CALL FOR PROPOSAL ON “CRITICAL ISSUES EMANATING FROM JAPAN’S MARCH 11TH DISASTERS”

The Japan Foundation, Manila announces a request for proposals of bilateral or multi-lateral collaborative research projects and dialogue projects among researchers, experts, international exchange organizations, NGOs and NPOs on the theme “International cooperation in disaster recovery and disaster prevention in global context.” The aforementioned is in view of the March 2011 “Great East Japan Earthquake.”

This special program provides financial grants to cover expenses in carrying out international conferences, symposia, seminars and workshops, which are designed to deepen mutual understanding and establish closer relations between Japan and other countries while promoting intellectual exchange worldwide.

Priority is given to projects that will involve participation from a number of countries and encourage interaction between various sectors of society. In contrast, activities must not be used for any religious or political purposes and the project should commence on or after October 17, 2011 and must end before March 31,2012. Applicants will be notified of the results of the screening in late October 2011.

In reviewing the duly submitted dossier, priority is given to projects which satisfy the following conditions: a) Multilateral projects: Projects that include participants from multiple countries; b) Multi-sectoral projects: Projects that aim to include participants from a variety of sectors such as academics, policy-makers, community or non governmental organizations; and c) Interdisciplinary projects: Projects that aim to bridge disciplinary boundaries and thereby contribute to the expansion and development of an extensive intellectual network. In particular, projects which include participants of the next generation. Furthermore, the participation of Japanese scholars/speakers is an essential component in project selection and approval.

Financial grant coverage includes traveling expenses, honoraria for paper presenters, lecturers, interpreters and assistants, conference materials, publication of reports, venue and equipment rental and public relations.

Application is open to universities or research institutions, non-profit organizations, NGOs, and international organizations. Applications from individuals and profit-oriented organizations will not be accepted. Proposals must be submitted or hand delivered by 5:00PM on September 16, 2011 (JFM deadline).

For more information, please download the Application format, as well as the instructions at Japan Foundation, Manila’s website http://www.jfmo.org.ph/ or call 811-6155 to 58 or you may send an email inquiry through email@jfmo.org.ph.

MIRAGE

ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE MANILLE PHILIPPINE ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM 2011

Alliance Française Launches AFM-PARP 2011

Alliance Française de Manille is pleased to announce the launch of its 2011 artist residency grants program (AFM-PARP). Now on its second year, the AFM-PARP offers Filipino artists the possibility of a structured visit to France for a period of two to three months. The residency will be hosted by a French non-profit cultural organization, artist residence, or artist-run initiative. It is conceived as a professional opportunity rather than a project-based grant. Its aim is to enrich the experience of Filipino artists by affording them the opportunity for contact with the contemporary art scene in France.

The recipient of the first AFM-PARP grant was printmaker Ma. Victoria “Ambie” Abaño, who is now on her second month of residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. She is enrolled at the print atelier La Taille-Douce, and will hold an “open studio” at the Cité on July 20.

The AFM-PARP is open to all Filipino visual artists: painters, sculptors, multi-media artists, and photographers. One residency is offered annually, to take place in the spring or autumn months. The AFM-PARP provides a financial grant to cover costs of travel and living expenses. The grantee may also avail of a free French language course at AFM.

The AFM-PARP 2011 application period is July-October 2011, and the deadline for submission of applications is 31 October 2011.

The AFM-PARP 2011 application form/brochure is available at Alliance Française de Manille, 209 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel-Air II, Makati City. It will also be available at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), and can be downloaded from the AFM website at www.alliance.ph.

DIMENSIONAL SPACE

VERY ABSTRACT AND HYPERFIGURATIVE

AltroMondo Presents Rm De Leon’s “Very Abstract and Hyperfigurative ”

This month, RM De Leon continues his examination of abstraction in this solo exhibition featuring recent works on canvas. Compiling images taken from various cartoon movies and series, De Leon collapses them in order to dislodge their representational moorings. By interrupting and warping the image in this manner, De Leon turns the figurative into the abstract and presents questions regarding the currency of abstract art in the face of a world of loaded imagery, hypertext and hypercontextuality—a term employed in internet programming that is now being used to refer to the concentrated overlays of interpretations that are potentially present in a single word or act.

De Leon’s wry sense of humor is not lost in this analytic pursuit. The cartoon characters he implodes are alternatingly awkward and grotesque, lively one moment and dilapidated in the next. Here the discursive meets the slapstick and the two walk, trip, and tumble with an ease that speaks of meticulous balancing on De Leon’s part.

