Arts&Culture (03/22/23)

Batino and Castrillo come to the fore at Gateway Gallery

THE EXHIBIT “Coming to Fore”presents the works of Romina Batino-Stiffler and Mierro Castrillo. Featuring Ms. Batino’s photography and Mr. Castrillo’s sculptures, the exhibit is ongoing until March 31 at the Gateway Gallery in Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City. Ms. Batino is a contemporary digital artist who splits her time between Makati in the Philippines and Ohio in the USA. Her photographs capture the hidden splendor of everyday life — raindrops on the moonroof of a car, a dry leaf on the ground, the sun’s reflection on a dewy morning window, and the flow of water. Mierro Castrillo is the eldest son of the legendary Filipino sculptor Eduardo S. Castrillo. He took up sculpture after his father died in 2016, and he has since honed his skills. His sculptures depict everyday but very personal objects — a rooster, a bicycle, a horse — transformed with his father’s legacy in mind.

2 shows at Mo_ Space

MO_SPACE gallery at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig will open two exhibits on March 25. Both will run until April 23. At the Main Gallery will be Jan Balquin’s “the song of a bird that fell in love with its cage,” focusing on paintings which are the artist’s meditations on stillness and silence. Also opening is Veronica Peralejo’s “Collecting Fragments” at Gallery 2. Influenced by recent travels, particularly her trip to Japan, the artist creates a long table arrangement, a sort of wabi-sabi inspired rock garden. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Alpas art group remembers games Filipinos play

THE MEMBERS of an art group called Alpas reminisce about old Pinoy games — piko, jolen, tumbang preso, patintero, luksong-baka, agawan-base — and our innate sense of play in an exhibition called “Taym Pers!,” on view until March 31 at Robinsons Land ARTablado in Robinsons Antipolo.  ARTablado has become a literal playground as the members of Alpas hold activities in the exhibition area such as sungka, piko, etc. They even punctuated the paintings on view with old Pinoy toys — teks, pogs, and trumpo, among others.

Agnes Locsin’s Filipino dance masterwork returns

TO CELEBRATE Earth Month, Agnes Locsin’s 1992 dance Encantada goes on stage once again. A collaboration with Joey Ayala for music, Al Santos for the libretto, and the late National Artist Salvador Bernal for production design, Encantada features the artists of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Professional Artist Support Program and the Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP). It is a showcase of Locsin’s Neo-Ethnic Dance Style as she utilizes it to explore Filipino folklore, history, and culture, while at the same time bringing awareness to the consequences of man’s destruction of nature. Both dancers Georgette Sanchez-Vargas and Carissa Adea — who won Gawad Buhay Awards for their parts in the 2011 restaging of the ballet — will reprise their award-winning roles for the current 2023 production. Also joining the cast is Kris-Belle Paclibar-Mamangun, a highly acclaimed Filipino dancer and former member of Cirque du Soleil, who will be alternating the role of Babaylan with Adea. Encantada runs from April 14-15 at the Samsung Theater and April 21-22 at the Metropolitan Theater, with evening shows at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m. All evening shows will have live music performed by Joey Ayala and Ang Bagong Lumad with Bayang Barrios. This season, ARDP will also present Alice Reyes’ Ramahari (Sept. 15-16, 22-23); Carmen and Other Spirits, a mixed bill featuring Reyes’ Carmen and new works by young Filipino choreographers (Oct. 20-21, 27-28); and, Puso ng Pasko (Dec. 1-2, 22). For season subscriptions and ticket reservations, e-mail ardancephilippinesinc@gmail.com.

ABT returns to the Philippines

THE AMERICAN Ballet Theatre (ABT) Studio Company returns to the Philippines for a series of performances for the benefit of Ayala Foundation’s CENTEX program, which aims to provide quality education for underserved students while also offering opportunities to grow in the fields of music, dance, and arts. The series of shows headlines a new generation of ABT Studio Company rising stars with a special performance by pianist Cecile Licad. The series kicks off with a gala night on April 20 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Circuit Makati, followed by public shows at Ayala Center Cebu and Ayala Malls Abreeza on April 22 and 23 respectively. Former ABT Principal Dancer and now Acting Artistic Director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Stella Abrera, and ABT Studio Company Artistic Director Sascha Radetsky, will host masterclasses in STEPS Dance Studio in Makati City and Ayala Center Cebu. For more information, visithttps://www.ayalafoundation.org/ and http://www.ayalamalls.com/. 

Anthology of stories from Martial Law Survivors launched

THE FIRST and only café bookshop in La Union, Puón will host the book launch of PANAGLAGIP: The North Remembers – Martial Law Stories of Struggle and Survival on March 25, 2-4 p.m. The book launch will feature poetry readings, book reviews, acoustic performances, talkbacks and a film screening from the book’s contributors who will be coming from Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Baguio, Cagayan Valley and La Union, as well as youth groups in Ilocos such as Kabataan Partylist Ilocos. PANAGLAGIP is an anthology of narratives, articles, poems, artwork and testimonies of activists and ordinary people who fought against Marcos Martial Law in Northern Luzon. The book documents eye-witness accounts and testimonies of direct experiences with the cruelty of Marcos Martial Law which are, ultimately, stories of struggle and survival. Edited by Joanna K. Cariño and Luchie B. Maranan, the book includes contributions from Liza Ann Ilagan, Luchie B. Maranan, Brenda Subido-Dacpano, Reynaldo Guillermo, Lenville C. Salvador, Mary Lou O. Marigza, Elina M. Velasco-Ramo, Romella Liquigan, Felicidad Valencia, Pilar V. Paat, Lina Ladino, Wilson Adorable, Joanna K. Cariño, Maureen B. Loste, Rudy D. Liporada, Jill K. Cariño, Jeoff Larua,Priscilla Supnet-Macansantos, Ruel Caricativo, Desiree Caluza,and Christian Patricio. The book was co-produced by Gantala Press, Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Martial Law at Aresto-Northern Luzon (SELDA-NL), PUÓN and Alfredo F. Tadiar Library, with the support of Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), The May 18 Memorial Foundation, and PROCESS Participatory Research, Organization of Communities and Education, Toward Struggle for Self-Reliance (PROCESS). The book launch is free and open to the public. Limited seats. Secure a slot here:bit.ly/panaglagipLU .