(SPOT.ph) We've all witnessed the shift the local art scene has undergone in recent years, as it has consistently gathered momentum and attracted a more mainstream audience. The question now: How do you keep that momentum going? By continuing to go out there to appreciate art, for one thing.
Here are the exhibits worth seeing this July:
how hiding insomniac appraisals give in to hermetic silence
Aiming to "amuse and confuse," how hiding insomniac appraisals give in to hermetic silence brings together paintings, prints, and installations that combine the imagery of popular culture with mundanities of everyday life. The group exhibit features Thirteen Artists Awards recipients Gerardo Tan and Jayson Oliveria, together with internationally recognized artist Maria Cruz and post-modernist Carlo Ricafort.
Runs until August 3 at Artinformal, Karrivin Plaza, Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City. For more information, visit Artinformal’s website.
Kingdom of the Unwanted
Renato Barja Jr.’s solo exhibition presents the harsh realities we all face on a daily basis through thought-provoking paintings and sculptures. His works show people he sees around the city, such as a homeless family begging for alms, a young boy on a corner sniffing rugby, and a vagrant and his pet dog living in a kariton.
Runs until July 27 at Tin-aw Art Gallery, UG/F Somerset Olympia Building, Makati Avenue, Makati City. For more information, visit Tin-aw Art Gallery’s website.
Recent works by Oca Villamiel
Oca Villamiel, through installations and assemblages, reminds us that humanity’s need to control the natural world is now taking a toll on us. The works feature found objects that show themes of death and mortality: a collection of feathers, pages of books salvaged from floods, the remains of thousands of bees.
Runs until July 27 at Artinformal Gallery, 277 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan City. For more information, visit Artinformal’s website.
They Might Be Giants
In They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Ching presents six new large-scale paintings inspired by his life in the city. This includes the title piece, a tetraptych that shows spare car parts covered in tarps. It features an image of Manila's cityscape, highlighting the grim and the grime through dark-colored strokes; the daily commute through lines and blurs; and the growing population through contrasting colors.
Runs from July 15 to August 10 at Silverlens, 2263 Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City. For more information, visit Silverlens’ website.
Reflect Effect
Employing mirrors to present compelling narratives about middle-class Filipinos, sculptor Art De Leon invites us to immerse ourselves in a space where society's current state is projected. Whether seen as practical or as metaphorical, these mirrors aim to create a moment of reflection and answers.
Runs until July 20 at Art Underground Manila, 814 Balagtas Street, Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City. For more information, visit Art Underground’s Facebook page.
Coral Reef Series
Coral Reef Series is artist Jonathan Benitez’s attempt to connect man and nature through shared traits of fragility and impermanence. It was completed during his residence in Palawan after taking inspiration from an impromptu sea excursion. With pastel, acrylic, and graphite on paper, the 12 works in the show allow for pensive visual storytelling.
Runs from July 14 to August 14 at Kulay-Diwa Gallery, 25 Lopez Avenue, Lopez Village, Sucat, Parañaque City. For more information, visit Kulay-Diwa's website.
Current
Poklong Anading's solo show presents a series that he started during his final phase at art school: line drawing. This process-oriented project starts with drawing a series of lines on a surface. While walking and drawing the lines with one hand, his other hand holds a camera to record the lines being drawn. The footage, which is also what he calls a "virtual drawing," serves both as a performance and a drawing guide. Anading hopes to explore the meaning of connections between humans through drawing with a pencil.
Runs until August 3 at 1335Mabini, C1B Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City. For more information, visit 1335Mabini’s website.
Come Here, Nervousness
Striking us with imagery on moments of tension and anxiety, Come Here, Nervousness ironically uses a bright color palette to depict situations of death, loss, madness, rejection, and doubt. It features 12 works that latch onto the viewers' feeling of uneasiness to explore coming to terms with darkness and conflict.
Runs until July 16 at Art Underground Manila, 814 Balagtas Street, Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City. For more information, visit Art Underground’s Facebook page.
Open-Ended
Transgressing ideas by utilizing moving images and the intersectionality of art and technology, Open-Ended—as the title suggests—goes beyond descriptions and disciplines for an “open-ended” space. It also combines different forms of art by Derek Tumala, Clarissa Gonzales, and Karl Angay to question the meaning of an art space.
Runs until July 13 at Nova Gallery Manila, La Fuerza Plaza, 2241 Chino Roces, Makati City. For more information, visit Nova Gallery Manila's website.
The City Who Had Two Navels
The City Who Had Two Navels at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila is a restaging of the Philippine entry to the 16th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, held in November 2018. It is curated by Edson Cabalfin and inspired by National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin’s novel The Woman Who Had Two Navels.
Runs until October 19 at Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila. For more information, visit Metropolitan Museum of Manila’s website.