The exhibition opens on Thursday, July 28, 2011 at 6pm in AltroMondo Gallery located on the 3rd floor of Greenbelt 5 at the Ayala Center. The show runs until August 18, 2011.

WHITE SKIES, GREY CLOUDS AND BLACK-CASTED SHADOWS

About the show:
There is no trap so deadly as that which one sets upon oneself... and to steer away from that entrapment, Filipino artist Randy Solon has taken the courageous step to plunge into the dark side to draw inspirations for his fifth solo show.

In the show, aptly titled White Skies, Grey Clouds and Black-Casted Shadows, Randy has cleverly used simple and non-evasive images to challenge our emotive heart and rational mind to evaluate our desires and perceptions.

The beauty in Randy's works truly lies in its paradox. At first glance, each painting seems to depict a one-dimensional, well-painted image, but the heart and soul of the artwork really lies in the title of the painting.

In this show, Randy hopes we could look beyond the scabs of oil paint and skin of primed canvases to enjoy the beauty of the thought process breathed into the conceptualization of each artwork.

About the artist:
Randy 'Andoi' Solon holds two degrees in the visual arts: a Bachelor of Fine Arts, major in Painting, at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, and a Certificate in Advertising from the Philippines Women's University in Manila. Solon is the recipient of numerous awards from national art competitions. He was the Grand Prize winner in the 2006-2007 PLDT-PDC Telephone Directory Cover 20th Visual Art National Competition. He was a three time Finalist in the 38th, 39th and 40th Shell National Student Painting Competition in 2005, 2006 and 2007 (oil/acrylic categories) and a semi-finalist in the oil/acrylic category of the Metrobank Foundation National Competition in 2004, 2005 and 2006. His works have featured in major SE Asian auctions, including Sotheby’s.

RELIVE

Carlo Magno Celebrates Three Decades of Life and Art

As Carlo Magno opens his solo show entitled “Relive” at the Art Center of SM Megamall on July 27, he will be celebrating three decades as one of the country’s most versatile artists and a new phase in a life that he says is a “gift from the Almighty.”

Carlo Magno is presenting 31 new paintings that are a synthesis of the elements and themes he has explored through 30 years of art making. He is also showing three sculpture pieces to serve notice of the direction in which he is taking his art.

The renewed vigor to explore the endless possibilities of his medium, to give glory to the source of his artistic gift is tempered by the near fatal heart attack that Carlo Magno suffered last year. “I had just marked my 50th year. It felt great to be on the threshold of a world that offered endless possibilities, I wanted to explore, to experiment and see where I could take my art,” he says.

This is reflected in some of the new works in the show such as “Bluesette”, “Soulful Rendezvous”, “Psalms”, and “Quiet Times”, which are done in more subdued hues and are almost contemplative in appeal. But Carlo Magno makes an exultant paean to his new life as well in the vibrant hues of “Blaze of Glory”, the title piece “Relive”, “Resonance”, “Resurgence”, and “Rhapsody”.

The three sculpture pieces in stainless steel show another facet of his artistry. For while he is firmly established as one of the country’s best abstractionists, very few know that he is also a sculptor. “But this is not to say that I am leaving my painting even as I focus on my sculpture. My sculptures must be viewed in the context of my works on canvas. They are extensions of each other. I incorporate some elements of sculpture in my paintings to give them a more tactile feel,” he says.

His paintings, on the other hand, are a distillation of the influences that have informed his art through the last 30 years. Carlo Magno’s mastery of light that was very distinctive in his figurative phase remains very palpable in his abstractions.

In one canvas after another, Carlo Magno honors the source of his creative gifts in a palette that ranges from the subdued and contemplative to exuberant hues. As art critic Cid Reyes says, “Carlo Magno’s two-decade journey into the terrain of abstraction has finally led to this celebratory show, which, counting the eighties, spans a total of three decades. To what dimensions will Carlo Magno extend his constantly evolving art, only the future can tell. Paradigmatically, the show “Relive” is a forecast of things to come, even as it reflects, as an act of thanksgiving, the artist’s new lease on life.

“Relive” may be viewed until August 7 at the Art Center, 4th level SM Megamall Building A. For more details, please call Galerie Francesca - Festival Mall 659.2667/ Galerie Francesca – Megamall 570.9495 or visit www.galeriefrancesca.com or http://galeriefrancesca.multiply.com

GERIC CRUZ AND TAMMY DAVID WIN AT THE 3RD ASEAN-KOREA MULTIMEDIA COMPETITION

Geric Cruz and Tammy David win at the 3rd ASEAN-Korea Mutimedia Competition

Last June 16, it was announced that photographers Geric Cruz, 26, and Tammy David, 28,were chosen to represent the Philippines in Seoul, Korea, for a seminar and multimedia workshop participated in by established professors and artists. This is for winning in the 3rd ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition, both artists receiving notable scores among the entries submitted by the Philippines.

