright and privacy policies?
A: The organization has the right to use your submitted photographs for the exhibition and online if you are a winner. Exhibit A will note the credit in all instances.


http://www.exhibitacomp.com/about.html

LINE NEVER LIES

Line Never Lies
18 January-17 February 2010
G/F West Wing Gallery
UP Vargas Museum

The UP Jorge B. Vargas Museum commences its 2010 calendar of events with Line Never Lies, an exhibition of old and new drawings by Augusto “Gus” Albor, on 18 January, 4pm at the G/F West Wing Gallery. Featuring selected works from 1974 to 2009, the artist takes us into his artistic journey over the years in exploring various media to express his inner thoughts and emotions. Albor is known for his exceptional grasp of the language of abstraction in translating ideas and concepts into visual metaphors. In this exhibition, the artist seeks to challenge the conventional perception and approach to drawings by a gathering of familiar subjects such as figure, landmark, landscape, and object, but articulated in a variety of materials and surfaces. Going beyond the limits of ink and paper, Albor’s drawings offer us more possibilities: crayon, watercolor, and charcoal on wood, metal, sand, earth and concrete.

Exhibition runs until 17 February. For more information, you may contact the UP Vargas Museum at (02) 928-1927 (direct line), (02) 981-8500 loc. 4024 (UP trunkline), or send us an email at vargasmuseum@gmail.com

R/EBOLUSYON

R/ebolusyon
Recent works by Renato Habulan and Guerrero Habulan
19 January – 2 February 2010
PASEO GALLERY-MEGAMALL

It is a study of comparison as much as of contrast--two artists who share their names also share the realism that led them to divergent paths. In rEbolusyon, father and son Renato and Renato Guerrero Habulan mark the spheres they inhabit, not by sounding a call to arms or presenting work radically different from what they are known for. Instead, they describe the evolution of the Filipino while occupying creative spaces consistent with their other recent works. The revolution stemming from widespread discontent, it appears, is imminent.

For the younger Habulan, spaghetti has become symbolic of the changes in the Filipino brought about by technology and consumption. The taste of the average Juan is less attuned to native kakanin , more to noodles coated by sweet sauce, the hybrid mainstay of celebrations. The use of gadgets and skin whitening products has altered the physical makeup of the Filipino masses considerably. However, many of these changes remain superficial. The man in the street is likely to have the same parochial thinking internalized by his colonized ancestors. The feudal mindset has stuck, keeping him from becoming as cosmopolitan in his thoughts as in his outside appearance. It becomes clear that sophistication is not just skin-deep. Only education can effect genuine change.

Guerrero sets out to prove that it is possible to be contemporary by painting what is in one's backyard. His compositions are neither formulaic copies nor an aimless jumble of elements. Rather, they are reflections on the Disneyfication of society and the continuing obsession with the American dream. In his canvases, the aspirations for happiness and a better life are often linked to a hunger for the bright lights of the urban landscape and the irresistible taunts of flashy advertising. Although not everyone is ready for commercialism, the essentials take a backseat. Survival becomes more tragic for the poorest in the community.

The artist does not consider himself anti-Western, only aware of the quirks and anomalies of the environment he grew up in. With humorous wordplay in carabao English, he shines a light on these, scratching the scabs we prefer to ignore. Like the jokes so common on the radio, the punchlines are half-meant punches. The wisecracks hurt because the pain and bitterness are real.

Mang Ato brings together an intriguing figure, industrial machinery and a religious icon in a three-cornered relationship. Nothing is staged or made up. The tattoos and punk outfit are authentic, as are the images of the Virgin and the Sto. Nino; the grime and underlying glint of metal are brought to life from fading vintage photographs. The effects of the relationship between the three incongruous features are messages left up to the viewer to decipher. The moral of the story is open to interpretation.

Religion, when it devolves into fatalism, is far from liberating. Mang Ato believes that religion is not just about preparing for the second life and saving one's soul but also about putting yourself in the service of humanity. This includes care for the lumpenproletariat, the worker-outcast, whose anarchist influence is strong even in the abyss of despair. When labor is treated as a factor of production like machinery, something is lost. Industry is valued over the person. The background and the stripe of color running along the painting is a pulsating red, militant and ready to strike. The revolution, though imminent, is yet to come.

