CCP’s Pasinaya celebrates EDSA People Power
THIS year, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Pasinaya Open House Festival celebrates the spirit of the EDSA People Power Revolution. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCP’s Pasinaya goes online again on Feb. 26 to 27. This year’s festival carries the theme “Sana All Lumilikha, Lumalaya” (Hopefully all can create, be free). Celebrating the 36th anniversary of EDSA People Power this year, Pasinaya 2022 is a two-day virtual event that will showcase various activities in the performing arts, literary arts, visual arts, film and broadcast arts. It will feature an exhibit, a forum, a digital timeline, and the lighting of the CCP façade. The festival has special premieres such as Radyo Malaya: Soundbites of a Revolution by PumaPodcast, a radio drama re-enactment of the events during the EDSA Revolution in 10 episodes; Pagsamo: Gabay at Pagbabago, presented by Kaisa sa Sining – Luzon Network, a performance that is a prayer for guidance and change; Isang Harding Papel, a storytelling session by Kara David of a book that talks about a girl and her mother during Martial Law; OPM’s Not Dead! Ang Panitik sa Musika ng Asin, Banyuhay at Punoy Punk, a tribute to the songwriters and musicians of Original Pilipino Music (OPM); Pili-pino, a dance video collaboration interpreting the song “Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo,” with direction and choreography by Ronelson Yadao; and Panata sa Kalayaan, a dramatic reading of “Panata sa Kalayaan” by artists Nanding Josef, Shamaine Buencamino, Irma Adlawan, Monique Wilson, Nonie Buencamino, Tibo Fernandez, PETA, Kasing Sining of Bohol, and the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company followed by the song interpretation by Sing Philippines Youth Choir conducted by Mark Anthony Carpio. Visitors can reminisce about the days of the EDSA Revolution through social media by tuning in to various posts such as People Power 1986: Where Were You? Mga Saysay Mula Sa Sining Biswal; Edsa 36: An Intimate Retrospective On The CCP During The People Power Revolution; Banned! Valerio Nofuente Collection — Online Exhibit, and the Kalayaan Book Fair. For more details, follow the CCP’s official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or visit the CCP website at www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.
72-year-old artist creates first NFTs
IN HIS first foray into NFTs, Carlos will be dropping seven non-fungible tokens (NFTs) simultaneously with his online exhibition of artworks on Feb. 28, his 72nd birthday. “Into the World of Carlos” introduces NFTs into the body of work of the artist, minted on Foundation.app as a grant from First Mint Fund and in collaboration with animator IJ Cacnio. “While NFTs are a new medium for me, it seems like an exciting and organic progression for my work,” says Carlos, who goes by a single name. “It’s quite the adventure: one that transcends physical and temporal limitations and holds so many possibilities.” The NFTs sprung from a remark Carlos’ collectors have told him over the years: “I wish I could step into the painting.” This dictated the thematic concept of the roadmap of the NFTs, and with these first seven works, Carlos has invited viewers to “step into his world” through the shared vision of Cacnio. At 72, Carlos may be one of the oldest–if not the oldest — NFT artists to date. Into the World of Carlos launches on Feb. 28 on www.artbycarlos.com and https://www.foundation.app/@artbycarlos. For more information, contact 0917-822-5673 or e-mail contact@artbycarlos.com.
Podcast inspired by Chito Gaston’s legacy
CHITO Gascon’s legacy inspires advocates across generations. In January, Asia Society Philippines, together PumaPodcast, BUKAS, and Youth Led — a project of The Asia Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development — launched Kung Gusto Mong Pagbabago: The Chito Gascon Leadership Series in honor of the late chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights. The series, hosted by broadcaster Roby Alampay, invites reform advocates across generations for a conversation on their experiences and challenges in pursuing change then and now. The conversations were presented on Facebook livestream and are now also a podcast. From January to May, the five-part series will feature a luminary from a different field. In its pilot episode, Kung Gusto Mong Pagbabago invited lawyer Ted Te of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), for the keynote speech. He spoke on the theme of activism and advocating for change. “Activism, while important, has its limits,” he says. “Shouting outside the establishment can only work if people inside are willing to listen. Advocacy becomes essential when you’re already inside the room and the person who is supposed to change things is about to listen.” The episode’s panel of young changemakers featured human rights lawyer Ross Tugade, Usapang Econco founder Maien Vital, and Ken Abante of the We Solve Foundation. Episode2, “Speaking Truth to Power,” goes live on Asia Society Philippines’ Facebook page on Feb. 24, 6 p.m., featuring Sheila Coronel, Atom Araullo, and more. To hear highlights from each episode, follow Kung Gusto Mong Pagbabago: The Chito Gascon Leadership Series wherever you listen to podcasts.
