Arts & Culture (01/10/24)
NCCA’s Heneral Tuna awards students’ fan art
The recently concluded digital poster making contest featuring Heneral Tuna, the witty and fierce blue alien cat from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) eponymous animated and book series, featured artworks done by Filipino high school and college students, with each poster interpreting Filipino values for the common good. Out of 220 entries, the first place winner was Boholano artist Anna Rina Oncog who depicted elements like the jeepney and pagmamano. Second place went to Lorenzo Angelo Maranan of Baguio City, and third place went to Khem Mary Abalos of Antipolo City. The winning entries can be seen on Heneral Tuna social media pages.
MO_Space brings collection of portraits
THE second iteration of “A Portrait of A Portrait Show” is coming to MO_Space this January. It features works by Juan Alcazaren, Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Vic Balanon, Elmer Borlongan, Annie Cabigting, Roberto Chabet, Jonathan Ching, Mariano Ching, Joy Dayrit, Pardo de Leon, Nilo Ilarde, Geraldine Javier, Mark Justiniani, Romeo Lee, Julie Lluch, Joy Mallari, Manuel Ocampo, Jayson Oliveria, Mawen Ong, Bernard Pacquing, Diokno Pasilan, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Elaine Roberto Navas, Juni Salvador, José Santos III, Mona Santos, Soler Santos, Yasmin Sison, Gerardo Tan, Pam Yan Santos, and Reg Yuson. They continue the first show’s theme on selfhood and its many facets through the diverse practices of drawing and painting, photography and printmaking, mixed media and sculpture. It is open for public viewing at MO_Space at Taguig’s Bonifacio High Street from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11.
Villamael, Pettyjohn solo exhibits at Silverlens
SILVERLENS Manila presents two solo exhibitions this January, highlighting two different forms of artistry. “Return, My Gracious Hour”sees Ryan Villamael surveil, appropriate, and reconstitute American-occupation archival material, shaping them into paper-cutout flowers. His works consider history as a medium, motivated by Jose Rizal’s poem “Memories of My Town.” Meanwhile, “A Light in Everything”explores tranquility in the form of sculptural clay. Tessy Pettyjohn’s illuminating forms come about from the act of meditation, a practice that has long informed her art-making process. Both exhibitions opened on Jan. 9 at Silverlens Manila, at 2263 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City. They will run until Feb. 3.
Feast of Santo Niño exhibit at Ali Mall
IN time with the feast of Santo Niño, Araneta City has opened the “Ang Batang Hesus” exhibit in Ali Mall. It features more than 70 images of the child Jesus from devotees around the country. Among the replicas on display are those of the three oldest Santo Niño images in the Philippines — the Santo Niño de Cebu, Santo Niño de Tondo, and Santo Niño de Arevalo. In Philippine history, the very first image of the child Jesus was given as a baptismal gift to native Filipinos by Spanish explorers. “Ang Batang Hesus”is open for public viewing at the lower ground floor activity area of Ali Mall in Cubao, Quezon City, until Jan. 18.
The M holds conversations and film screening
CURATOR Erwin Romulo and actor and comedian Jun Sabayton will be hosting an exhibition commentary-walkthrough of “Parallel Histories: Moving Image from the Philippines and the United Kingdom,” featuring the works of experimental filmmakers working in the Philippines and the United Kingdom from 1990 onwards and the historical parallels between them. Mr. Romulo will then host a screening of Nick Deocampo’s Let This Film Serve as a Manifesto for a New Cinema (1990), which states the goals and beliefs of the New Cinema movement pioneered by young filmmakers rebelling against Marcos-era propaganda. The screening will be followed by a talkback with the director to learn the artmaking process of the work and its sociopolitical and historical context. The event on Jan. 13, Saturday, at 2p.m., is free and open to all at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Bambike Night Tours explore Intramuros after dark
MANILA Canvas, a store operator of the Department of Trade and Industry’s GoLokal! program, recently launched Bambike Night Tours, a novel way to explore Intramuros’ storied past. In partnership with Bambike Revolution Cycles, also a Go Lokal enterprise, and the Intramuros Administration, this unique venture invites locals and foreign tourists to explore Manila’s historic landscape after dark. Committed to sustainable tourism, the tour lets curious adventurers immerse themselves in Manila’s vibrant nightscape. Special tours are also available for families with children ages one to five years old and for individuals needing mobility support. To book, visit http://bit.ly/Bambiketours.
‘Van Gogh Alive’ immersive exhibit opens new slots
The immersive exhibit “VAN Gogh Alive,” which delves into the vibrant world of Vincent van Gogh, has been extended until Jan. 14 at the Bonifacio Global City Arts Center. The multi-sensory art experience is presented by Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. with Del Monte Philippines and created and produced by Grande Experiences. It offers a unique way to interact with Van Gogh’s art, immersing visitors in a symphony of light, color, sound, and aroma. Tickets are available at the BGC Arts Center Box Office or via TicketWorld.
