Oct. 19, 2014, 11:53 p.m. – THE UST Publishing House launched two new titles on
Saturday at the ManilART 2014 fair in Taguig.
“Kritik/Critique: Essays from
the J. Elizalde Navarro National Workshop in the Criticism of the Arts and
Humanities, 2009-2012” edited by Oscar Campomanes, and “From the
Major Arcana” by Ralph Semino Galán were showcased alongside
corresponding artworks during the event.
“Kritik” is an anthology
of art critcism written by fellows of the The J. Elizalde Navarro workshop.
Meanwhile, “From the Major Arcana” is a collection
of poetry based on tarot cards as images of different aspects of life and
society.
John Delan Robillos, vice head of
the NCCA National Committee on Art Galleries, said the workshop output extends
to “giving contribution to cultural heritage advocacies.”
“The writers, as they join the
workshop, [they realize that] the ‘self’ ends,” Robillos said, referring
to broader implications of the artists’ works.
UST Publishing House Director John
Jack Wigley highlighted the importance of quality of criticism.
“Art can afford to be bad,
criticism cannot,” he said.
Wigley said there was a parallel
between the work of artist Wilfredo Offemaria, Jr. and the poetry of
Galán. “Although different in their presentation and methods,
[Offemaria and Galán] find common ground in one essential concept, and that is
metaphor,” he said. Offemaria was the Thomasian artist behind the
illustrations in the two new books.
The J. Elizalde Navarro workshop,
the longest-running art criticism workshop in the country, is named after
National Artist for Visual Arts J. Elizalde Navarro, a former Varsitarian art
director. Alpine Christopher P. Moldez and Josef Brian M. Ramil
