Arts&Culture (08/16/23)

Joy Rojas exhibits at ArtistSpace

ARTISTSPACE presents “Res Ipsa Loquitur: The Lines That Define Me,” Joy Rojas’ showcase of works that experiment with the limitless potential of abstraction through color, shapes, and texture. Unlike traditional pure abstraction, he intertwines elements from the natural world and references landscapes and historical imagery. Also a practicing lawyer under the name Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II, Joy is a Filipino visual artist who injects his art with an exuberant and joyous quality inspired by encounters with nature during his travels. Presented by JFR II Studio, Salazar Art Agency, and The Saturday Group of Artists, the exhibit is on view until Aug. 27 at ArtistSpace, at the Ground Level of the Ayala Museum Annex, Makati Ave. corner De La Rosa St., Greenbelt Park, Makati City. The gallery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free.

Filipinas Heritage Library lowers fees

THE FILIPINAS Heritage Library is celebrating its anniversary this month by lowering its rates until December. Visitors can access the library Wi-Fi, charge their devices, and use the library’s collections and facilities. The price of the regular day pass is now P300 from P400, the student day pass is P150 from P200, the senior/PWDPWD day pass is P210 from P300, while the discounted day pass (for Ayala Museum members, AGC employees, teachers, librarians, cultural workers, graduate students) is now P240 from P340. Meanwhile, the Research passes (up to 30 visits within two months) have also been discounted, with the regular pass now P3,750 from P5,000, the student pass P2,000 from P3,500, the senior/PWD pass P2,600 from P3,750, and the discounted pass P3,000 from P4,250. The library is at the Ayala Museum, Makati Ave., Greenbelt Park, Makati. For more information about the library guidelines and procedures, visit www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/booking/

Bacolod art on view at JT’s Manukan Grille

FILIPINOART.PH, an online art gallery, collaborates with JT’s Manukan Grille, a chicken inasal restaurant chain, on an exhibit titled “Colors and Flavors of Bacolod.” Ongoing until Oct. 15, the exhibit features acrylic paintings by Roselle Manalastas and Jason Ray Zabat at JT’s Manukan Grille in 32nd Ave. cor. Bonifacio Blvd., BGC, Taguig. The works in Colors and Flavors of Bacolod focus on that city’s cultural heritage, especially its annual celebration of the Masskara Festival. The street festival, which stands as a symbol of the Negrenses’ resilience, started during the sugar crisis of the 1980s. Bacolod native and actor Joel Torre, the owner of JT’s Manukan Grille, wants to use his chains of restaurants as a creative space for Filipino artists. “Our original al-fresco setup wasn’t ideal for displaying traditional visual art due to dust. Nonetheless, we hosted performances and showcased films, aiming to turn the place into an arts hub. We are also transforming our branch in Boracay into an arts community, initiating storytelling, music, painting, and filmmaking workshops. This is our way of giving back to the community.” FilipinoArt.ph has previously partnered with other businesses, including Brewed Specialty Coffee, a third-wave coffee shop in Pasig City, which hosted Sining at Kape, featuring works by Pasigueño artists.

Inclusive literature at the Davao City PHL Book Fest

THE INDIE Publishers Collab PH (TIPC) will feature inclusive literature titles in its booth at the BOOKTOPIA area of the Philippine Book Festival (PBF) to be held at SMX Davao City from Aug. 18-20. “The TIPC booth theme is ‘Book Bridges’ to convey the message that every book by a TIPC publisher is a connection to a more meaningful discovery and a more profound learning. TIPC publishers produce books that address today’s most urgent advocacies and depict the various genres, subjects and languages of Filipino life,” said Ronald Verzo of TIPC and Balangay Productions in a statement. Participating TIPC publishers include: 8Letters, a boutique publishing company based in the Philippines that has over 400 titles focusing on Southeast Asian literature; Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA), an organization of poets writing in Filipino; Aklat Alamid, an independent publishing house for children’s books and YA books written in the different languages of the Philippines; Aklat Mirasol which publishes materials for children and youth focusing on their development of a positive identity as Filipinos; Alubat Publishing which focuses on stories of illness and healing written by doctors; Isang Balangay Media Productions (Balangay Books), which focuses on local and grassroots literature and readership; LitArt Publishing which focuses on short-form literature; Pawikan Press which specializes in books about Mindanao and Palawan; San Anselmo Publications, Inc., which spotlights Filipino poetry, biography, fiction, non-fiction and reference books; the Ilocos-based Saniata Publications; and Southern Voices Printing Press which serves as an accessible channel to progressive storybooks and biographical works. TIPC is also holding events at PBF Davao — a talk on “Infinite Inclusive Stories” with Leila Rispens-Noel, Renato Tranquilino, Maita Rue, and Andrew Pasaporte on Aug. 19, 2:30 p.m.; a panel discussion on “Writing About Mindanao” with authors Assad Baunto, Jennie Arado, and Xaña Angel Eve Apolinar on Aug. 20, 5 p.m.; and the launch of the book Ang Gamay Nga Prinsipe (The Little Prince) with translator Maria Cora P. Larobis and poet/writer Agustin Pagusara on Aug. 20, 6 p.m. Venue is at PBF’s Booktopia section. For updates, like and follow the Facebook page of The Indie Publishers Collab PH.