But the assimilation is almost complete. In his smaller pieces, Guerrero paints a daydreaming child not wishing to take away the right to fantasize, but lamenting that the desired are borrowed creations from foreign toy industries. Mang Ato's small paintings are in a more austere palette, underscoring his draftsmanship in the palette knife etchings.

The Habulans' works, though not directly in dialogue, are frank in their worldviews. There are no deliberate patterns or parallels. But there is honesty about our faults as a people that encourages contemplation. It appears that this truthfulness, like the fine brushwork and strength in figuration of the two artists, is a family tradition.

R/ebolusyon opens 19 January 2010 at Paseo Gallery – Megamall, and will be on view until 2 February 2010. For enquiries please contact Paseo Gallery at Tel.Number (632) 7065514; Mobile Number: +639228872736 or email us at paseogallery@yahoo.com or visit our website at www.paseogallery.com

FUTURE GENERATION ART PRIZE

The Future Generation Art Prize established by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is a worldwide contemporary art prize to discover, recognize and provide long-term support to a future generation of artists.

Artists around the world, without restriction of gender, nationality, race or artistic medium may enter the competition through online application.

20 shortlisted artists will be selected to show their work in an exhibition at the PinchukArtCentre (Kiev). These artists will be judged by an international Jury who will award one main prize and up to five special prizes.

The first prize will receive $100,000.


About the Prize
The Future Generation Art Prize established by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is a worldwide contemporary art prize to discover, recognize and give long-term support to a future generation of artists. The Prize will be a major contribution to the open participation of younger artists in the dynamic cultural development of societies in global transition.

The Prize is an innovative new international award for artists up to 35 years of age, investing in the artistic development and new production of works. Awarded through a competition, judged by a distinguished jury, the Prize is founded on the idea of generosity, a network of outstanding patron artists and institutional partners, and a highly democratic application procedure.

Organized by the PinchukArtCentre, an exhibition of 20 shortlisted artists in October 2010 gives the opportunity to discover a future generation.


Participation Rules
All artists up to 35 may apply with their work without any restrictions concerning gender, nationality, race or artistic medium.

The artists apply through an open call via the Internet. Application form shall be available to all on the Prize website.

Additionally, 100 correspondent art experts from all over the world will nominate a minimum of two and a maximum of five candidates. The experts are curators, artists, critics and tutors at art colleges and academies. All artists apart from former Prize winners are be eligible to apply multiple times, as long as they continue to fulfil the entry conditions.

A Selection Committee will review the applications and select up to twenty artists for the exhibition. The Selection Committee has the right to exclude applications which do not comply with the rules. The Selection Committee consists of experts on contemporary art. The members of the Selection Сommittee are put forward by the Jury. Each Jury member suggests one Committee member.

Online application starts 18 January – 18 April 2010.

ARTE RELIGIOSO

Beholding Love: The Essence of Christian Art

Religious art is dangerous. If you let it, what you see is not what you get.

Of course, you can simply look at it with the eyes of the aesthete or art critic, and see line and color, subject matter and socio-historical context, technical skill or the lack thereof.

Or you can go off to an adventure into the sublime.

This is because religious art, including Christian art, is ultimately only a sign. As a sign, it points to a reality that is outside or beyond itself. It is an expression of a people's experience of the divine, a doorway through which, gazing now upon the work of art, one may enter faith's mysteries once more.

Christian art, whose subject matter revolves around the central mystery of God's saving love in Jesus, invites the viewer to behold this love. To gaze upon it and to behold God's love is an experience which becomes, for both the one who believes and the one who still seeks, an act of contemplation. It is a wordless prayer.

And prayer, as anyone knows, is dangerous territory: it can lead you to amazing adventures where bushes are afire and water turns to wine and the blind see, all because of a God whose very nature is love.

May these paintings allow you a glimpse into that love. If you let them, what you see is not what you'll get. By God's grace, you will find more.

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

SOFT DEATH

PARADIGM | PAGLAOM

Artis Corpus Gallery opens two duo-exhibitions at 6:00 pm on Saturday 16 January 2010.

