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

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

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:

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

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

"Evince" by Demosthenes Campos

"Evince" Exhibit- May 1-16, 2009, @ Whitebox Studio, Cubao, Quezon City

Demosthenes Campos' 4th solo exhibition features thirty-three (33) 3.5 sq. ft. works using acrylic with elastomeric paint on paper. Looking at the first 12 abstract works hanging on one side of the wall could easily give the audience an impression that he is looking through the window of a building that had a view of all the roofs of the shanties within its horizons, or that each square foot of work has become like suspended creatures just morphing into yet other forms right before one's eyes. The dominant yellow paint in all works even hints at Klimt's golds, all magnetically drawing in its audience further to closely investigate each stroke and line.



Demosthenes Campos, a 36 years old graduate Fine Arts graduate (major in advertising) of Technological University of the Philippines, is open about his admiration of the works of Rothko and Rauschenberg, and even of fellow TUP artist Eugene Jarque. Growing up as the eldest of four boys in Paco, Manila, Campos remembers being drawn to the art of painting by a cousin whose penmanship and drawing he admired as a child.

Demosthenes Campos relates that his very first serious foray into art was when he joined the PYLOX Spray Art contest in 2000 where he won first prize for a sculpture titled "Aligasin", a piece which he fashioned out of an old toilet bowl. He won his first big money in the said contest worth P50 thousand along with a PC computer. Most notably, Demosthenes Campos won 3rd prize during the 59th AAP Annual Art Competition under the mixed-media category.

Demosthenes Campos' very first solo exhibit was in 2007 with "Influence" at the Big & Small Art Co. (SM Megamall), followed in 2008 by "Unfinished" at The Crucible Gallery (SM Megamall), and "Decoloration" at Galeria Astra in Makati City.

For more of his works, visit http://pototoylaki.multiply.com/photos