MASTERPIECES by celebrated artists that adorn a house or room usually come in the form of paintings or sculptures. But if one would like to have a work by National Artist for Visual Arts Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera, they can now choose from a selection of his famous paintings which have been transformed into tapestries.
Abitare Internazionale, a local distributor of European furniture and home accessories including the Dutch brand Moooi Carpets, launched the BenCab + Moooi Carpets Series 7 — a collection of limited edition tapestries of the artist’s works.
The collaboration began when interior designers and managers of Abitare Internazionale Jeanne Lim Wee and Filaine Tan thought of incorporating Filipino artists’ works into carpets.
“We saw the possibility with enlarging something small. It is something that you can use for lobbies or big [spaces]. It is a good way to life-size an art,” Ms. Tan told BusinessWorld during the launch of the tapestries at The Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati on Sept. 25.
“We gave the concept to [Mr. Cabrera] through a common friend. He went to our shop and took a look at the carpets. He approved of the idea and he started to give materials,” she added.
According to Ms. Tan, their first collaboration in 2017, which featured eight pieces, was “sought after.”
This year, the second collaboration features seven artworks: Dance in Five Movements, Shoe Vendor, Mother and Child, Sabel, Images in the Past, Milk Carrier, and Variation of Sabel II.
Ms. Wee explained that the designs are printed using chromojet printing technology with a hundred meter machine where the material undergoes steaming and pressing.
The limited edition tapestries are for sale and are on view at The Pen’s lobby until Oct. 13. Two of the pieces were sold during the launch.
ON PAGES
Coinciding with the launch of the tapestries was the launch of a book, BenCab: The Filipino Artist, authored by Patrick D. Flores, museum curator and art studies professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
To differentiate the book from previous publications about Mr. Cabrera’s practice and works, BenCab: The Filipino Artist focuses on form and language.
The book presents modern form through the devices of the grid, the drape, and the stain which are assessed through what Mr. Cabrera calls the “Philippine interest” — pertaining to his sensitivity into art and society.
“Marking this form as modern initiates a conversation on what constitutes the modern beyond the neorealism of the 1950s and the abstraction of the ’60s, and how it prefigures the social realism of the ’70s,” a press release said.
Mr. Flores describes the National Artist’s body of work as “figurative, socially responsive, historically aware of what has happened to the Philippines, and also able to make comments on the present situation.”
The two-volume book also has an accompanying catalogue which presents works from eight exhibitions held in 2016 — the 50th year of Mr. Cabrera’s professional practice. It includes curatorial interpretations of his works.
With a career as a visual artist spanning more than 50 years, Mr. Cabrera considers most of his works a favorite. “It’s hard to pinpoint,” he told BusinessWorld.
“Every style of every period is a child of the artist,” Mr. Flores said.
THROUGH FOOD
In celebration of the Filipino artist, The Peninsula Manila also launched the BenCab “Art” Afternoon Tea, created by executive pastry chef Xavier Castello for The Lobby. The menu is inspired by Mr. Cabrera’s Sabel and Larawan images.
The special menu consists of: curried prawn and apple salad with citrus aioli on shortbread; Smoked turkey ham, mature Cheddar, and tomato on wheat bread; Cured salmon, dill cream cheese, and golden trout roe on spinach bread; Grilled herbed squash and caramelized onions on a brioche roll; Mushroom quiche; Davao chocolate truffle cake; Mango panna cotta; Coconut pandan éclair; Calamansi meringue tartlet; Sans Rival macaron; and Peninsula raisin scones served with lemon curd, Baguio strawberry jam, and clotted cream.
The BenCab “Art” Afternoon Tea is available for P1,590 per guest, or P2,190 with a flute of Champagne. It is served daily until Oct. 15 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
For book orders, visit www.bencabmuseum.org/ or send an e-mail to bencabartfoundation@gmail.com. BenCab: The Filipino Artist is priced at P12,800. For inquiries on the BenCab + Moooi Carpets Series 7, call 892-1887. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