Joining David and Cruz will be other winners from Brunei, Cambodia, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam. The winning entries will be exhibited from July 28 to August 14, 2011 at the Palais de Seoul, a gallery in Seoul, Korea, and will also be exhibited online.

Both David’s and Cruz’ work are documentaries. David’s Crown and Country (recepient of special prize) explores the human aspect of beauty pageants in the Philippines while Love, Mom (winner) is an intimate portrait of Cruz’ grandmother.

“I’m happy that they (Silverlens) are pushing documentary work...not that it’s under the radar, but it doesn’t really have a place in galleries," says Cruz.

Inspired by the unconditional love that a mom has for her child (something that Cruz saw in his mother and grandmother), he beautifully captured his grandmother through a series of photographs set in their home.

In aninag.org, David describes how the aspect of competition in beauty pageants appealed to her because it showed a lot of its human side: “The staunch supporters, the predominantly gay beauty queen trainers and the unlikely contestants, each have their own motivations in being part of this surreal world."

Both artists are products of the Silverlens Photography Workshops and are grateful on how the experience has benefited them both as artists and as people.

“...taking the workshops and Silverlens being open to portfolio reviews. It gives you the discipline to take more pictures, to constantly focus on your projects and constantly editing your portfolio until its perfect," expresses David.

The 3rd ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition is under ASEAN-Korea Centre, an intergovernmental organization promoting economic and socio-cultural cooperation of Korea and ASEAN. It is supported by the ASEAN, ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information, ASEAN University Network, Alternative Space LOOP and Hongik University.

For more information, visit http://www.asean.org

Words by Jel Tordesillas; Image: from Crown and Country by Tammy David

THE HOMECOMING

Sam Penaso Homecoming Exhibit
opens July 22(6pm)-24, 2011
Island City Mall, Tagbilaran, Bohol

There are countless homecoming programs being held for the country’s actors, filmmakers, and sportsmen. Few such programs, however, are noted for artists in the fine arts, as they are overshadowed by the popular show business. This homecoming exhibit by Guindulman visual and performance artist Sam Penaso hopes to challenge the young and up-and-coming artists of Bohol to hone their craft.

The paintings displayed here build up as a retrospective exhibit of his works of figure, abstraction, conceptualization and performance art.

Images of old people attract Sam. Contrary to the polished looks of faces of the young, the elderly displays weary flesh, making them all the more human. Roughness and lines embody how they have worked out their lives and therefore demonstrate their passing in time. These faces of old people – “Aling Basyang,” “Mando,” and “Worker” – could be our kin and neighbors and acquaintances; they are individual and yet general.

Painting age puts on view how the old and weary are memorialized. These faces are beautiful. They inscribe the material living world in their very flesh and aspire to inscribe their owners’ lives in the world they inhabit.

Most of the paintings are what many call abstract and conceptual paintings. They are experimentations in lines and colors. According to the artist, the embossed letters and numbers indicate the work of technology. The increasing textualization of the world has become the very matter imprinted on his artworks. When they are stamped on the faces of old people, they signify wisdom developed through the ages. The artist’s fondness for texture becomes literal verbal text in this regard.

Sam does not want to be a prophet who, unfailingly, is not recognized in his own land. He does not prophesize but challenges young Boholano artists to offer what they have in Bohol – to universalize their individual, particular experiences.

This homecoming exhibit by Sam Penaso hopes to contribute in making the Bohol art scene active and aggressive.

Text by
JPaul Manzanilla
University of the Philippines, Manila

PELIKULAY 2

UE BUKLOD SINING PAVES TRIBUTE TO PHILIPPINE CINEMA

For its third opening exhibit this July, NCCA Gallery presents PeliKULAY 2 featuring the works of Buklod Sining Organization, a group composed of UE Students from the College of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design, this July 20, 2011 at 5pm. The exhibit, in conjunction with the Buklod Sining Alumni, is in preparation for the group’s 25th anniversary art exposition on October 5, 2014.

The Art Show gives homage to the immense contributions of different Filipino actors from different generations. It showcases the students, alumni and guest artists’ opus in painting, photography and digital arts. The tribute to local cinema was spearheaded by Buklod Alumni Society Chairman Ronwell Jason L. Bacani as a number one fan of Philippine Cinema from the golden age to the modern times, from silent movies to talkies, from black and white to color, from mainstream to indie, from Paraluman to Angel Locsin and from silver screen to canvas.