Instituto Cervantes screens Peruvian crime thriller

INSTITUTO Cervantes de Manila and the Embassy of Peru in Thailand will hold a film screening of La Pena Maxima (Operation Condor) on Aug. 17, 2 p.m., at Instituto Cervantes’ Intramuros branch (Real St., Plaza San Luis, Intramuros). The film, adapted from the eponymous novel by Santiago Roncagliolo and directed by Michel Gomez in 2022, follows Felix, a conscientious government employee in Lima who embarks on an investigative journey following a murder during the World Cup in Argentina and unearths a labyrinthine international conspiracy of kidnappings, disappearances, and torture. The film will have English subtitles. Admission is free and open on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit Instituto Cervantes’ website http://manila.cervantes.es or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.

Shorts & Briefs is back for a 9th edition

SHORTS & BRIEFS, an independently produced theater festival of short and brief plays, returns this August at the Draper Startup House in Poblacion, Makati, on all Sundays of August. The festival features original plays by first-time theater makers and performers, each running 12 minutes or under. The plays are: Tim Villanueva’s Mga Nakasusuyang Putahe, directed by Naye Hedriana; Ephraim Villafania’s Save the Coffee Jelly, directed by Cyril Balderama; Aldrich Alcantara’s Grief Registry, directed by Jemuel Satumba; Francis Peralta and Sean Macaraeg’s Latency, directed by Eunice Pacifico; Julay Elloso and Frank Conche’s Ang Tigas ng Ulo Mo, directed by Paulo Almaden; Dino Quintana’s Homecoming, directed by Ciri Clarion; Billie Fuentes’ 11:11,directed by Alecx Lorica; and Wilfredo Alipala’s Bakit Bata, directed by Earl Pingol. There will be performances on Aug. 20 and 27 at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets, which include a complimentary drink, cost P550 each. For more information, check out Eksena Ph on Facebook or contact 0967-382-8066.

Baranggay Folk Dance Troupe goes on UK tour

THE PHILIPPINE Baranggay Folk Dance Troupe (PB) is embarking on a month-long UK Cultural Dream Tour with a delegation of 15 members. It will start by participating in the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance 2023 from Aug. 12 to 20 at Stockton-on-Tees, followed by a two-week stay in London with UK-affiliate hosts Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company, Europe’s foremost Philippine cultural ambassadors. They will hold workshops, performances, and barrio fiestas in support of the Philippine Embassy London and the Filipino community in the UK from Aug. 25 to Sept. 3. As a non-profit community group, PB relies entirely on support from families, friends, and sponsors who give donations to fuel the troupe’s mission of promoting Philippine cultural heritage through music, song, and dance. These contributions cover administrative and travel budgets and maintaining PB’s extensive wardrobe of costumes, accessories, and props, along with a comprehensive musical instrument collection. The tour is in part a show of gratitude to these supporters.

Manila International Book Fair returns in September

THE 2023 MANILA International Book Fair (MIBF) will be back on Sept. 14 to 17 at the SMX Convention Center at Mall of Asia, Pasay City. There will be over 100 exhibitors, with participants spanning publishers both mainstream and indie and local and international, from university presses to academic distributors. It will also have the latest titles, many hot off the press and not yet available online or at regular bookstores, some reprinted or updated specifically for the MIBF crowd. Attendees can look forward to signings by various authors and creators. There will also be storytelling sessions, art workshops, book launches, seminars, book awards, and more. A co-located event, School World, will be a one-stop shop of supplies and gadgets for teachers, students, parents, school administrators, young professionals, and working adults, with a wide selection of products and services to choose from as schools transition into new modes of learning in the new normal. For more details, e-mail bookfair@primetradeasia.com, or follow @ManilaBookFair on Facebook and Instagram.

CCP and Arthaland to hold exhibit in Cebu Exchange

ARTHALAND and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) will hold an exhibition in Cebu City following last year’s collaboration at the Arthaland Century Pacific Tower in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. From Sept. 14 to Oct. 12, “Udtong Tutok: Art at High Noon” will show “affinities, continuities, and contradictions in Philippine art,” selected from the CCP’s 21st Century Art Museum Collection. It will take place at the Cebu Exchange, Arthaland’s green office development in the city. The title, Udtong Tutok, derives from the Cebuano idiom, symbolizing the exact point at high noon where there is intense heat, glaring brightness, and heightened attention. Notably, this exhibition will be the CCP’s first off-site exhibition outside Metro Manila and the first in the Visayas region due to the ongoing rehabilitation of the CCP Main Theater building.