Pasig River Appreciation Walk this month
REBIRTH MANILA and the NotoPAREX Network will be holding their first Heritage Walk for 2022 on Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon. Meeting time for The Pasig River Appreciation Walk is at 9:30 a.m. at Plaza Lawton /Liwasang Bonifacio. The group is limited to 20 participants due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions. To register, visit https://forms.gle/zvFgic9oiGLgabs76. Admission is free but donations are appreciated and there are souvenirs for sale. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/akim.63 and Rebirth Manila at Facebook.
Silverlens exhibits on site and online
SILVERLENS presents the exhibit Resonant Earth, featuring ceramic and stoneware works by Joseph Gabriel, Hanna Pettyjohn, Pam Quinto (curated by Carlos Quijon, Jr.), will run from Feb. 22 to March 26. Meanwhile, at the Online Viewing Room, Chati Coronel’s exhibit, Inner Constellations, will run from Feb. 22 to March 10. The gallery is located at 2263 Don Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati. For details contact 8816-0044 or 0917-587-4011or e-mail info@silverlensgalleries.com. The gallery’s website is at www.silverlensgalleries.com.
Gateway Gallery holds talks on conservation, archiving
IN line with the celebration of National Arts Month, the Gateway Gallery will be conducting two back-to-back talks on art and cultural management on Feb. 24. Art conservator June Mercy Poticar-Dalisay will discuss preventive conservation, qualifications of a conservator, factors of deterioration, and care of artworks in “Adding Value to Artworks through Preventive Conservation.” Manager of Artemis Restoration Services, Dalisay has done restoration works on the Central Bank art collection, the Manila Hotel art collection, and the PNB art collection. She has restored three murals done by Manansala and Tam Austria, and continues to conserve and maintain the collection of the Development Bank of the Philippines. Meanwhile, archives manager Marites Alberto Gonzaga will share her knowledge on “Archiving Principles and Practices for Non-Archivists.” Gonzaga is the Archives Manager of the Araneta Group and Deputy Director of the President Manuel A. Roxas Foundation since 1998. The talks will be held onsite at the Gateway Gallery, 5th floor of Gateway Tower in Araneta City, Quezon City, from 3 to 5 p.m. Registration fee is P1,000, which is inclusive of handouts and certificates. To register, click the online registration form on the official Facebook event page (https://fb.me/e/WovpRnc5).
Colorful exhibit at ARTablado
TWO artists, Melli Villavicencio and Kimberly Mamaril, consider how a prism transforms light into a myriad of colors and the act of artistic creation itself. According to Villavicencio and Mamaril: “We internalize the external factors that come through us and we try to make sense of the world out of it. We bend the light and conceive a spectrum of stories.” Their works can be seen in the exhibit “Prism,” which will be on view at ARTablado, Level 3, Robinsons Galleria from March 1-15. Ms. Mamaril used to work as a copywriter in an ad agency before deciding to pursue painting full time. She expresses themes of railing against consumerism, the digital age, and the sexual objectification of women via pop imagery that is juxtaposed and fragmented. Aside from teaching visual communications in St. Paul’s College, Pasig, Ms. Villavicencio teaches art therapy for children under the Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is known for her colorful, fancy, almost child-like visual style — whimsical yet introspective at the same time.
Cinemalaya calls for short feature films
THE CINEMALAYA Philippine Independent Film Festival 2022 is now open for submission of entries for its Short Film Category. Deadline for submission is on or before April 8, at 6 p.m. The Short Film Category is open to Filipino filmmakers only. Entries must have been produced within the period of March 5, 2021 to April 8, 2022. Interested participants can submit their entries via online or offline channels. The 10 short feature finalists will be screened during the 2022 Cinemalaya Film Festival from Aug. 5 to 14. For the complete mechanics, visit the CCP and Cinemalaya websites (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph and www.cinemalaya.org). For more updates, follow the CCP and Cinemalaya official Facebook social media accounts.