Through this, young Buklod Sining artists is in au fait with the contributions of talented Filipino actors and the value of cinema as art. It is also an avenue to connect with our parents’ experiences in watching films of Fernando Poe Jr., the comedy King Dolphy, Tito, Vic and Joey, Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos in major cinema houses in Metro Manila like the Clover Theatre, Luneta Cinema and Odeon. Some of the student exhibitors were guided by their parents in choosing their subject matter. Meanwhile, Buklod Sining advisers headed by Prof. Edgardo Garcia and Prof. Ellen Villanueva led them in choosing the applicable style, composition and medium according to their talents and abilities.

During the launch, Buklod members shall open our eyes into the unparallel world of performance art. Richard Soriano Legaspi’s award winning experimental and narrative films shall also have an open screening.

PeliKULAY would not be possible without the help of National Commission for Culture and the Arts, University of the East - College of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design, Buklod Alumni Society, Anino.net, Agimat: Sining at Kulturang Pinoy, Red Room Productions, ArtePinas Inc. and Bright Orb web media.

Award-winning scriptwriter Ricky Lee and actress/visual artist Ma. Isabel Lopez, Pelikulay are the special guests during the opening. Exhibition runs from July 20 to August 5, 2011 at the NCCA Gallery, located at 633 Gral. Luna St. Intramuros, Manila (beside Philippine National Red Cross). Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Saturdays, Sundays and other Holidays, by appointment. For details about the exhibition you may contact Ethel Buluran or Mimi Santos at (632) 5272192 loc. 512 or email:ncca_gallery@yahoo.com or visit our website: www.ncca.gov.ph

For more information about the participating artists you can check Buklod Sining’s web blog at www.buklodsining.wordpress.com. Buklod Sining is a group of artists promoting social consciousness formation through the creative arts and aiming to raise the bar of excellence in the field of arts with the support of the Buklod Alumni Society and the University of the East – College of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design.

ENRICO MANLAPAZ: AETHERNITY

Enrico JL Manlapaz: Aethernity will open on 18 July 2011 at Sining Kamalig Gateway Mall, concurrently with Vinculum.

This exhibition is third in the series of "art directed" shows which I have been mounting since early 2011. The first was “Recycling Bubbles” in January. Second was “Sacrum” in March. Both shows I installed in Sining Kamalig.

These projects go one step beyond the usual shows I curate for Artis Corpus Gallery. In these shows, I conceptualize and actually compose the pieces, by collaging, photographing, sketching, assembling, and directing all the elements found on the finished pieces. The major contribution of the participating artists is their talent in translating the studies into paintings. Of course, their own personal artistic styles have surfaced during the process.

The first five paintings in the exhibition were painted by Mark Anthony Bello. I baptized the series “Gods of an Idolatry” as I have been fascinated by Greek and Roman Classical Mythology since I was young; perhaps because of its idealization of the human form and its reverence for the beauty of the human face. I did a photoshoot of yet another artist Ian Unsana and from the set, I plucked out and cropped five photographs which I thought were the best and most expressive. The photographs, hardly retouched, ended up in the hands of Mark Bello in late 2010. The resulting paintings have just been given titles whimsically by me.

The next two paintings were painted by Ian Unsana, based on photographs taken of him by me. These were intended as backdrop for yet another major project of mine: “Ramesh Kumar’s Chakras”, silver and crystal jewelry. In the process, affirmations were painted on them and I decided to just use them as regular stand-alone paintings.

The next two paintings are the most important in the show. Sangre Divina (or Divine Blood), a diptych, is a take-off from the controversy that Jesus himself actually left a bloodline through the Magdalene. The top panel, painted by Averil Paras, presents a reproduction of a surreal painting done by a would-be papal assassin in the 1960s, Benjamin Mendoza y Amor Flores, presented as though painted at the back of another painting, and laced with two haunting images of Bernini, both in ecstasy. The bottom panel, painted by Zaldy Garra, presents symbols of Catholicism, including a pope in state and fragments of the tiara, possibly speaking about the effect of the alleged bloodline on the Faith. Again, Bernini’s massive sculptures finish off the diptych.

Classical mythology, catholicism, and our connection with the Universal Mind, my own personal fascinations since birth, are now bound for eternity. I bequeath them to the next generations.

The actual 1967 painting of Benjamin Mendoza will grace the show in cameo role during the opening. Similarly, Ramesh Kumar’s Chakras will be presented only during opening night.

KULÔ

KULÔ (v.) is the state of boiling; to simmer or to bubble because of molecular friction resulting to heat; a condition associated with rage; seethe; irritation.