The Front Gallery will feature Kris Jan Gavino and Averil Paras in a two-man show entitled Paradigm, presenting various attitudinal mindsets currently imbedded in the psyche of the Filipino.

The Back Gallery will feature Ronald Jeresano and Jeffrey Salon in a two-man show entitled Paglaom (Pag-asa), presenting the Filipino child as the emblem of hope for the coming generations.

We are located on 303 Haig Street, Bagong Silang, Mandaluyong City. Please call 717-46-19 or text 0920-9537426 for details. Both exhibitions will run until 8 February 2010.

May I personally invite you to view the exhibitions and attend the opening reception on Saturday, 16 January 2010 at 6:00 in the evening.

Enrico J. L. Manlapaz
President, Artis Corpus Gallery Corporation

CURTAINS: A FILM IN THREE PARTS

Curtains: a film in three parts
a project by Camilo Ontiveros and Michelle Dizon

14 January 2010, Thursday
Panel Discussion, 4pm
Exhibit Opening, 6pm

15 January 2010, Friday
Walk Through with the Artists, 1pm

Third Floor Galleries
UP Vargas Museum


The University of the Philippines Vargas Museum opens its 2010 calendar with the exhibit titled, Curtains: a film in three parts by Los Angeles based artists, Camilo Ontiveros and Michelle Dizon. The exhibit opens on 14 January 2010, 6pm at the Third Floor Galleries of the Museum.

Curtains: a film in three parts asks toward the politics and ethics of the field of vision, especially how it relates to geographies and events that appear distanced or apart from one’s everyday reality. The exhibit takes a filmic approach to the gallery installation and is concerned with the experience of duration and the act of looking itself.

The project is composed of three parts with text, photographs, and a curtain woven from burnt textile collected at the ruins of marketplace in Mindanao. Suggestions of disaster punctuate the exhibition with broken bottles, the carcass of a burnt dog, and fragments of textile that bear the traces of a fire. Yet, throughout the work these suggestions of disaster are consistently paired with images of anonymous windows, whose focus is not on the view outside but rather on the window itself.

Curtains: a film in three parts expands the field of vision to not only what we see, but also, to what we do not see. Instead of taking for granted the oft-assumed statement that art is a window onto another world, it offers a curtain, and asks what might be seen by not seeing.

On January 14, 4pm as a prelude to the exhibit opening, a panel discussion with scholars and activists on the question of Mindanao will be held. Confirmed panelists include Herbert Docena from Focus on the Global South. This discussion is co-sponsored by the Global Commons Foundation.

A gallery walk through with Camilo Ontiveros and Michelle Dizon will be held on 15 January at 1 pm. Admission to this activity is free of charge.

The exhibition will travel in April to the Redcat Gallery, Los Angeles. The works of Ontiveros and Dizon will be part of the collaborative project titled, Not Very Far Apart.

Camilo Ontiveros holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ontiveros is co-founder of Lui Velazquez, a space in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico that facilitates critical perspectives on contemporary cross-disciplinary issues, practices and events by inviting artists to participate in short-term residencies. Ontiveros has exhibited internationally in places such as Getty Center in Los Angeles, Centro de la Imagen in Mexico City, CECUT in Tijuana, Contemporary Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Exit Art Gallery in New York, and Cesto Senso in Italy among others.

Michelle Dizon is an artist, filmmaker, and writer. Her projects are concerned with questions of postcoloniality, globalization, social movements, and historical memory. She has taught at the California Institute of the Arts and is currently on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Dizon holds an MFA from the Interdisciplinary Studio program in the Department of Art at UCLA and she is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Rhetoric with designated emphases in Film and Women, Gender, and Sexuality at UC Berkeley.

SINING UGNAYAN: CREATING THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION VISUAL ARTISTS’ DIRECTORY

The National Capital Region (NCR) research team of the National Committee on Visual Arts (NCVA) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) partners with Artepinas, Inc. in undertaking the second phase of “Sining Ugnayan”: The Philippine Visual Artists' Directory project. Headed by Ann Mendoza-Uy who is also the NCCA-NCVA Executive Council Secretary, the research team taps the services of JCrisanto Martinez, Artepinas, Inc. President/Chief Executive Officer and Joey Cobcobo, Artepinas, Inc. Exhibitions Manager/Chief of Operations to form part of the team for the second phase of the project. Artepinas serves as the media partner.

