Philippine Pastel Artists organize first online art auction and raffle

THE Philippine Pastel Artists (PPA) group has assembled 39 of their best works for PPA’s first online raffle and auction which is ongoing until Aug. 22. The public is invited to participate by purchasing a raffle ticket (P5,000 per ticket) which entitles the holder to a painting and the opportunity to bid on a painting of their choice. Abstract painter Salvador “Buds” Convocar leads the auction with paintings portraying a spectacle of color and chaos in his Permutation  series. There are also works by PPA founder Julius Legaspi, Grandier Bella, Alvin Montano, Celeste Lecaroz, Phoebe Beltran-Almazan, Roland Castro, Glenn Perez, Tessa Punzalan-Brodeth, Iris-Babao Uy, Rosanne Hugo and Nell Belgado. To view the works and take part in the auction and raffle, log on to philippinepastelartists.com or visit www.facebook.com/groups/ppaartauction

CCP’s WifiBody [Virtual Body] 2020

FOR the first time, the bi-annual choreographers competition can be watched for free on Aug. 28 on the CCP YouTube Channel. The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Choreographers Series launches its solo-duet competition WifiBody [Virtual Body] 2020 exclusively online. A platform that discovers and launches new talent in choreography and contemporary dance, WifiBody [Virtual Body] 2020 will feature six- to 10-minute dances on video of 10 up-and-coming Filipino dancer-choreographers from across the country. The dancer-choreographers were chosen through online video auditions and participated in a specially designed program that would meet the challenges brought about by the global pandemic. They were guided by choreographic mentors Myra Beltran, a pioneer for independent dance; Denisa Reyes, the Gawad CCP award-winning choreographer; and Asianist choreographer Raul Alcoseba. In order to translate the experience of live dance to video, award-winning filmmakers Sherad Sanchez and Ruello Lozendo also mentored the choreographers. The competition will be judged by Nes Jardin and Basilio Esteban Villaruz, with Shinji Ono, director of the Yokohama Dance Collection Ex, who participates courtesy of the Japan Foundation Manila. The winner will receive a cash prize and the WifiBody medal in bronze designed by Leeroy New. Another prize will be awarded to the audience’s choice, with voting happening on the Facebook Page. WifiBody [Virtual Body] 2020 will be streamed for free on the CCP YouTube Channel (bit.ly/CCPChoreo) on Aug. 28 starting at 2 p.m. (Competition Set 1), and 4 p.m. (Competition Set 2). Winners will be announced on Aug. 30. For more information, go to www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.

Kwago hosts Zoom art performances

In response to the global pandemic, Kwago bookstore hosts Bad connection or subtitles to silence — a series of 20-minute art performances at Zoom featuring various artists and poets across Asia. “To confront and examine how digital technology is affecting the ways we express, connect and live during this period of crisis and great change, we developed Bad Connection prompting a diverse group of artists to explore the online space as an exhibition platform different from the material world,” a Kwago statement explained. Bad connection doesn’t announce who’s performing each gathering to give room for surprise, serendipity and spontaneity. Co-curated by Kwago co-owners Czyka Tumaliuan and Roy Voragen, Bad connection or subtitles to silence has grown into a community and is now run with a team of young female artists, writers and designers: Dyem Carreon, Karishma Etong, Rai Hamid and Niña Sherizze De Sagun. The Bad Connection series opened on May 18 with visual artist-musician Datu Arellano. It was then followed by Singapore-based artist Ila and most recently, poet Nerisa del Carmen Guevara. The next online gathering is on Aug. 21, 8:30 p.m. The event is free. Follow the link to join Bad Connection/3: https://bit.ly/joinbadconnection3. Visit the Facebook event page for more details https://bit.ly/bcfriday3. To have a glimpse of the past gatherings, visit Kwago’s Youtube page: bit.ly/kwagoTV.

Student-artists open YouTube channel

Young artists from student-artist groups of De La Salle-College of Saint Benildehave launched their own YouTube channel Named Art Is Here , which features documented award-winning live performances during national and international competitions. The performances are available for free and are accessible to the general public.  To be showcased are performances by the Karilyo Shadowplay Team, Dulaang Filipino, Coro San Benildo, and Saint Benilde’s Romancon Dance Company. The platform will likewise offer a series of annual recruitment workshops and online tutorials ideal for students who wish to explore various performance arts as well as the fundamentals of stage design and make-up. It will likewise host short films, taken from their very own repertoire. Visit Art Is Here at https://www.youtube.com/artishere_oca.

