Tuesday, May 29, 2012

From Gallery Big:

"World-renowned glass sculptor Ramon Orlina pays tribute to Philippine Independence Day by mounting an exhibition of his latest creations starting June 12, 2012 at the Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Makati City.

Titled "Brilliance" and organized by premiere art specialist Gallery BiG in cooperation with PNB-Allied Bank Luxeclusive, this solo show is composed of 32 dazzling crystal sculptures of varying sizes, colors and shapes, each being a testament to the artist's mastery of his craft and provides a glimpse into his concepts and visions.
His well known green Asahi glass artworks with figurative forms are displayed alongside his more recent abstract creations utilizing colored crystals in amber, amethyst, cobalt, pink and white, thus "Brilliance" is his most colorful show to date. It also marks the first time that his artworks are being exhibited outside the limited confines of a gallery or museum and into thehighly visible atrium of a commercial mall such as the Powerplant in Rockwell.

"We would like the general public to be given the chance to view and appreciate these wonderful Orlina sculptures in a convenient location so that more people can appreciate the depth and talent of one of our country’s finest artists." says Gallery BiG owner Jon Sy. "After all, Independence Day is supposed to be a homage to our country's heroes and we do regard many of our Filipino visual artists such as Luna, Hidalgo, Amorsolo, Edades, Botong and Manansala as heroes in their own right. "Brilliance" is the artist’s way of paying tribute to the brilliance of such Filipinos."

Indeed just a few glances into this marvelous array of brightly lit translucent sculptures can give one the feeling of awe and magnificence. Could our heroes have felt a similar kind of glow as they were shaping our country’s history? The play of light passing thru solid masses of colored crystals is unlike any other sculpture show you will witness anywhere in the world and can easily tempt the viewer into “bringing this sense of Filipino pride home” by making a purchase right there and then. But with the prices of Orlinas steadily rising due to consistently strong demand over the years, one can hardly say that such an art investment would be easy on the pocket. This is where the support of PNB-Allied Bank Credit Card Corporation comes into the picture. Through its thrust in the luxury goods sector called Luxeclusive, they now offer their cardholders the special privilege of using their PNB-Allied Bank Visa or Mastercard to acquire any of these Orlinas at no interest for up to six months to pay - making it more affordable to do so.

At the end of the day, it matters little whether you plan to buy or not as long as you go out and see this splendid sculpture show,which took several months of careful planning and painstaking preparation before coming into fruition, so that you can experience for yourself an art exhibit like no other and realize how truly brilliant our fellow Filipinos can be."

“Brilliance”will be on display until June 24, 2012. For inquiries please call 666.7755 or visit www.gallerybig.com

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

NCCA's ArTalk @ Net25

Heads Up! :) Watch the official teaser of ArTalk airing tonight at Net25.:



"ArTalk: Beyond Entertainment"
Premieres March 29, 2012
Hosted by Ms. Gema Cruz Araneta
Conceptualized and Directed for TV by former Exec. Dir. Malou Jacob
Every Thursdays 11:00 - 11:30 pm with replays on Sundays, 2:30 - 3:00 pm

Guests: Boy Abunda, Randy David, Emily Abrera, Isagani Cruz, Chairman Felipe de Leon Jr., Pepe Diokno, Jeremy Barns, Inno Manalo, and many more.

For details, please contact RENE NAPEÑAS, Head of the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) at cellphone number 0927-5582656 / 09285081057 or at tel. nos. 527-5529. You can also call us at 527-2192 (loc. 612-615) or email us at ncca.paio@gmail.com.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Street Art of Kadre

I met Kadre, another artist who has made the streets his gallery, through Barrios. And from our informal talk, I learned that most of his works can be found in the streets of Manila. I have yet to sit down with him to get to know more about him as an artist. He says he is not worried at all if they scrape off his work eventually from the wall, and that a few days of his work being seen by the public is enough for him.

For now, here is a sample of his work, wheatpasted in Valenzuela (June 2011).

Brian Barrios and Kadre Wheatpasting in Valenzuela (june 2011)

Update on Brian Barrios.

May 21. Barrios participated in Disconnect 3: Sticker/Poster Art Exhibition, in Kalye Art Gallery at 1220 Singalong St., Malate. This was organized by both Pilipinastreetplan and StreetKonect

See wheatpasting with Kadre:

Barrios x Kadre Wheatpaste from CAVITY COLLECTIVE on Vimeo.