“Sining Ugnayan”: The Philippine Visual Artists' Directory is a committee initiated project of the National Committee on Visual Arts for the year 2009-2010 to come up with visual artists and artists groups’ directory. The NCR project comes parallel with similar researches in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. As a final output these research in a comprehensive visual artists’ directory which shall become part of the NCCA’s official listing of visual artists in the Philippines.

Phase Two of “Sining Ugnayan: Creating the NCR Visual Artists’ Directory” shall continue to locate, identify, and record in writing and document in photographs the existing visual artists and artists’ groups all over the Metro Manila. There are 16 cities and 1 municipality that make up the geographical basis for the project’s methodology. National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila is composed of 16 cities and 1 municipality (the cities of Manila, Quezon City, Pasay, Caloocan, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Paranaque, Valenzuela, Makati, Pasig, Muntinlupa, Taguig, San Juan, Navotas and Las Piñas and The Municipality of Pateros).

Professional and practicing visual artists include those involved in painting utilizing the traditional media or mixed media, illustration, graphic design, digital media, animation, sculpture, installation, photography, printmaking and other related visual arts field including the art groups and organizations of visual artists involved in such fields.

Pertinent data to be collected shall include:

Visual Artist’s Personal Data

- Full Name: The complete birth name of the artist
- Nickname/Artist’s Name: Would refer to the artist’s name other than his real name
- Date and Place of Birth: The pertinent dates of birth and the town, city, or country where the artist was born.
- Civil Status: Refers to the artist as single, married, or separated.
- Permanent Home Address: The artist’s permanent home address.
- Present Home Address: The artist’s current home address other than the permanent address if any.
- Contact Information: Refers how the artist can be reached through communication equipment: telephone (with area code), mobile phone, email address, website/webpage
- Educational Attainment: Refers to the highest educational attainment attained by the artist.
- Formal Training in the Arts: Refers to any formal training art education/training/workshops by a recognize institution that has contributed to the artist’s development.
- Informal Training in the Arts (if any): Refers to any training the artist might have outside any institution or school. Apprenticeship, work-related, and self-taught are considered.
- Artist’s Classification: Refers to the type/kind of artist. Example: painter, sculptor, mixed-media/installation artist, performance artist.
- Medium of Choice: refers to the preferred material the artist works with. If working in mixed-media, mention the kind of material utilized.
- Employment Background (if any, mention specific dates): Refers to any employment the artist is currently connected with or in the past.
- List of Solo Exhibitions: Information on individual shows mounted for viewing by the artist
- List of Group Exhibitions: Refers to information on group/collective shows the artist has participated in.
- Awards and Distinctions: Refers to any award the artist has received in relation to art
- Art Group Affiliation: Refers to the artist’s current or past membership in any professional art organizations or societies.
- Leadership Position in Art Organizations: refers to the artist’s position as an elected or appointed officer in an art-related organization or society.
- Artist’s Studio Address: refers to information on the artist’s studio address if different from home or present address.
- Gallery Affiliation (if any): Refers to information if the artist is professionally represented by an existing gallery in the present or in the past.
- Publication/Authorship/Research on Art: refers to any recognized publication/authorship/ and research in the arts the artist might have undertaken.

Art Works Data
Data related to a submitted photograph of the artist’s recent or important works

- Title: refers to the given title/name of the work
- Medium: Refers to the specific material used by the artist
- Size: Refers to the physical dimensions of the artwork in centimeters
- Year Made: The year the artwork was conceived and completed
- Artist’s Notes (if nay): Refers to any related writings/markings/or statements made by the artist in relation to the work.
- Location: Refers to the work’s actual place where it can be found or the name of the person/institution who has possession of the work.