Tanghalang Pilipino streams Heneral Rizal on Youtube

After the successful premiere of Heneral Rizal at the recently-concluded Cinemalaya 16: Stream Consciousness, Tanghalang Pilipino (TP( in cooperation with Voyage Studios makes the short film even more accessible to everyone by streaming it on Tanghalang Pilipino’s official Youtube page. Heneral Rizal, written by Floro Quibuyen and directed by Chuck Gutierrez, provides a closer look at General Paciano Rizal, the brave general and a loving older brother of National Hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. The short film sheds light on the real story of Paciano. TP Artistic Director Fernando “Nanding” Josef plays the titular character. Watch Heneral Rizal at this link: https://bit.ly/PansamanTanghalanHeneralRizal. TP is raising funds via Pantawid Ng Tanghalan in order to be able to continue creating relevant artistic presentations during these trying times. To donate, visit KTX via https://bit.ly/KTXPantawidNgTanghalan.

Vinyl on Vinyl opens 2 exhibits

Vinyl on Vinyl opened two exhibits on Aug. 15, Not Quite Here by Pin Calacal and Forging Ahead by Ranelle Dial. Calacal’s paintings were inspired by her reactions to the months of COVID-19 quarantine. Dial, on the other hand, puts sports, exercise, and what she calls “moving meditation” as the subjects of her works. The exhibits are for private viewing. To make an appointment, call 0917-802-2984. The gallery is at 2241 Pasillo 18, La Fuerza Compound 1, Chino Roces Av.e, Makati.

Buwan ng Wika at the BGC Arts Center

The BGC Arts Center is celebrating Buwan ng Wika with a series of events. On Aug. 21, 2-5 p.m., it will host the #YouARTNotAlone Art Workshop “Baybayin for the Modern Filipino. There is a P400 fee to access the workshop which will be conducted by Zoom. To join, go to the Facebook event page https://web.facebook.com/events/293236398663339/. Meanwhile, the BetterWorld Cafe, a series of science and art talks which is a collaboration of The Mind Museum and the BGC Arts Center, presents “Saving Indigenous Languages and Species” on Aug. 22, 3-5 p.m. on FB Live. The talk is free and open to the public. For details, go to the FB event page https://web.facebook.com/events/318932416189171/. There will also be a #YouARTNotAlone Art Workshop “CalligraFilipino” with Taipan Lucero on Aug. 28, 2-5:30 p.m. There is a P400 fee to access the workshop which will be conducted by Zoom. To join, go to the Facebook event page https://web.facebook.com/events/981203002321079/.

Silverlens’ Searching Sanctuary returns

Searching Sanctuary, an exhibit at Silverlens featuring the works of 21 artists including Raffy T. Napay, Wawi Navarroza, Jigger Cruz, Patricia Perez Eustaquio, and Dina Gadia, was abruptly concluded when the COVID-19 quarantine was imposed in March. The exhibit has now gone exclusively online. Curated by Gregory Halili, the exhibition displays a diverse range of artistic styles and practices – drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photography – to express the language of conservation amidst the decline of the natural world. Meanwhile, there are also shows ongoing in the non-virtual gallery. Patricia Perez Eustaquio presents Hoarding Fossils in Blankets, which is ongoing until Sept. 5. In it the artist invites viewers to reconsider and reinterpret paintings by Philippine masters as she transposes them into the medium of tapestry. In addition to textiles, the artist features soft sculptures from her series, Endless Summer, as well as paintings from her previous series, Boom in this exhibition. Also ongoing until Sept 5 is the premier exhibition in Asia of Los Angeles-based artist Dashiell Manley. He presents works from two series: Elegy, as well as an extension of his previous series, Newspaper Paintings. The artist expanded the latter, specifically for his eponymous show with Silverlens by transcribing text from the Philippine news site, Rappler onto his canvases. Viewing of the exhibits is by appointment from Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 pm. The gallery is at 2263 Don Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati City. For appointments contact 8816-0044, 8816-0044, 0917-587-4011, or e-mail info@silverlensgalleries.com.

Open call for Curatorial Development Workshop

The Japan Foundation, Manila (JFM), the Philippine Contemporary Art Network (PCAN), and the University of the Philippines Vargas Museum announce an Open Call for proposals for a free online Curatorial Development Workshop to be held on Oct. 21, 23 and 24 via a digital platform. The Workshop, the sixth in the series since 2009, seeks to reflect on the relationship between the social context of the public health crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and the kind of curatorial mode responsive to the ecology of production. Speakers for the forthcoming Curatorial Development Workshop are Patrick Flores (Director, PCAN and Curator, UP Vargas Museum), Tessa Guazon (PCAN), Renan Laru-an (PCAN), Roberto Paulino (PCAN), Taufik Darwis (Co-Founder, Bandung Performing Arts Forum, Bandung), Chuong-Dai Vo (Researcher, Asia Art Archives, Hong Kong), and Kamiya Yukie (Director, Japan Society, New York). This call for proposals coincides with the launch of the digital version of the catalogue titled Curatorial Development Workshop Exhibitions held from Dec. 7, 2019 to March 7, 2020 at the Vargas Museum. The curators of the project – Karl Albais, Pristine de Leon, Jay Nathan Jore, Carlos Quijon, Jr., Cristian Tablazon – were selected from the Curatorial Development Workshop held on Oct. 5-6, 2018.

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