5th Annual Sculpture Review

On Saturday, my friend Elise and I, on a whim, passed by the 5th Annual Sculpture Review in Megamall. I saw one familiar name among the list of artists, Agnes Arellano, whom I've heard mention from another artist, Datu Arellano.

"I'm Just A Rambling Man" by Lirio Salvador


"Google Earth" by Michael Cacnio


"Call Center Revolution" by Anna Varona (I like this one. The hands move counter-clockwise)


"Seacock #1" by Tito Estrada (Elise loves the colors)


There's one that I wasn't able to take a picture of, a sculpture of Manila in the future, made out of aluminum. It's mounted on the wall on the right side of the entrance. It's a really clever work.

The exhibit runs until tomorrow.

News: RP team 3rd in art ‘Olympics’

RP team 3rd in art ‘Olympics’

By Vincent Cabreza
Inquirer Northern Luzon

BAGUIO CITY—Not bad for this team of artists whose pleas for funding went largely ignored by politicians and corporations, whose members spent an extra night at a South Korean airport for lack of hotel money, and who had one member briefly detained there for carrying a bloodstained knife.

That’s just “chicken blood” from some previous home-cooked dish, the detainee said, before finally convincing authorities to let him go.

Despite this series of unfortunate events, the Philippine delegation to the 3rd Delphic Games held on the resort island of Jeju, South Korea, gave brilliant performances in what was considered the “Olympics” of the art world.

The 17-member team, mostly composed of Cordillera-based artists, placed third overall out of the 44 countries that competed in the games held on Sept. 9-15.

Ifugao woodcarver Ernesto Dul-ang, 60, bagged the gold medal in sculpture for transforming, under time pressure, a 150-cm block of wood into a human figure pouring water from a pot.

Winning the Lyra Award (a special prize given to collaborative works) was a group of Filipino puppeteers headed by EV Espiritu, who wowed the audience with a shadow play dealing with the environment.

The Delphic Games are all about “peace engendering competition of the arts,” according to German founder J. Christian Kirsch, who drew inspiration from the original Greek competitions of 582 B.C.

The first games were held in December 2000 in Moscow with the participation of 27 countries. The second was held in September 2005 in Kuching, Malaysia, with 21 countries taking part.

The event serves as the artistic counterpart of the Olympic Games, said Divina Bautista, a Filipino co-founder based in Baguio.

Dul-ang was given three days to finish the sculpture and often had difficulty communicating with the Korean organizers whenever he requested equipment to speed up his work.

On the third day, Dul-ang recalled, the statue was still without a face, prompting him to ask the team’s videographer Joel Arthur Tibaldo to be his face model.

Earlier, percussionist Ruel Bimuyag served as Dul-ang’s model for the body, while Baguio-based painter Rishab produced sketches that helped the sculptor come up with the best composition.

Continue reading

Despite their win, I can't help but feel a bit sad with this piece of news. Here we have a group of really talented artists, but very little support can be found. These are artists who really need backing more than the so called "National Artists" that's been such a hot issue these past few weeks.

I've met Rishab before, during our STS project. He and Jordan Mangosan, who was the topic for our study) each did a portraiture of me when we went to visit them in Tam-Awan Village. I was just kidding when I asked them for a portrait but to my surprise, they were game.

Cordillera artists have a special place in my heart. :)

Graphika Manila 2009

Now on its fourth year, Graphika Manil a continues to bring together creative minds to celebrate the works of the best multimedia and graphic designers not just from the Philippines but also around the globe.

This year's Graphika Manila will be on August 15 at the SM Mall of Asia. Learn from the local and international line-up of artists in the fields of graphic design, motion graphics and animation, and visual effects production. Listen as they talk about their ideas and inspirations,and maybe pick up a life lesson or two along the way.

Speakers:
Christian Alzmann
Industrial Light & Magic Art Director

Stefan Sagmeister

Jens Gehlhaar
Brand New School, Creative Director

Ryan Vergara & Garovs Garrovillo
Everywhere WeShoot!

Pancho Esguerra, Mark Mendoza and Greg Garcia
Springboard

Angel Guerrro
Editor in Chief, Adobo Magazine

Event Details:
Date:
August 15, 2009, Saturday
Time:
Registration begins at 10:00AM.
Event starts at 11:00AM and ends at 6:00PM
Venue:
Premier Cinema, SM Mall of Asia, Bay City,
Pasay City, Metro Manila

Manila Art Events

Found out about two art related events here in Manila, if you're interested.

ManilArt '09
16-19 July 2009
NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
http://manilart.com/home.html

MANILART O9 is the first international art fair to be hosted in the Philippines, participated in by the country's leading art galleries and those of the Asian region. Art collectors and enthusiasts can view the finest examples of Contemporary Art today and gather together to exchange views and insights about the world of art.

The opening night is by invitation only and will serve as a preview to the entire art fair. MANILART 09 will open its doors to the public on July 17 until July 19. Admission tickets are priced at P200 (US$5).

Manila Design Week ‘09 Invite

Sorry for the small picture. You can check out the Project Manila entry about it for a bigger (but not so very) picture.