Arts & Culture (10/12/22)
‘My Journey Beyond Fashion’lecture and exhibition
IN CELEBRATION of Museums and Galleries month, the National Museum of the Philippines presents a lecture and pop-up exhibition, “My Journey Beyond Fashion,” with Ditta Sandico on Oct. 15, 2 p.m. Admission is free. Ms. Sandico is a Filipino designer, a wrap artist, and an advocate of sustainable fashion.
Wilwayco’s ‘Wave Cadenza’ at Galerie Joaquin
EDWIN Wilwayco’s exhibit “Wave Cadenza”features a series of abstract images inspired by and evoking musical structure. In this suite of paintings Mr. Wilwayco engages the viewer in the compositions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). The exhibition runs until Oct. 22 at Galerie Joaquin Rockwell, with an artist reception on October 14 at 5 p.m. The gallery is located at R3 Level, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati. For inquiries, contact Galerie Joaquin at 0915-414-5502 or e-mail galeriejoaquinrockwell@gmail.com.
Markki Stroem in Triple Threats series
MARKKI Stroem will kick off the 2022 Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Triple Threats concert series with a show entitled Leading on Oct. 14, at the CCP’s Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Black Box Theater) at 7:30 p.m. Mr. Stroem is one of three tenors to be featured in the concert series that features a harvest of stalwarts of Philippine Musical Theater. Mr. Stroem is going to perform his personal favorite pieces from Broadway, West End, original Filipino musicals, and the movies. Each concert in the 2022 Triple Threats series is an intimate evening of music, personally selected by the artists themselves, from their vast repertoire and experience. The definition of a “triple threat” is someone who exhibits the three skills that are necessary to excel in musical theater — can act, can sing, and can dance. Other tenors featured in the series are Arman Ferrer on Nov. 18 in Triple Threats: All of Me, and Poppert Bernadas on Dec. 21, in Triple Threats: Ang Musika, ang Teatro at Ako. For more information about the series, check out the CCP’s official website https://culturalcenter.gov.ph and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/culturalcenterofthephilippines.
2nd Tarlac Art Fair
THE MUSEUM Diwa Ng Tarlac has reopened to the public in celebration of the second Tarlac Art Fair. The success of the Tarlac Art Fair in 2021 encouraged over 100 artists and photographers from different towns around the province to create art and exhibit them. On Oct. 8, the winners of the Tarlac National Art Competition, and Tarlac artists and fashion designers opened their first exhibit at Art Lounge Manila Podium; and on Oct. 15 to 23, the province of Tarlac will host the first Central Luzon Art Fair, which will be held at Bulwagang Kanlahi in Tarlac City. Diwa Ng Tarlac is open daily except Mondays and Tuesdays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
PETA restages Batang Rizal
HAVING staged a string of successful online show streams and virtual workshops during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) is making a live theater comeback for its 55th Theater Season with Christine Bellen’s Batang Rizal. It will first relaunch online via streaming on ktx.ph from Oct. 14 to 16 and will run on PETA’s theater stage from Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. The musical is co-written, directed for stage, and choreographed by Dudz Teraña, with musical direction, arrangement, and composition by Vincent de Jesus. Fifteen years since its original run, the 2022 staging features a new cast, new set, and new animations. The cast includes Tim Mabalot, Yhuan Gatbunton, Gold Villar-Lim, Norbs Portales, Carlon Matobato, John Moran, Teetin Villanueva, Jovy Vieja, Raven Relavo, and Marynor Madamesila. For ticket inquiries and touring packages, contact Mitch Go at 0917-539-1112. For streaming tickets, visit www.ktx.ph/category/batang-rizal.
