Opening show at Silverlens
SILVERLENS welcomes the new year with the show A Paradise Lost, Ryan Villamael’s 7th solo exhibition in the gallery. The exhibit will open on Jan. 12, 6-9 p.m. According to the gallery, Mr. Villamael will be premiering “a new body of work that builds upon his ongoing dialogue with the contentious subject of Philippine History.” The artist’s interest in Philippine history “began when he came across some early maps where the idea of ‘The Philippines’ first started to appear, which at that period could be seen as just a random scattering of nearby islands, with various tribes… that were forced into a single, unified entity by an external power. This set forth more than three centuries of foreign rule that effectively dissolved all but a few links to our pre-colonial.” “This fraught relationship with history” led him to look deeper and “from there begin to piece together a picture that may shed light to how we, as people, ended up where we are today.” Opening concurrently with A Paradise Lost is Watchfire, a group exhibit featuring five artists who have made critical contributions to the development of contemporary ceramics in Asia: Tessy Pettyjohn, Jon Pettyjohn, and Joey de Castro of the Philippines; Shozo Michikawa of Japan; and Alvin Tan Teck Heng of Singapore. The exhibit is curated by Tropical Blaze and Boxplot. For the exhibit, the artists were invited to participate in an anagama wood firing at the studio of fellow ceramic artist Pablo Capati III. Each contributed to the kiln a number of works that had been formed and biscuit fired in their individual studios. The works from this collective endeavor form the exhibition Watchfire, alongside a small number of works from the artists’ studios. A Paradise Lost and Watchfire will be on view from Jan. 12 to Feb. 9 at Silverlens, 2263 Don Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati City.
Pianist Hiyas Hila and the PPO in concert
THE Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) under the baton of Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura greets the New Year with the 6th show of its current concert season, this time featuring pianist Hiyas A. Hila as soloist, on Jan. 18, 8 p.m., at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The program consists of Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op.92. Ms. Hila returns to play with the PPO after her critically acclaimed debut performance as soloist in an all-Mozart concert of the PPO conducted by Mr. Fukumura in 2017. She performs regularly as a solo, orchestral and chamber music artist and has been featured in concerts in the United States, Spain, and the Philippines. Her orchestral appearances include performances with the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, and the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra. Tickets to the concert range in price from P400 to P1,500. For inquiries and reservations, call the CCP Box Office (832-3704), TicketWorld (891-9999) or visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.
Leòn Exchange holds 10th online auction
LEÒN EXCHANGE will hold its 10th online auction on Jan. 19 and 20. The auction items can be viewed and bid on through one’s mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. Going under the virtual hammer will be household goods from the home of Anton Roxas, including sofas, chairs, ottomans, and tea tables; and some furniture and accessories from style maven and philanthropist Presy Lopez-Psinakis, including an assortment of cabinets and ceramics. There are also assorted furniture pieces from different sources including Chinese coromandels, sets of Celadon planters, a European chest of drawers, Puyat-style dining table including 14 dining chairs, a carved four-poster bed, and Empire-style double aparador, a Laguna comoda, pair of Brentwood chairs and marble-top table, a Hagabi bench, and much more. There will also be artworks by Filipino masters including Federico Aguilar Alcuaz’s Manila Bay Series (1988), Cesar Buenaventura’s Vendors (1980), Romeo Tabuena’s Barrio Scene, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz’s Portrait of a Lady, Juvenal Sanso’s Landscape, and three “Untitled” Mauro “Malang” Santos paintings from the early 1980s. Contemporary works include Jigger Cruz’s “Untitled” work in oil and dated 2009, Emmanuel Garibay’s “Untitled” work, Marcel Antonio’s Girl with Doll, and Joan Miro’s Picasso y el Reventos. To join the auction go to www.leonexchange.com and register as a buyer. Previews for the lots begin on Jan. 14, at Leon Gallery in Warehouse 14 La Fuerza Plaza, 2241 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.
