Arts & Culture (08/27/25)

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Filipino novel The Firewalkers available for pre-order

EXPLODING GALAXIES has announced the upcoming release of its third title: a new edition of The Firewalkers by Erwin E. Castillo, a novel that was first published in 1992. This edition carries a new preface by the author, and an introduction by Erwin Romulo. The book will launch officially on Sept. 15. Pre-orders are now being accepted via the publishing house’s website www.explodinggalaxies.com. After the September launch, the book will be found in bookstores and also on Shopee and Lazada. The Firewalkers is set in 1913, in the mountain town of Lakambaga, and is a portrait of its people as they deal with the law and circus of American colonial rule, harboring old secrets, unsolved murders, and magic. Its companion piece, “The Watch of La Diane,” is included in the edition as a postlude. It is set and written in the 1970s, and sends off two lovers across America and into their private, vertiginous incantation of love. Erwin Castillo is the author of the novels The Firewalkers and Cape Engaño, and a fictive memory of boyhood called The Cycling Chronicles. He has won the Philippines Free Press, Asia-Philippines Leader, Philippines Graphic, Tagayan, and Palanca prizes. He also won the Awit Award for popular music composition.

5 ongoing exhibits at West Gallery

THERE are five exhibits that are currently on view at the various exhibition spaces of the West Gallery in Quezon City. They run until Sept. 13. They are: Derivatives by Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, featuring large-scale installations produced with communities and other collaborators; Calm Shots by Lourd de Veyra and Kaloy Olavides, which can be described as a “history of art”; Between Absence and Imprint by Erik Sausa, in which the artist uses found and salvaged objects to reflect on environmental degredation, human consumption, and the aftermath of destruction; Life is for the Living by Ryan Rubio, featuring sculptures crafted from stone and stainless steel; and a group show, Unyielding, curated by Leslie de Chavez and featuring works by Jayme Lucas, Carol Anne McChrystal, Celline Mercado, Alynnah Macla-Tadeo, and Allyza Diane Tresvalles which explore concepts anchored in both personal and social terrains.

2025 Magsaysay Awardee announcement on Aug. 31

THE Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) will announce the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees on Aug. 31, noon, through an online global broadcast. It also marks the 118th birth anniversary of President Ramon Magsaysay, the seventh President of the Philippines and the namesake of the Award. The global announcement will be livestreamed via the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation’s official website and social media platforms. The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Awards Festival Season will conclude on Nov. 7 with the formal Presentation Ceremonies to be held in the Metropolitan Theater in Manila. The Ramon Magsaysay Award, first conferred in 1958, has been widely regarded as Asia’s premier prize and highest honor. It recognizes individuals and organizations whose concrete, transformative work uplift lives and strengthen the human spirit across Asia. Over the past 67 years, the Ramon Magsaysay Award has been given to 356 individuals and organizations from 24 countries and territories in Asia. Past recipients include the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Japanese filmmaker Miyazaki Hayao, Bangladeshi microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus, and Filipino pediatric pioneer Fe Del Mundo.

Dark Skies book launch to donate proceeds

DAVID HALDANE’S latest book, Dark Skies: Tales of Turbulence in Paradise, will be launched in the event Libro Kontra Gutom. The book is a collection of essays that follows Mr. Haldane’s journey since moving to the Philippines with his Filipino wife and two children in 2018, from typhoons to the pandemic. The book launch takes place on Aug. 27, 4 p.m., at Kawa Pilipinas House, 1025 C. Ayala St. in Malate, Manila. All proceeds from the event and a portion of book sales will benefit the Kawa Pilipinas Foundation. Tickets to the book signing, priced at P500, are available online via Ticket2me.net/DavidHaldane.

Silverlens Manila welcomes Yasue Maetake

THE TWO ongoing Manila exhibitions this month at Silverlens Manila include Mare Fecunditatis by New York-based Japanese sculptor Yasue Maetake. It marks her first solo exhibition in the Philippines, Named after a lunar basaltic plain in the eastern half of the moon, the exhibit consists of six sculptures. Silverlens is also hosting a group exhibition titled A Knowing, which brings together Chinese-American artist Emily Cheng, Filipino artist Geraldine Javier, and Balinese artist Citra Sasmita. It will be the first time the three will exhibit works in the same space, situating them as “totem poles for growing, tending, and guarding.” Both exhibits run until Sept. 27 at Silverlens Manila in Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati.

Galerie Stephanie presents National Artists exhibit

THE ongoing exhibition, In The Shadow of Great Light, at Galerie Stephanie is showcasing works by National Artists. These include Abdulmari Imao, Ang Kiukok, Arturo Luz, Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Cesar Legaspi, Federico Alcuaz, Jerry Elizalde Navarro, Larry Alcala, Vicente Manansala, and Victorio Edades. It runs until Aug. 31 at the mid-level of Shangri-La Plaza mall’s East Atrium in Mandaluyong City. It is open to the public with free admission.

CCP lights up façade throughout August

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is illuminating its façade in vibrant colors this August to commemorate three major events: Buwan ng Wikang Filipino (National Language Month), ASEAN Month, and National Heroes Day. The visual spectacle aims to transform the CCP’s façade into a canvas of light, showcasing “the rich tapestry of Filipino culture, the unity of the ASEAN region, and the heroic spirit of the nation.” The CCP Main Building light show runs until Aug. 31, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. daily, except Mondays.

Oliver Marquez mounts 6th solo exhibit

AT THE ArtistSpace in Makati, visual artist Oliver Marquez’s 6th solo exhibition is on view. Titled Divine Bounty: Harvest of Sacred Vision, it presents Filipino harvest traditions in the form of luminous paintings, with the goal to depict the “transcendent beauty” of his subject matter. The exhibit runs until Sept. 2.

DLSZ Chorale wins in Tokyo choir tilt

THE De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ) clinched two Gold Prizes and a 3rd place award at the 7th Tokyo International Choir Competition held in Japan recently. Composed of students from Grades 5 to 12, the choir won in the Children’s Choir Under-18 Category and in the Folklore Category. They competed under the direction of conductor Michael Kenneth Natividad Fabian.

AFM hosts exhibit on light, identity

ALLIANCE Française de Manille (AFM) is mounting the Liwanag et Lumière exhibition, in partnership with The Monarch. It is an art exhibit that aims to weave together themes of light, identity, and connection. It runs until Sept. 12. AFM is located on Nicanor Garcia, Bel-Air II, Makati City.

Cecile Licad returns for concert

ACCLAIMED PIANIST Cecile Licad will once again perform in Manila with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) under the baton of Grzegorz Nowak. On Sept. 24 at the Metropolitan Theater, Ms. Licad will perform the very concertos that brought her international acclaim — Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 — both from her award-winning recordings with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under André Previn. Presented by Rustan’s, this landmark concert, titled The Pianist’s Pianist, will donate its proceeds to the PPO’s initiatives.