NSAC holds crypto art lecture
FOR more than five decades, Pilipinas Shell’s Shell National Students Art Competition (NSAC) has allowed the youth to express their thoughts and creativity in various fields of art and has produced countless of ground-breaking artists. Shell NSAC’s Virtual Art Interact Sessions are back for a third year to continue supporting aspiring young artists through training and providing a platform to keep the Philippine Art industry moving forward. The first Shell NSAC Art Interact for the year will be held on Oct. 15, 9:30 a.m., and will tackle “How to Navigate Through the Crypto Space from a Digital Perspective”, a talk with NFT or non-fungible token artists Jopet Arias and NSAC alumni Aldrine Alarcon. Register for the lecture through this link: https://tinyurl.com/NSACArtInteract1.
Ortigas Library holds exhibit, lecture in Negros
AN exhibit, “People and Places: A Cordillera Legacy, Photographs from 1900 to 1925,” at the Negros Museum in Bacolod City on Oct. 15. The exhibition — sponsored by the Ortigas Foundation Library and Water Dragon, Inc. — features reproductions of vintage photographs, many of them rarely seen, and highlights the peoples of the Cordillera, their culture and their past. Selected from the collection of Jonathan Best, and the Ortigas Library Image Bank as well as private collectors, the exhibit threads visually through the remote Cordilleras at the beginning of the 20th century. A generation later a different architecture, a different cultural norm, education and mode of dressing become enmeshed in lives and surroundings. In conjunction with the exhibit, a lecture, “Knowing the Peoples of the Mountain Province,” by John L. Silva, Executive Director, Ortigas Foundation Library, will be held on Oct. 16, 11 a.m., at The Negros Museum.
Filipino Sign Language seminar open for registration
#THEGOODSIGN Deaf Awareness and Basic Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Seminar, which guides participants to better understand Deaf culture, the basic interpretation, with its do’s and don’ts, has opened registration for its in-person sessions on two Saturdays, Oct. 15 and 29. The workshop is meant to bridge gaps and celebrate inclusivity through family members, professionals, educators, students and the general public with the knowledge and fundamental skills essential to be more informed advocates and buddies of the Deaf. The School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde was tapped by organizer Overdoughs, a gourmet cookies and artisanal doughnuts shop that provides employment opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. The sessions will be conducted face-to-face on two Saturdays, Oct. 15 and 29, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, at the Overdoughs Café in Promenade Mall, Greenhills, San Juan. Registration fee is P500 per session, inclusive of the educational materials as well as food and drinks. Interested participants may sign up at https://bit.ly/TheGoODSign.
ARTablado presents ‘Hele’ at Robinsons Galleria
Seven artists from Lopez, Quezon Province focus on the world of children in ARTablado’s ongoing exhibition “Hele” or lullaby. The artworks highlight memories of innocence, times when play was all that mattered, and being vulnerable was nothing to be ashamed of. The participating artists are Tres Roman, Gem Suguitan, Cherryl Valencia, Justine Olivarez, Jopeth “Jopz” Bunag, Aann Reynales, and Jay Mar Valdoria. “Hele”is the group’s first foray into the commercial art exhibition space and also serves as a fundraising project for their annual outreach program with the aim to help the Indigenous Children (Aetas) of Barangay Villa Espina in Lopez, Quezon in celebration of the National Indigenous Peoples (IP) Month. The exhibition is ongoing until Oct. 15 at the Level 3 of Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas.
ArtZoo at the BenCab Museum
BAGUIO’s BenCab Museum opens ArtZoo: A Decade of Art, on Oct. 15. It will be on view until Nov. 27. Informally established in 2008 by a circle of friends, mostly from the Bulacan State University College Fine Arts, ArtZoo has been showcasing their works in different spaces since 2013. There are 16 participating artists including Abi Dionisio, John Rudolph Doane, and Welbart Slowhands. The body of work produced by ArtZoo throughout the years reflects a distinct character despite the variety of styles each of them utilize and make their own. The BenCab Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry at 5:30 p.m.).
