Circle

PAINTER Romulo Olazo and sculptor Ramon Olazo, two of the country’s most respected senior visual artists, joined forces in Olazo/Orlin, a tandem exhibit held last November 13 to 28 at the ArtistSpace gallery of the Ayala Museum.

Both are alumni of the old UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts alumni, where the sculptor finished Architecture and the painter took up Fine Arts. But aside from their educational lineage, the two are joined by their artistic experimentations. As noted by art critic Cid Reyes, the two artists are “Virtuosos of Light.”

“Both Olazo’s and Orlina’s works seem lighted from within, thus their strong spiritual resonances,” said Reyes. “Their show is a glowing optical experience.”

STUDENTS’ CHOICE OF DRAMA ANTHOLOGY/ DRAMA MINI-SERIES/ FOREIGN SOAP OPERA

A good dramatic show blends all the technical elements of television in order to depict realistically and critically the human condition, its struggles, its highs and lows. Christian dimensions are intrinsic in such a meaningful depiction. Therefore, between technical excellence and significant content, the latter should carry more weight.

THE NEW wave of local primetime television shows targets younger audiences. But their content—whether subliminal or outright—may not really be appropriate for viewers of all ages.

FOR FRENCH-CANADIAN Dominican priest Fr. Gaston Petit, O.P., in the beginning was the Word—along with scribbles and crayola.

“I learned to create art even before I learned to walk,” Petit said. “I always scribbled and did things at a very early age, but the point is, I kept on scribbling. Usually every child scribbles, but they stop. I did not stop.”

He recalled that during his childhood, there were only a few means of entertainment so he would often amuse himself by drawing the cartoons he would see on the newspaper.

However, as he grew older, he felt that he had a religious calling and he eventually entered the Dominican order. He said that priesthood is a vocation and it came first before he thought of becoming an artist.

FACEBOOK is perhaps one of the biggest and most popular social networking websites in the world. Founded by Mark Zuckerberg, today’s youngest billionaire, it has reached almost 16 million users—and counting—in the Philippines alone.

But as the film, The Social Network, shows, Zuckerberg’s climb to the top is not exactly a case of good social relations.

Directed by David Fincher, the movie revolves around the socially inept and computer programming prodigy Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), and his legal disputes with other Harvard University students who want to have a piece of the corporate cake.

INSPIRED from the hit American TV series, “Glee”, the musical group Kilos Kabataan staged a musical play titled “Klik” at the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation Grand Theatre in Parañaque City last October 16.

The event took its musical references from pop music to convey each of the character’s emotions. They performed Cindy Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” and Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” among others.

The musical aims to demonstrate the dichotomy of the girl’s experiences as they either live a life of morality or otherwise. Some of the girls wounded up as a teenage mom, drug dependent and victim of sex scandals. On the other hand, some became a successful nurse, teacher and even lawyer, among others.

TWO STUDENTS from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) emerged as winners in the calendar category of Shell National Students Art Competition. Last year, only one Thomasian won in the contest and it is under the same category.

Aside from the two first place winners, five other students from UST also bagged awards from the sculpture and digital fine arts category.

Winning calendars

The calendar, “Isang watawat, isang ugat” by Raymond Ignacio, is a collage of pictures forming the Philippine flag. The photos that composed the artwork depicted sceneries and sights around the Philippines.

RAMON Orlina, Joe Datuin and Eduardo Castrillo showed their sculpting proficiency in glass, stainless steel and metal, respectively, in Tres, held at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City last October 25 to 31.

The exhibit, presented by the Atelier Alumni Association in collaboration with the College of Fine Arts and Design, Office for Alumni Relations and Reseach Cluster for Culture, Education and Social Issues, is the third of an exhibition series titled Artistang Tomasino Ako!, which revives the pride of the UST Alumni and students as a part of the countdown for the Quadricentennial celebration.

“The uniqueness of this event is the mere fact that we have gathered a powerhouse,” Johnny Hubilla, president of Atelier Alumni Relations, proudly remarked.

WELL-KNOWN artists and celebrities return to their alma mater to pay tribute to Thomasian art in UST Artists for UST, held last September 18 at the St. Martin de Porres Auditorium.

“The show melded the visual and the performing arts and was part of the celebration of the Quadricentennial,” said actress Candy Pangilinan, director of the event.

At the entrance of St. Martin de Porres Building, guests were welcomed by the Science Glee Club and the Faculty of Arts and Letters Chorale, while The Faculty of Engineering’s One Voice, accompanied by the UST Symphony Orchestra, entertained the crowd inside the auditorium before the start of the program.

THE JAPAN Foundation Manila (JFM) celebrated renowned filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 100th birth anniversary through the Kurosawa Film Festival last September 14 to 19 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and September 22 to 30 at the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI).

“A lot of people really came to watch the films and showed great interest in Kurosawa’s works,” said Roland Samson, JFM’s project coordinator for the festival. He also said that more than 6,000 people headed to both venues, most of them were students.

The JFM, in partnership with the CCP and the UPFI, offered free public screenings of the Japanese icon’s 21 full-length films.

THOMASIAN artists Ramon Orlina, Joe Datuin, Al Perez and Maria Magdamit participated in the 6th Sculpture Review, Gallery Nine’s annual sculptural feast, along with other 32 artists from all over the country, last September 10 to September 26 at the Megamall Art Center in Mandaluyong City.

This year, established sculptors played it up through drastic changes in their media and style without losing their distinct flair while up and coming artists were given the chance to concretize their mark in the art scene.