“Sining Ugnayan: Creating the NCR Visual Artists’ Directory” is meant to contribute to the body of information of local and national art by providing access on vital data about artists and artists’ groups that have contributed to the eventual growth of visual art in the National Capital Region. Institutions and agencies that need to identify visual artists for artistic/ educational activities and developmental programs in specific NCR will find the directory especially useful. The data gathered will also be useful for the proponent’s next stage of this project’s research and development. A full-color biographical book of NCR visual artists and their selected sample works will also be proposed as a follow-up proposal to this undertaking. Overall, the data gathered will contribute in recognizing the Filipino visual artists in relation to nation-building in a country where art is not a priority.

The project will be undertaken in a six-month period from January 2010 to June 2010. This research project will be conducted in two three-month stages with January to March as the first stage and April to June as the second stage.

Data gathering shall be conducted on the first stage of the project (January - March 2010). Thereby, visual artists and leaders of visual arts groups and/or organizations are expected to sign up or register before the end of March 2010. Information sheets/data forms shall be made available in selected arts venues which shall also serve as submission areas. Such list of venue shall be announced in the future.

As an enhanced feature of this research project is the ability to sign-up or register via the internet. Other queries and uploading of the required photographs (artist’s profile and two artwork photographs in 150dpi jpeg format) can be sent by way of electronic mail to sining.ugnayan.ncr@gmail.com.

Be Part of the NCCA Sining Ugnayan: NCR Visual Artist Directory Project! This will be launch as a Social Network Site and become part of the NCCA's official listing of visual artists in the Philippines.

Please sign-up before April 2010


Mary Ann Mendoza-Uy
NCCA-NCVA-NCR Research Head

Joel Yuvienco
Assistant Research Head

Madonna Obusan
City Coordinator

Betsy Alejo
City Coordinator

Joey V. Cobcobo
Artepinas, Inc.

Joseph Crisanto R. Martinez
Artepinas, Inc.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

FLABBERGAST

Flabbergast: A New Take on Arts

The art aficionados and visitors will be in for a surprise when Sigwada Gallery finally opens Flabbergast on January 8, 2010, featuring a wide array of activities that include a live band with makeshift musical instruments, as well as a walk-in art exhibit with the works of Marlon Ponsoy, and Evelyn de Guzman on display.

“Flabbergast means surprise,” Ponsoy said of the exhibit that will run for two days, “The audience, and even we, the artists don’t know what the outcome would be.”

Ponsoy said that the gallery will highlight the distinctive and varying approaches of the two featured artists, as well as the untapped creativity of artists in attendance in the fields of music, poetry, and documentary. Flabbergast will not only address aesthetics in general but will also tackle the revenge of nature.

Sigwada Gallery is located at 1921 Oroquieta St., Sta. Cruz, Manila.

SYNTHETICS RELIQUARIES │ STEREO I │ PAPER PANIC

Silverlens and SLab open the New Year with three shows by five artists who reconnect, reconstruct and reconfigure to create the new and different.

RECONNECTING

Juan Caguicla and Christina Dy come together for STEREO I, the first part of two series marrying Caguicla's edgy photography and Dy's large-scale but intimate drawings. In STEREO I, Caguicla and Dy become one as both sides join to produce an altogether new and grotesque image. "STEREO blurs the distinction between [photography and drawing] but still manages to offer a clear line to separate them on a single plate", explains Caguicla. Caguicla and Dy unlock the connection between the two mediums as they expose the play between image symmetry and their artistic differences, between sameness and distinction. STEREO I will be shown in Silverlens Gallery.

RECONSTRUCTING

In Paper Panic, Dina Gadia and Mark Salvatus cut, cover, and change to create and reveal. Drawing from their advertising background, Gadia and Salvatus juxtapose random images with pop culture, archiving, urban culture and ephemera. Paper Panic -collages,drawings, cut-outs etc.- tweak the familiar and everyday, and the expected and the fleeting, to tell a different story. Salvatus invites us to imagine ‘what was’ and question ‘what is and is not’; Gadia tells us of ‘the way things are’, encouraging us to laugh along. Paper Panic engages us in dialogue as it exposes the colors of life. Paper Panic will be shown in 20Square, Slab

RECONFIGURING

Paris-based Filipino artist, Gaston Damag, brings home Synthetics Reliquaries, an exhibition of major works he created during his 15 years in Europe, albeit with a Filipino twist. Using the Ifugao Bulol- instead of African wooden idols-, Synthetics Reliquaries probe into questions of cultural representation and its place within the contemporary Philippine context. Damag’s mix of relic and polyester challenge our ideas of what is ‘primitive’ and what is ‘cultured’. Synthetics Reliquaries will be shown in SLab.

