Solaire North Is Home to Nearly 3000 Pieces of Filipino Art

(SPOT.ph) Not exactly looking to book a staycation in QC or gamble your payday money away? There are a few more reasons to visit the new Solaire North: you can dine in one of its swanky restaurants like Yakumi (Japanese) or Manyaman (Filipino), or take in the view of the city from the stunning Sky Bar at the 38th floor. Or you can check out some very interesting selections of contemporary Filipino art, too, all very thoughtfully displayed in the resort’s driveways, gaming floors, function rooms, hallways, elevators, restaurants, suites and just about everywhere you look.

Close to 3,000 pieces of art have been assembled to grace the walls of this premier Quezon City resort, the curation capably handled by the guys behind Tarzeer Pictures, the creative production group composed of Enzo Razon, Dinesh Mohnani, Gio Panlilio, Bambina Jacinto Aseron and Anna Cabasan. The collection is composed of existing and commissioned works from Filipino artists and a number of “international artists who have come to call the Philippines home.”

What comprises Solaire North's art collection

Might be hard to believe but if you want an idea of what’s happening in local art today, the kinds of work being done, the directions being taken, the Solaire art collection will give you a pretty good representative snapshot.

There’s a very interesting magic Isha Naguiat is doing with cyanotype and embroidery—her work hangs in one of the hotel hallways. Bert Antonio is playing with patterns and depth in acrylic in a way that’s vibrant and new—his works add brightness to the seafood restaurant Fresh. At Red Lantern, Bea Valdes’ delicate textile sculptures of Chinese flowers from different seasons echo the refined atmosphere of one of the resort’s signature restaurants.

“There are paintings that begin with photographs, or thread works that emulate the act of painting,” says Tarzeer, explaining the expanse of the styles in the collection.

“We wanted to emphasize a hand-made approach, with each finished piece in its own way hinting at the processes that make it. We also gravitated towards textiles and works on paper for their ability to evoke tactile sensations.” Some of the more eye-catching textile works, by the way, can be found in the elevators—and they’re handwoven silk assemblages by Olivia D’Aboville.

There are prints, too—handmade prints by Caroline Ongpin, Noëll EL Farol, Mariano Batocabe, Regina Reyes, and Jiddu San Jose which, according to Tarzeer, “highlight different approaches to the craft with each artist creating multiple iterations of a work for the guest rooms.”

Photographs with a strong sense of place 

Because it’s Tarzeer, who runs a very cool photo gallery in Chino Roces Avenue Extension and is one of the most active champions of contemporary Philippine photography, there are pictures.

“As a gallery actively developing image-based works, it was important for us to incorporate photography into this collection,” the team told SPOT.ph. “We worked with some photographers we had shown at the gallery before such as Aya Cabauatan, Sara Erasmo, Colin Dancel, Jilson Tiu and other photographers such as Sonny Thakur and Jason Quibilan, whom we have collaborated with on other fronts. For most of the photographs, we sought out ones that evoked a strong sense of place.”

Going around the resort and looking at the collection is really quite a treat. There’s even a small gallery at the lobby that showcases some really interesting pieces that blur the line between painting and photography. The collection is a feat not only because it’s proof art adds soul to a place, but because by changing their way of looking at hotel art in the Philippines, and by working with some of the best local artists and the country’s reputable galleries, the Tarzeer group is giving its wide cross section of guests a chance to look at art that truly delights the eye and captures a feeling.

The team says the entire process of putting the collection together took about five years—from research and artist outreach to commissioning, production, and installation. “At every step of the way, we gained a deeper appreciation for all the artists we worked with: the level of professionalism and willingness to share their process with us,” says Tarzeer. “Now that the works are installed, it's fulfilling to have them be enjoyed by a large audience everyday.”

All photographs by Jilson Tiu.