KULÔ is an exhibition of artworks by selected alumni artists of the University of Santo Tomas. The artworks, old and new, contribute to the discourses of the pen and the sword, education and revolution—topics that have led to implicate Filipino artists and thinkers, who remain conscious of the historical occasion and dialogue between Jose Rizal’s 150th birthday and the country’s oldest university’s 400th year celebration as an educational institution.

Direct or indirect representations, portrayals and recollections of Rizal, will or have been explored through traditional mediums, multimedia installations and graphic design.

This exhibition is an artists’ initiative that hopes to re-evaluate the contribution of individual artists to the discourse in art and its social context in the Philippines.

KULȎ will be exhibited at the Bulwagang Juan Luna (Main Gallery) of The Cultural Center of The Philippines.

Opening at 3:00pm on June 17 as part of the CCP’s celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Jose P. Rizal. The exhibit will go on till August 21, 2011.

Participants:

Andres Barrioquinto, Zeus Bascon, Lawrence Borsoto, Con Cabrera, Buen Calubayan, Ronald Caringal, Clint Catalan, Mideo Cruz, Rai Cruz, Alfredo Esquillo, Joey Ibay, Pocholo Goitia, Lindslee, Michelle Pauline Lim, Meneer Marcelo, Leobensant Marquez, Marcushiro Nada, J. Pacena II, Epjey Pacheco, Oliver Ramos, Iggy Rodriguez, Ivan Roxas, CJ Tañedo, Jose Tence Ruiz, Joseph Saguid, Mark Salvatus, Team Manila, Jomike Tejido, Wesley Valenzuela, Lydia Velasco, Ronald Ventura, Costantino Zicarelli

Initiatied and Organized by J. Pacena II and Jocelyn Tullao-Calubayan in partnership with Joseph Saguid, Pocholo Goitia and Buen Calubayan. In cooperation with all the participating artists and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

For particulars about the exhibit call CCP Visual Arts and Museo at Tels. 832-3702 and 832-1125 locals 1504+1505 from Tuesdays to Fridays 9:00am-6:00pm. Museum hours are at 10:00am-6:00pm daily except Mondays and holidays.

ARTIS CORPUS: VINCULUM

Artis Corpus: Vinculum will open on 18 July 2011 at Sining Kamalig Gateway Mall, concurrently with Aethernity.

This show materialized with great help from Randalf Dilla, an artist I worked with in early 2009, and since has become an important figure in the Philippine art scene. He is joined by artist-friends and guests. This show contains some intriguing pieces which revolve around the idea of vinculum (or ties that bind), the title of the show suggested by Dilla himself.

DUMI MO SINALO KO

Recycling and deconstructing have been trending for quite some time now and have reached critical climax what with every other emerging artist/designer using it as a go-to medium.

However hesitant to be the modern artistic cliché, Baguio is coming to its own in found art. The distinction is in how an object is represented or processed – which is not always a sail away from local or localized techniques in the arts and crafts. These representations and processes can however also see themselves inspired by development friction, of the industrial or cultural kind, but always experienced by the artists as a collective effort (it sounds strange in English but picture bayanihan as a mental-spiritual process – it seems grand but things always are if they’re new).

Found art is technically verging on non-art. What saves it is a good (or goofy, as often the case with the Filipino Artist) title and some big idea to give the audience a proper shock. But this exhibition tries to question that without grand philosophical gestures. More aptly would be to describe it as a naïve reflection of found art that is less idiosyncratic than most would easily otherwise care to blurt after seeing the kind of found art and its variations that has ravaged (to put it modestly) the “proper” art of our time.

What is held subconsciously precious by the artists in this show is an almost naïve way of reacting to or being obliged by the tenets of found art, especially its branch of trash or junk art – which in truth is the reason why this piece of writing is probably being reformatted into its very own trash art as it is juxtaposed with the art itself. Also, some of the artists’ works represent found art with the traditional fine arts and the arts and crafts. The idea is always a following for artists who seem to have the consciousness of fringing the fringed in whatever sense albeit in different levels, like grounded but flighty mysticism.

These range of works by Baguio-based (or -kook, -babied, -loved, -challenged, or -once-upon-a-time -based) artists Kabunyan de Guia, Rommel Pidazo, Kawayan de Guia, Mariel Maliwanag, Rocky Cajigan, Oliver Olivete, Laydeh Alberto, Kalawang Purisima, Vince Navarro, Rochelle Bakisan, Carlo Villafuerte, Guiller Lagac and Bobby Balingit showcase Baguio art inspired found art in a multi-dimensional yet collective manner.