While the New Year is fresh and promising, it is only fitting that STEREO, Paper Panic and Synthetics Reliquaries remind us to reconnect, reconstruct and reconfigure. Reconnect with the different or unfamiliar. Reconstruct the everyday to find something new. And reconfigure set ideas to changing circumstances.

Opening night is January 13, Wednesday at 6pm.

Related Gallery Activities:
STEREO 1 Dialogs
January 23, Saturday, 3-5pm, Silverlens Gallery by Christina Dy
January 30, Saturday, 3-5pm, Silverlens Gallery by Juan Caguicla
Synthetics Reliquaries
Artist Talk by Gaston Damag, January 19, Tuesday, 5-7pm, Slab


Image: Gaston Damag, Domesticated Object 1, 2003, Christina Dy, Juan Caguicla, (left) 3, (right) 1, 2009, Dina Gadia, Catch, 2009

LINKAGES

ARTEPINAS, as it pursues the goal of consolidating all relevant data related to the promotion of Philippine Arts and Culture, announces its current undertaking – LINKAGES – an attempt to create a global link-up between Filipino artists, galleries and other visual arts venues. By way of the ARTEPINAS site, the call extends to any of the concerned venues such as galleries, museums, alternative art spaces, etc. who would want to have a link posted at the ARTEPINAS site. The link-up shall be for free. The primary requirement is to visit the ARTEPINAS site and signify your subscription.

For galleries and other art-related venues, visit the ARTEPINAS site and signify your subscription. After which, you are to email a high-resolution logo of your art venue (of at least 500 pixels in width 150 dpi resolution and in jpeg format and your link (URL) and location details to link@artepinas.tk. The logo you are to send shall be used to identify you in the ARTEPINAS site.

Regularly, ARTEPINAS does an in-focus feature on art venues. Those who would want to be featured can simply send pertinent data about their art space to include location and contact information, a vicinity map if available, the art venue’s mission/vision, background information, high-resolution photographs of your art venue (of at least 1000 pixels in width 150 dpi resolution and in jpeg format). Such data must be sent by way of electronic mail to link@artepinas.tk.

To submit event invitations and/or announcements of your art-related events, visit the ARTEPINAS site and signify your subscription. Then you can email your event details to posts@artepinas.tk.

Let us all work together for a productive and proactive Philippine Arts Scene.

Link up.


Joey Martinez
Artepinas, Inc.

TODAY AND TOMORROW

Today and Tomorrow is the title of the Carlos Oppen Cojuangco Art Collection’s first hanging opening on January 05, 2010 at NOVA Gallery, Warehouse 10-A, 2241 La Fuerza Plaza Compound, Don Chino Roces Ave., Makati City. The collection is mainly composed of works that mirror and criticize contemporary Philippine society. Viewing the exhibition will give its audience a peek into the Nation’s current realities. Included in the collection is Antipas Delotavo's Sandaan Taon Series. Its first four panels show how Philippine history has continually repeated itself while its fifth panel is an image of hope yet to happen.

The said art collection boasts of works that mirror and criticize Philippine Society.

Cocktails on 08 Jan. 2010, 6 PM.

Today and Tomorrow runs until Jan. 25, 2010. For inquiries, call 392-7797; or email gallerynova@gmail.com.

EXISTENTIAL BUT STILL ACCEPTABLE

Finale's 2010 opening show featuring Jayson Oliveria
At the Tall Galleries

36 works in all, amazing!

No text to frame the show!
Unimpeded viewing for your utmost visual pleasure!

