Arts & Culture (01/05/22)
Ayala Museum open under Alert Level 3
AYALA Museum will continue to welcome guests under Alert Level 3. The museum will be open Wednesdays to Sundays at 30% capacity. The Filipinas Heritage Library will also be open form Wednesdays to Saturdays. All visits must be pre-booked with each timeslot limited to 20 people. Proof of vaccination and an ID are required upon entry. Visitors below 18 and above 65, pregnant women, and those with comorbidities are not allowed inside the museum. Visit ayalamuseum.org/visit for further guidelines and safety protocols.
National Museum launches e-book on fossils
THE NATIONAL Museum of the Philippines opens the year with the launch of Fossils: Records of Prehistoric Life in the Philippines. The book introduces readers to the fossil discoveries in the Philippines as represented by the specimens from the National Geological and Paleontological Collections housed at the National Museum of Natural History. The printed version is expected to be released later this year. To access this free e-publication, visit https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSf1Kk…/alreadyresponded
Seb Chua creates a limited-edition sculpture
FILIPINO Chinese contemporary artist Seb Chua has created a limited edition brass sculpture of Lady Justice measuring 24 inches in height (including the base). Chua’s latest work shows Lady Justice holding a balanced scale in one hand and a sword that is kept low, on the other. The placement of the scale and sword signifies that justice does not inherently favor one side nor the other, and that justice must be fought for, should the need arise. Chua’s Lady Justice is the first foray of book publisher San Anselmo Publications, Inc. into art; the company already publishes art monographs. This new venture is part of their mission to provide a venue for Filipino artists. “Whether the artist is a writer, a poet, a painter, a sculptor, or performer, we in San Anselmo Publications, Inc., would like to collaborate with them and help them grow their market and their audience,” said executive publisher Marvin Aceron in a statement. In 2020, the publishing house held an art competition for the youth based on the poems in Jim Pascual Agustin’s books How to Make a Salagubang Helicopter and other poems and Crocodiles in Belfast and other poems. There are only 12 pieces of Chua’s Lady Justice. Mr. Aceron said, “It’s the perfect gift for a lawyer, or anyone for that matter, who is doing justice amidst the dangerous times.” he quips. For orders and inquiries, send a message to the San Anselmo Publications, Inc. Facebook page.
FEU holds ‘Brave Bubwit’ online exhibit
FAR Eastern University (FEU) hosts “The Brave Bubwit: Nonoy Marcelo’s irreverent art that attacked and endeared,” an online exhibit featuring the works of the celebrated cartoonist and alumnus of the university’s Institute of Arts and Sciences. “Brave Bubwit” features 230 of Mr. Marcelo’s published works, which were chosen from The Advocate, the university’s official student publication, and the private collection of historian Saul Hofileña. The exhibit is divided into six segments, each covering Mr. Marcelo’s major career milestones. These include his time as a student in the university, his years at the Daily Mirror, the Manila Chronicle, and the Manila Times, his brief stint in New York City, and his commentary during the pre- and post-EDSA years. “Brave Bubwit” also spotlights some of Mr. Marcelo’s famous characters, like PTYK, an intellectual beatnik at FEU; Tisoy, who lampooned colonial mentality; and Ikabod Bubwit, a rodent who lived in Dagalandia, which represented the Philippines. It was through these cartoons and characters that Mr. Marcelo bared the country’s most important issues. His cartoons were irreverent, critical, and contained commentary on the ills of the nation while garnering laughs from his readers. In 1985, Mr. Marcelo was given the Catholic Mass Media Award for print journalism, an honor usually reserved for reporters and columnists. He was also the only cartoonist recognized as one of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Centennial Artist awardees in 1998. This year, Mr. Marcelo was nominated for the Order of the National Artist in the Visual Arts category. “The Brave Bubwit: Nonoy Marcelo’s irreverent art that attacked and endeared” can be viewed at The Brave Bubwit (exsight360.com).