ART AND BEAUTY

Evangeline Pascual, Beauty Queen and socialite turned actress, social worker and radio broadcaster over DWIZ 882AM. She hosts "Echoes of the Heart”, her radio show every Saturday from 2:00 to 4:00PM. Studies in CEFAM and LST, ADMU help equip VANGIES’s 16-year-old on-the-air radio counseling program. She’s also an active member of the Oasis of Love Catholic Charismatic: Praise and Worship Ministry. Her canvas themes are her extended reflections centered on deep spirituality. VANGIE, being a multimedia person, is “a set of conversation” that springs creativity and hope. In between tasks and relations, do find Vangie on dance floors, spas, designing homes, FB or tiangge. For Vangie, lines are always open.

Melanie Marquez - Movie star, supermodel, film producer , talkshow host, celebrity endorser and beauty queen- In 2006, Marquez graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (Cum Laude) from the International Academy of Management and Economics The athletic Melanie is into swimming, volleyball, basketball, combat shooting, etc. But this multi talented, award-winning actress is also into various art forms-poetry, guitar & the visual arts The former Ms. International continues to grace our screens with her special brand of art- Candle Art, in glass frames. Her technique drips in different hues as a means of expressing herself. “I have always loved to paint in the same intensity as I love modeling-playful, never afraid to discover and experiment” For ART and BEAUTY-the audience is in for a big surprise!

Maria Isabel Lopez; The multi- awardwinning actress is a Fine Arts graduate of the University of the Philippines in Diliman QC. She was fashion designer of Rustan’s and SM Department stores, reason for her interest in the female anatomy. The figures in her nudes are elongated, a manifestation of the fashion designer in her., The canvas has rich textures, as she explores surfing art and culture on the canvas. Her Kinatay Series pays tribute to a film she did which was exhibited at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Recent works shows a desire to experiment with river rocks and stones. As founder and event organizer for The Film Artist Group, her passion is in promoting the art of her peers in showbusiness, with hopes that the group will continue to grow in their art. This time, she conceptualized Art and Beauty-to allow the beauty queens to show their beauty and talent beyond what the eyes can see.

Lani Lobangco is a Former Bb. Pilipinas Universe, and actress. (Advertising major) at the University of Santo Tomas,1987. She took up Interior Design at PSID in the year 1999-2000. Lani’s style is expressionism and she loves using oil, acrylic and pastel as medium. Favorite subject is female form. “ I follow my instincts with regards to the color I use in my works. Oftentimes, I go for the symbolic values of colors but I am not governed by the rigid, pre-existing rules. I express my emotions freely and directly as possible with the arbitrary use of colors. For me, an artwork should be creative and passionate and without rules.”

Nina Ricci Alagao- Flores was born on May 28, 1977 in Pasay City. She has always had a love for the visual arts even as a child, be it execution or appreciation, although her love for painting came much later. What was a mere hobby in her elementary years took up much more of her time when she was accepted as one of the scholars in Philippine High School for the Arts in Los Baños, Laguna, where she majored in Visual Arts. She decided to formally take the course in college and went to the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts where she majored in visual communications. In 2000 she won Binibining Pilipinas- Universe and proudly represented our country in the Miss Universe in that same year. Her winning took her off-course for a while, performing the duties that came with being a beauty queen, but she gradually got back on track and is now seriously into her art, which is her first love. Now married with two children, she is loving every moment of her life, from the simplest to the most complicated aspects, learning and enjoying along the way. She says family life plays the biggest role in molding her into an artist that she is now. Otherwise she would not have the discipline, patience and passion for arts. She hopes to make the lives of the poor better through her art, giving them a fair shot at a bright future. To her, every exhibit is an opportunity to give to the needy. Her hands, after all, are God given, and the work that they do is meant to be shared.

The beauty queens will open an exhibit at Ricco Renzo Galleries on July 13, 2011 Wednesday, 6pm. Ricco Renzo is at 2nd floor, LRI Design Plaza, 210 N. Garcia Street, formerly Reposo, Bel Air 2 Makati City. For inquiry call Kaye Nuguid at 09273244013 or 898-2545 or log on to www.riccorenzo.com

THE FILIPINO ARTISTS IN NEW ZEALAND INC.

Read full article here.

IN FOCUS: PROJECTSPACEPILIPINAS

P r o j e c t S p a c e P i l i p i n a s
11 Arayat Street, Barangay Malamig
Mandaluyong City, 1550, Philippines
+632.6613574 pspilipinas@gmail.com

Project Space Pilipinas is an apartment/art space located along the busy street of Arayat in Mandaluyong City, Philippines. PSP is a simple platform committed to provide significant art-collaborations, assistance, and support for young emerging artists. Project Space Pilipinas’ brainchild the Neo-Emerging Artist Residency (NEAR) Manila, is an artist-in-residence program designed to serve as a springboard to further artistic endeavors through substantial art interactions and creative discourse. With its initial outset in Seoul, Korea in 2005 (NEAR Seoul), the Neo-Emerging Artists Residency was envisioned to establish effective networks in creating opportunities for possible art collaborations with other Asian and non-Asian artists. NEAR Manila is open to both local and international artists.

