Arts & Culture (02/21/24)
Cartellino gets physical space in Galerie Stephanie
CARTELLINO, a five-year-old online platform for contemporary art, recently launched its first physical space. It is tucked in a corner inside Galerie Stephanie on the 6th floor of Shangri-La Plaza’s East Wing in Mandaluyong City. Its inaugural exhibition, “The Little Paper Show,” will be there until March 3. The collection features small works made of paper. For more information, follow Cartellino on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Nihongo Fiesta to be held in Shangri-La Plaza
The Japan Foundation Manila is mounting the Nihongo Fiesta, now on its 19th year, to celebrate the Japanese language and culture. There will be a Nihongo Speech Contest, where nine finalists from Luzon, Davao, and the Visayas will showcase their language proficiency and communication skills. The festival will also display photos submitted by educational institutions across the Philippines, giving the audience a glimpse into the diverse facets of Japanese culture. Meanwhile, attendees will be treated to a performance by the UP Philippines-Japan Friendship Club (UP Tomo-Kai), showcasing Japanese traditions. Visitors will also get to see the Ryukyu Buyo, an Okinawan traditional dance performance. The Nihongo Fiesta is set to take place at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City, on Feb. 24 starting 1:20 p.m. For more details, visit www.jfmo.org.ph and www.facebook.com/JFManila.
CAST PH to present Othello, Patintero sa Ayala Avenue
CAST PH, best known for its staged readings, will be presenting full-fledged theater productions this year. It will premiere Pantintero Sa Ayala Avenue, directed by Rafael Jimenez, and featuring lead actress Zoë de Ocampo and Philippine LEAF Awards Nominee Teia Contreras. The production is set for June. It will also present a new version of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello, with CAST artistic director Nelsito Gomez working with actors Tarek El Tayech as Othello, Gab Pangilinan as Desdemona, Maronne Cruz as Emilia, Reb Atadero as Iago, Davey Narciso as Cassio, Rafael Jimenez as Rodrigo, Dippy Arceo as Bianca, MC Dela Cruz as the Duke of Venice/Lodovico, and Rhenwyn Gabalonzo as Brabantio/Montano. The production is set for October. More details will be available on cast_ph on Instagram and CAST PH on Facebook.
QC to become poetry capital of the Philippines
NATIONAL Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario has formally launched a movement to make Quezon City the Poetry Capital of the Philippines. This began at a Valentine’s Day book donation drive for the QC Public Library and its 28 branches, which included copies of his book, Lemlunay: Pagunita sa Gunita, a collection of poems inspired by cultural objects and artifacts and Filipino artworks. Mr. Almario dubbed the Feb. 14 event as “Libro Para sa Aklatan ng Bayan” (Books for the Public Library) or LAB which he plans to hold yearly. The QC Public Library, San Anselmo Publications, Inc., and LIRA are collaborating with other divisions within the QC government for the development and implementation of literature and poetry-related programs and projects, including a National Poetry Day celebration on Nov. 22, the birthday of poet Jose Corazon de Jesus, a.k.a. Huseng Batute.