June 5, 2011

Wheatpasting with Kadre in Valenzuela

Friday, April 15, 2011

The Street Art of Brian Barrios



I only started noticing these eyecatching street art late in 2010 dotting the McArthur highway (Valenzuela) on my way to and from my Manila office. One day, in February, I finally had the chance to photograph most of it and immediately posted most of it in my facebook account. It soon got comments including one from poet Angelo Suarez who had been most helpful in helping me identify the artist behind it. Angelo suggested that I get in touch with Pilipinas Street Plan (PSP), specifically Mark Salvatus, a cross-disciplinary artist based in Manila and a core member of an artist-run initiative called TUTOK, as well as co-founder of PSP under the Boy Agimat tag. Salvatus has been instrumental in helping me get to know finally the mystery Valenzuela street artist. Most of these street art/post-graffiti (http://www.theroguesgallery.net/post-graffiti/ ) are casually in wall spaces where MMDA art are, or walls of ruins that most often does surprise the passersby. On closer inspection, one would find that they are drawn on Manila paper, then wheatpasted on the walls instead of drawn or spraypainted directly on the walls (via stencil) much like the famous works of Banksy. To my mind, this being the artwork's material, and considering the pollution and weather it is subjected to daily, makes these works of art poignantly ephemeral. Brian Barrio's works capture spontaneous moments of individuals and groups, and for me, are always emotionally charged: a father carrying a son on his shoulders, a father hugging a son, a mother carrying her child, and always drawn in a manner that (at least, to my mind) sculptor Napoleon Abueva would have drawn in had Abueva chosen the medium (not meant to disparage Abueva here, I love Abueva). And these works coming from a 16 year old teener! Interesting, too, to note is that most of the drawings feature characters that are smiling. And then I came upon Brian Barrio's blog site, which explains the "smiles." I am glad to have captured a photo of most of his works in the streets of Valenzuela while they are still intact. Valenzuelanons, take note, Brian Barrios is a fellow Valenzuelanon after all! (and have your photo ops with the works while you can before the July rain slushes them away).

And am the more glad because I was able to engage Brian Barrios in a short light interview, which I am posting here:

----
Rei Alba (RA): Anu ba modelo mo? Actual na tao or sa isip lang?

Brian Barrios (BB): May reference ako. Pictures.

RA: Bat ayaw mo na pintahan mismo ung pader?

BB: Hindi pa ako sanay. Magprapraktis nga ako mag-paint sa canvas ngayon e.

RA: Ah oks. At saka mas matagal kang andun nakatayo, masita ka pa for graffiti nga :)

BB: Oo. Tama.

RA: Panu un? May dala kang balde ng pandikit at tambo ng walis?

BB: Oo.

RA: Anu time mo ba usually nilalagay?

BB: Gabi po.

RA: Super gabi?

BB: Hindi naman, basta dumilim na. Mga 6 o 7.

RA: Buti di ka nahuhuli. As in super bilis mo lang magdikit?

BB: Hindi naman ako natatakot mahuli e. Sa tingin ko hindi naman ilegal ang ginagawa ko.

RA: May mga naninita ba sayo?

BB: Wala

RA: Ikaw lang talaga ang nagdidikit? Walang barkada?

BB: Wala e. Wala kase akong kaibigan na interested sa ginagawa ko. Isa rin sa dahilan kaya ako nag-street art ay para mgakaroon ng mga kaibigan na mahihilig sa art.

RA: Ba't un bang mga kaibigan mong iba, anu hilig?

BB: Computer. Dotadota

RA: Nag dodota ka rin ba?

BB: Hindi. Internet lang.

RA: Nagba-bastketball ka rin?

BB: Oo.

RA: Ga'no katagal ka magdrawing ng isang tao or figure?

BB: Isang buong araw. Minsan dalawang araw, kalahating araw. Depende sa gagawin ko

RA: Sa salas nyo?

BB: Sa kwarto ko, kwarto namin. Parang studio ko na rin.

RA: Nag-background music ka ba habang drawing? O walang istorbo?

BB: Radyo. Ahaha. Simple lang. Ahahha.

RA: Nagbe-break ka naman para kumain or tuloy tuloy?

BB: May break syempre.

RA: May sketch ka muna sa pencil? Tapos pentelpen ba ung black?

BB: Paint po yun, latex paint. Opo sketch muna.

RA: Nakaka ilang lata ka ng latex paint? Ung maliit lang ba un? Puro black lang ?

BB: Actually, 2 lata ng maliit lang ang nauubos ko ngayon. 2 lata palang sa ngayon.

RA: Ilang brush meron ka para magawa un?

BB: Apat: Number 1, 3, 7.

RA: Tapos alin dun sa na piktyuran ko ang pinakauna mong nagawa?

BB: Eto
http://prodyeksmile.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-just-need-somebody-to-love.html
Medyo hindi pa ayos yung gawa ko dyan.