TIUNAY

‘T I U N A Y’
Florence Cinco
July 8-18, 2011
NCCA Gallery
633 Gen. Luna St.
Intramuros, Manila

‘Coming home’ is an inevitable event in one’s journey. A traveller may wander far away, discover the unknown, conquer trials and achieve success; but he will always find himself tracing back his footstep to where he came from– to his “tiunay”.

TIUNAY is a word which means “roots” in Waray. This is also the title of Florence Cinco’s upcoming exhibit at the NCCA Gallery. Tiunay, according to the artist encapsulates the essence of all the artworks in this exhibit, which is the return of the Filipino race to its great roots, the Maharlikan race.

He likens the experience of the modern Filipino to a journey. He believes that he is now being called upon to uphold his own identity and abandon the foreign culture he has assumed as his own. TIUNAY is a call for the Filipino to take the first step back to his home – to his roots.

TIUNAY is the 13th solo exhibition of Florence Cinco whose artworks are known for his advocacy in promoting the richness of our culture and root race; environmental conservation; spirituality; and in embracing the simple lifestyle. He hails from Tinambacan Sur, Calbayog City, Western Samar. Cinco, a Fine Arts graduate at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, is a missionary artist. His own journey in life and in perfecting his craft has led him to believe that art should not be pursued for art’s sake alone. Art, according to him should also be a vessel for service and spirituality. To date, Cinco continues to flourish as he reaps success one after the other in prestigious art competitions both here and abroad while doing his missionary work in the art circle.

TIUNAY is on view at the NCCA Gallery from July 8- 18, 2011. Gallery Hours, Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00PM; For this exhibition we are open Saturdays, Sundays and other Holidays. NCCA Gallery is located at 633 Gen. Luna St. Intramuros Manila. For enquiries you may contact Mimi Santos or Ethel Buluran at Tel. Number: 527-2192 loc. 512. Or email us at ncca_gallery@yahoo.com or visit our website: www.ncca.gov.ph

TAKE TWO! MUKHANG PERA!

NUANCES EXHIBITION OPENING AND ARTWORK PHOTOGRAPHS

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NUANCES

RAZORLIGHT

Ateneo Art Gallery
Ateneo School of Humanities
Ateneo Fine Arts Program

in cooperation with British Council Philippines

have the pleasure of inviting you to
RAZORLIGHT by Alan Whittaker

on Monday, 4 July 2011

ArtSpeak, "Translucence and Light in Bone China: Alan Whittaker's Ceramic Art," 4.30 pm

To be followed by the opening reception for the exhibition at 6pm
Ateneo Art Gallery
Level 2 Rizal Library Special Collections Building
Ateneo de Manila University
Katipunan Avenue Loyola Heights
Quezon City


Alan Whittaker, Head of Fine and Applied Arts in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Liverpool Hope University and Associate Professor of Ceramics at Hope's Bachelor of Design program, will be opening "Razorlight," an exhibition of his recent works, at the Ateneo Art Gallery on Monday, 4 July 2011. The event will begin at 4:30 with ArtSpeak: Translucence and Light in Bone China, in which Mr. Whittaker will speak about his practice, followed by the opening reception for his exhibition at 6pm.

Whittaker, who is in the country as a juror of the 2011 Ateneo Art Awards, is currently experimenting with the use of bones from kangaroos and Shetland sheep in the latest stage of his career-long interest in translucence and light in bone china.

While the use of bone in the production of ceramics is nothing new - ox bones having been traditionally used in the manufacture of English bone china - it is the use of different types of animal bones that interests the artist. In his current research and experimentation he compares the chemical composition of the various bones and examines their effects on the character of the ceramics.

Whittaker’s current body of work is reflective of his enduring fascination with light and translucency in pierced pottery, which began with an encounter with a Chinese piece on exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London during his college years. Since then he has continued in his practice to be influenced by that vessel, producing some of the most delicate yet dramatic ceramic works.