See y'all at the opening on January 8 Friday at 6:30 PM
Exhibit is on view till February 1st.
Finale Art File
Warehouse 17 La Fuerza Plaza Pasong Tamo Makati City

DEAD CITY

Ang Cum Laude ng Kalsada

“Dead City” Renato Barja Jr.’s 7th Solo Exhibition

Dead City is a series of short visual stories about underprivileged Filipinos.

"I created images, taking off from what I feel about the people around me. These individuals are discarded but are an undeniable segment of our society. This is a story of how Filipinos accept the norms of everyday life, without fully understanding it- that we are in the middle of chaos, deaf and blinded by the ills of the government, the never ending media and political mudslinging, overlooked inner city population. We are in the brink of a social meltdown, what now?"

Look around it is a Dead City.

The exhibit opens on Monday 6PM, January 4, 2010 at blanc Gallery Makati. blanc is located at Crown Tower, 107 H.V. dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati 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

Dead City will run until January 22, 2010.

A MAN AND A WOMAN

PHILIPPINE VISUAL ARTISTS’ DIRECTORY PROJECT: PHASE TWO

The National Committee on Visual Arts (NCVA) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) launches Phase Two of “Sining Ugnayan”: The Philippine Visual Artists' Directory project. This committee initiated project was initiated for the year 2009-2010 to come up with a directory of Filipino visual artists and artists’ group. On its second phase, the project aims to collect more data pertinent to the creation of a comprehensive visual artists’ directory gather from four research areas namely, the National Capital region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Professional and practicing visual artists include those involved in painting utilizing the traditional media or mixed media, illustration, graphic design, digital media, animation, sculpture, installation, photography, printmaking and other related visual arts field including the art groups and organizations of visual artists involved in such fields.

The project will be conducted by a lead researcher with a team of coordinators and a photo documenter. The lead researchers who are also the project proponents of the respective research areas are Mary Ann Mendoza-Uy for the National Capital Region, Nemi Miranda for Luzon, Dennis Montera for the Visayas, and Kelly Palaganas for Mindanao.

The project will be undertaken in a six-month period from January 2010 to June 2010. This research project will be conducted in two three-month stages with January to March as the first stage and April to June as the second stage. Visual artists and leaders of visual arts groups and/or organizations are expected to sign up or register before the end of March 2010.

As a final output this research in a directory form will become part of the NCCA’s official listing of visual artists in the Philippines.

ANIMA ORIENTALE

About the exhibition:

Elmer Roslin and Dexter Sy present contrasting glimpses into the subconscious in Anima Orientale.

Roslin departs from his usual local street scenes and billiard halls teeming with bystanders. Utilizing his somber acrylic and oil palette, this time he focuses on individuals caught in introspective pauses. His figures, pensive and deadpan, are usually submerged in water, a known symbol for consciousness simmering beneath the surface. In “Embrace,” “At Your Service” and “Afloat”, their heads are cut out--clearly showing us what is on top of their minds. It may be a female figure, a commanding authority, or a man using a telescope to afford a better view of something far away. The artist invites us to take a deeper look into the human psyche with the muted voices that argue within, the varied selves we are all burdened with, as if coaxing them to speak out.

Sy encrypts tattoo-like skeletal images seemingly culled from Santa Muerte illustrations on canvas. With a palpable fascination for death, the artist uses macabre symbolism in skeletons, coffins, snakes and flowers combined with twisted halos and disproportionate angel wings. Vibrant colors make his depictions of hellish scenarios visually appealing, with patterns that invite the viewer’s eyes to take a closer look at the sordid yet clever details. In “IX”, “XII”, and “XIII”, Sy juxtaposes a flaming, thorn-wrapped sacred heart with a barb-tongued angel, a skeleton in priestly vestments with an intricate pattern of objects anchored by hands clasped in prayer, and all-seeing eyes which appear to be everywhere, never blinking.

It is in this sampling of works from these young Filipino artists that we perceive what is not easily known, with haunting images that come from extreme depths of the imagination, traversing the fine line between the lucid and the subliminal. Elmer Roslin and Dexter Sy may be artists from the Orient, but their explorations on canvas show their visions beyond the physical realm bound by cultural and geographical borders. By dissecting these layers of consciousness, their artworks guide us on an image-laden path to intimacy with our more intuitive selves.