BB: Yung Smile Projects pala, positivity ang motibo ko dun. Kaya ginawa ko yun, kase karamihan ng mga street artist ngayon, medyo negative ang tingin sa kanila. So, naisip ko mas mganda kung gagawin kong medyo postive yung ipinararating nung mga gawa ko.

RA: Alin na ung first na work mo na part ng Smile Projects?

BB: Yung sa may Fatima.

RA: Yung may camera?

BB: Oo kasali din yun, pati yung mag ama.

RA: Mga kelan pa yun?

BB: Mga October 2010.

RA: Panu mo pinipili ang space mo pala?

BB: Basta pader na maraming makakakita.
-------------

So, without further ado, here are Brian Barrios' works.
------------

Location: near RT before PSB bank coming from Malanday.

Location: by the Honda store across Novo (coming from Malanday)

Location: Junkshop in Karuhatan after Sabino Funeral house.

Location: at the landing of the footbridge across South supermarket (McArthur highway).

Location: Malanday

Location: BBB near BPI bank (status: gone)

* Most recently, Brian Barrios participated in his first group exhibition with co-PSP members titled "RepubliCAN: an Exhibition of Spraycans and Works Based on Street Art" last April 8, 2011 at The Collective in Malugay Street in Makati City.

For the latest on street art, read Beyond Graffiti.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Epjey Pacheco's Streams of X&Y at West Gallery this March 2011!

Epjey Pacheco opens his first one-man exhibit titled "Streams of X&Y" at West Gallery, West Avenue, Quezon City, on March 1, 2011.


Epjey Pacheco puts on paper what he deems as random streams of consciousness. All illustrations on found paper and ink are untitled. Pacheco did not want words to limit what the viewer could see or feel as he or she sees the works for the first time. Everyone has free rein in interpreting the images.

“It is my first time to have a solo show, and I decided not to be bound by a specific theme. I want it to be spontaneous, a culmination of my young art career so far,” notes Pacheco, aiming to highlight his background as an illustrator in his solo debut.

U.S.T. graduate Pacheco is also part of the group/community of artists called Pilipinas Street Plan (http://www.pilipinastreetplan.blogspot.com/) co-founded by Mark Salvatus.

Look up Pacheco's works via Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/epjey?ref=ts#!/album.php?id=681629326&aid=83004

Where?

West Gallery
* Address: 48 West Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines 1100
* Telephone:+63 2 411 0336
* Fax:+63 2 411 9221
* Email:info@westgallery.org
• Venue: West Gallery, 48 West Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines 1100
• Contact No.: +63 2 411 0336
• Email Address: info@westgallery.org

Monday, May 25, 2009

Joselito Jandayan: "Snippets"

"Snippets"
May 17 to June 4, 2009
Gray Wall, Kaida Gallery
2nd Floor, GFO Building, 122 Kamuning Road,
Diliman, Quezon City
tel. 414-4777


Seeing Joselito Jandayan's works up close for the first time at the opening of "Snippets," I couldn't help but be disturbed at once by its overall melancholic mood, made palpable by the distortion of the figures (one that vividly recalls for the viewers the works of Elmer Borlongan executed in the same manner: e.g "Bay Side," 1991, oil on canvas). For a moment, I was even afraid that both the male and female figures by the railroad would drip slowly out of the canvas and onto the floor. I took longer looking at a painting of a boy, and a girl standing side by side, with the girl's left eye hollowed out, and through which viewers could see a blue sky. The boy's left arm had seemed to be grossly dislocated, and the boy seemingly oblivious to the situation. This being the fourth solo exhibit of Jandayan, I went home that night and search through google for Jandayan's past works. I came upon half-faced figures that were giraffe-like in form, and billowed half-heartedly over the canvas, glassy one-eyed figures that seemed to have consciously put their faces too close to the glass frame ("Mr. Dimakabenta," "The Farthest I've Been," "After the First Time," etc.), wary like deers sensing troubles that they could not see, yet willfully staying put, almost desperately wishing for someone or something from the other side to crash through.



Joselito Jandayan (born in Zamora Paco, Manila in 1973) is also a graduate of the Technological University of the Philippines with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts, majoring in Advertising in 1997.

Before being swallowed up completely by the corporate world (working as a Graphic designer and a freelance digital illustrator for a website company), he stopped working and devoted his time painting full time.

Exhibit history (solo):
“Solo Plight”- 1st solo exhibit held at Nineveh Artspace in Sta Cruz, Laguna Philippines - November 25, 2007
“Kinarir” -2nd solo exhibit held at Kaida gallery in Kamuning, Quezon City Philippines - May 11, 2008
“Awakened Allegory” - 3rd solo exhibit held at Niniveh Art Space in Sta. Cruz, Laguna – October 26 to November 19, 2008