"Razorlight" by Alan Whittaker runs from 4 July to 5 August 2011. For more information, please phone IC Jaucian at 4266488 or email ijaucian@ateneo.edu

ANCÊTRES / NINUNO

Alliance Française de Manille (AFM)
in cooperation with Avellana Art Gallery presents
“ Ancêtres / Ninuno ” by Ivi Avellana-Cosio

Ancêtres/Ninuno is the latest in the long-running series of exhibits by Ivi Avellana-Cosio featuring works based on aspects of Philippine pre-history. Figuring prominently in the paintings are the 10th C. syllabary baybayin, more popularly, but erroneously called the alibata, as well as depictions of early Filipinos found in the Boxer Codex, the classic manuscript commissioned in 1595 by the Governor General of the Philippines Luis Pérez de Dasmariñas. Avellana-Cosio also employs textile patterns and motifs from the different tribes like the Mandaya, T’boli, Yakan, Talaandig and Hanunoo Mangyan. Distinctive carvings, tattoos, make-up, and traditional designs found on clothing, jewelry, swords, scabbards and shields provide a rich source of material for the mixed-media works. Starting with a basic color field, Avellana-Cosio superimposes the distinctive patterns and motifs, the characters of the baybayin, then embellishes the work with found objects. While the paintings are replete with the art of the non-Christianized, non-Hispanicized indigenous groups, they are not meant to be ethnographic documentations, but remain in the realm of the contemporary abstract idiom, providing the artist with a bridge that links the past to the present.

Ivi Avellana-Cosio has won awards for painting, printmaking and sculpture in national and regional competitions. She has exhibited extensively here and abroad since 1967 and is represented in local and international collections, both private and institutional. A 1992 Project Grantee of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, she was also a Top Five winner in the 1997 Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards and a finalist in the Philip Morris ASEAN Art Awards in the same year. In 1999, she was named Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan (for painting) by the City of Manila. She is listed in the International Who’s Who of Women.

Ancêtres/Ninuno is dedicated to the memory of the eminent art critic and xylographer Dr. Rod. Paras-Perez, who, upon seeing Avellana-Cosio’s first ethnic-inspired exhibit in the 1980’s, encouraged the artist to continue her exploration of this theme.

Ivi Avellana-Cosio’s exhibition “Ancêtres/Ninuno” opens on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, at the Alliance Française Total Gallery of the Alliance Française de Manille, with cocktails at 6:30pm to 9pm. The exhibit runs until July 28, 2011. For high resolution images of the artworks and more details about the exhibit, kindly contact Mr. Earl Parco (AFM Cultural Officer) at 895 7441 / 895 7585 or email cultural@alliance.ph, or visit the AFM website at www.alliance.ph.

HATE MAIL

HATE MAIL
02 July – 14 August 2011
Main Gallery

Featuring: Catalina Africa, Ronald Caringal, Maria Jeona, Robert Langenegger, Romeo Lee, Jose Legaspi, Nikki Luna, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Jucar Raquepo, Kaloy Sanchez, MM Yu, Costantino Zicarelli

The second in a trilogy of shows that looks at visual linguistics in relation to communicating fundamental human emotions, Hate Mail attempts to narrate and deconstruct experiences of hate in contemporary society.

To display intense hate is viewed as morally wrong. It indicates an often angry and corrupted mind. In religion to hate is a sin, in secular society to openly hate is taboo and unattractive. But what is hate? Is it the bitterness and resentment many feel when experiencing anxiety, disappointment, obsession, jealousy and insecurity in oneself, love, school, friends, family and careers? Or a psychological imbalance that leads to suffering and violence?

Unlike love, hate is normally concealed and not openly communicated. As part of contemporary vernacular, casual comments of hate are often used to express intense dislike for objects and people but do not necessarily convey the true complexity of the word. Therefore hate comes in many forms and degrees of intensity. We all have experienced this emotion in some form or another and yet it is a misunderstood concept problematically linked to religion and ethics.

Hate mail is the reverse of a love letter but has a similar effect. It is an expression of intense emotion sent to destabilize and disrupt the reader. It can take the form of a childish smear campaign scrawled on bathroom walls or virtual words through emails, social networks and blogs. A physical letter, an intimate form of expression, can cause fear, frustration and more hate between recipient and sender. The communication of hate therefore is something highly negative and less popular to read, share and understand than love in popular culture.

Hate Mail is the second in a trilogy of group shows that looks at the language of hate, and how visual art translates feelings of violence, revenge, anger and grudges towards people, objects and events through personal and imagined autobiographies as well as social observation. Attempting to communicate the ferocities and quiet resentments through passionate and dispassionate work, the show aims to create an uncomfortable reflection of humanity for pause and meditation on our contemporary condition.

Previous exhibitions in the series include Love Letters (12 February – 27 March). Hate Mail will be followed by Confessions of A Sinner
(17 September – 09 October).