WIFIBODY PH returns live at CCP
WIFIBODY PH, the choreography competition for contemporary dance in the Philippines, returns live at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Tanghalang Huseng Batute on Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. for Set A and at 4:30 p.m. for Set B. Twelve new works from emerging choreographers around the Philippines — from Baguio, Bicol, Butuan, Iloilo, Romblon, Samar, and Metro Manila — will be featured in WifiBody PH. With the theme “Emergence,” the dance pieces offer insightful and fresh perspectives on gender, media, and relationships with the self, the others, and objects. An Artists Talkback will follow the Set B show after which winners will be announced. WifiBody PH is a biannual competition exclusively for solo-duet form, a form that pushes choreographers to bare their artistic vision as it emphasizes intimacy and conciseness. Held last online in 2020, WifiBody PH is the first tier of the CCP Choreographers’ Series, a project curated by Myra Beltran and Denisa Reyes. This choreographers competition was established by Beltran in 2006 initially under the larger WifiBody Festival, which was the first contemporary dance festival of its kind. The CCP Choreographers Series has three components, the first two held bi-annually and the last held every year. It starts with WifiBody PH which is then followed by Koryolab, a laboratory and showcase of experimental dance pieces by mid-career choreographers. To cap the series, NeoFilipino provides a venue for established choreographers to create and stage major works in collaboration with artists of other art forms. For more information, visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates.
Robinsons Land ARTablado presents ‘ACE’
IN May 2021, painter and hip-hop artist Jhomar Lim created a Facebook group called ACE (Artists, Collectors and Enthusiasts) for Art, which now has 20,000 followers. ACE, a dynamic group whose members may be diverse in many aspects, but are united in the love for the arts, is mounting a group show and letting their art speak to people’s hearts, minds and souls. ARTablado Robinsons Antipolo is hosting 37 artists from ACE of Art Organization, Inc. from all over the country: Tanay, Baras, Antipolo, Albay, Santiago, Cebu, Valencia, Bukidnon, Camiguin and other areas of Mindanao. The works,on view until Oct. 15 at the Upper Ground Floor North Wing of Robinsons Antipolo, features 80 paintings and sculptures by the members of ACE for Art.
Orchestra of the Filipino Youth marks 10 years of music
THROUGH the last decade, a non-profit organization Ang Misyon, Inc., has been providing free music education and instrument support to talented, less privileged Filipino youth. It has remained focused on honing the musical skills and talents of young musicians, specifically its main performing arm the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth (OFY). Since its founding in 2012, the OFY has nurtured musicians as young as six years old and has reached areas nationwide. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the OFY partnered with the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), an organization that holds a similar mission of providing opportunities for young Filipino musicians to share their talent and thrive in a community-driven platform. A concert entitled OFY Ten: Celebrating Ten Years of Music was held at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo in the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Oct. 8, the first-since-pandemic live concert by the OFY, and was a performance that included scholars and mentors who were past winners of NAMCYA in one stage. Under the baton of Gerard Salonga, the OFY’s Music Director and Conductor, the OFY performed one of the greatest orchestral symphonies ever written by Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No.5 in C minor, which runs approximately 30 minutes — upholding a testament to the skill level and focus of a youth orchestra. The evening’s repertoire also included compositions by National Artists for Music Colonel Antonino Buenaventura, Lucio San Pedro, and Ryan Cayabyab. The encore piece was Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Marquez. The OFY’s curriculum is designed to prepare the scholars for professional levels and includes weekly one-on-one lessons and sectionals with their mentors and peers. Aside from preparing for performances and concerts, the program aims to carry through a vision of reaching elevated music standards, while empowering the youth who could be musical ambassadors of the country. As Ang Misyon and its flagship program ushers in the next chapter, there are hopes of continuing the work in the years to come. Though institutionally founded by the Lopez Group of Companies including ABS-CBN Corp., First Philippine Holdings and First Gen Corp., there are ways to help keep the music scholarships going. For partnership inquiries and opportunities for support, e-mail info@angmisyon.org or send a message through the OFY’s Facebook and Instagram pages: @OFY.ph.
