THE COUNTRY’S longest-running premiere art fair once again sought to elevate the standards of Philippine art as ManilArt 2016 featured a convergence of new and seasoned works of globally acclaimed Filipino artists, including a number of young and veteran Thomasians.
The eighth year of ManilArt, which was held at the SMX Convention Center of SM Aura Premier in Taguig City last Oct. 6 to 9, was graced by 33 art galleries that showcased more than 200 artworks in line with the theme “Ushering in a New Golden Age of Filipino Art.”
Highlights of this year’s ManilArt includes Fil Delacruz’s printmaking demonstration and display at the exhibit of Gallerie Francesca along with fellow Thomasian Gerrico Blanco’s works and Ramon Orlina’s nine glass sculptures accompanied by the hypnotizing wooden kinetic sculptures of Toronto-based Filipino sculptor Cris Eguaras.
Accentuating nine of Orlina’s signature carved and frosted optical glass sculptures, which welcomed this year’s fairgoers, was Eguaras’ kinetic sculpture displayed behind the glassworks. The moving sculptures, which were not powered by battery or electricity, portrayed circular movements similar to the ticking of the clock.
Master printmaker Delacruz, who did a printmaking demonstration last Oct. 8, depicted Filipino mythical creatures in his four lithograph prints titled “Ibang Anyo” “Sinag,” “Plumahe” and “Bagwis.”
Also in the same booth were emerging artist Blanco’s monochromatic sketches.
Two wooden sculptures and paintings by National Artist and former Varsitarian art director J. Elizalde Navarro were the focal points of Galeria Lienzo’s exhibition.
Known abstractionist Justin Nuyda again displayed his known “Mindscape Search” series in the booth of Artes Orientes.The serues included “Another Time, Another Place,” “Reflections” and “Memories of Summer.”
Four acclaimed Thomasian artists–Raul Isidro, Eduardo Castrillo, Dominic Rubio and Juvenal Sanso–dominated the booths of Gallerie Nicolas.
Isidro, a Filipino modernist, showed a framed abstract painting titled “Allegory of Hughes V.” His other work, “My Flora,” depicted yellow flowers that coincided thick and thin yellow and orange line against a dark blue background.
The brass works by late Filipino sculptor Castrillo, a collaboration with Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, maximized Alcuaz’s abstract paintings.
The signature human figures of Rubio de[icted figures during the Spanish colonial period.
Fifteen paintings by Fine Arts alumnus Manuel Baldemor displayed in Gallerie Y were the result of Baldemor’s six-month artistic residency in Mexico as a commemoration of the 450 years of Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade in 2014-2015, organized by the Philippine Embassy in Mexico.
“An Evening with Catrina” depicted two intimate skeletons of a man and a woman dressed in festive Mexican garments. The painting was of mixed media, acrylic and oil on amate paper, a type of paper typically found in Mexico used to print Aztec codices.
Baldemor decided to use amate paper for most of his artworks to capture the details of the sceneries he studied.
“Amate paper gave me the space to meticulously paint the details of the landscapes I visited, plus it’s easier to manipulate compared to canvas,” Baldemor told the Varsitarian.
Dubbed as the “Father of Filipino Impressionism,” Roger San Miguel, an alumnus of the old College of Architecture and Fine Arts alumnus, painted 14 oil-on-canvas artworks that depicted Filipino values and tradition.
“Burdadera” was a painting placed in a round frame and canvas portrayed two women doing traditional Filipino needlework.
San Miguel said he chose to use a round canvas instead of the traditional square or rectangle for his artworks to highlight the unity and spontaneity of the subjects in his paintings.
Also featured in this year’s ManilArt were CJ Tanedo, Jose Tence Ruiz, Melvin Culaba, Toti Cerda and Flor Baradi.
