'Florante at Laura' exhibition at 1/Of Gallery Florante at Laura, an exhibition inspired by the epic poem of Francisco Baltazar (also known as Balagtas) of the same title, will be shown at 1/Of Gallery in Shops at Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, from July 20 to 31, 2008. Celebrating the visual arts and literature, the exhibition features 22 figurative paintings inspired by different sections of the literary masterpiece and a sculptural introductory piece, all based on the edition edited by National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario. The artworks, reflecting a variety of styles, were made by Mark Arcamo, Buen Calubayan, Caña, Salvador J. Ching, Convocar, Marc Cosico, Cris Cruz, Leonilo Doloricon, Egai Talusan Fernandez, Alfred Galvez, Juan Sajid Imao, Jon Jaylo, Jerome Malic, Wilfredo Offemaria Jr., Vincent Padilla, Jonathan Rañola, Laya Roman, Don Salubayba, Fernando Sena, Rex Tatlonghari, Roger "Rishab" Tibon, Inna Vitasa and Janice Liuson Young. The exhibit was first staged during the Komedya Fiesta 2008 1st National Festival in February at the University of the Philippines Jorge B. Vargas Museum. Meanwhile, the UP Diliman Chancellor's Office, under Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, has just published a UP Centennial edition of Florante at Laura which will be available at 1/Of Gallery. The full-color, softbound book features a reconstruction of the Balagtas text by Almario, an English translation by poet Marne Kilates and all the artworks featured in the exhibition. In the book's introduction, Cao says that the UP Centennial edition of Florante at Laura is not only a tribute to its acclaimed author, but is also an offering meant to broaden the appreciation for a Filipino classic. "Indeed, there is no better way to mark a university's one hundred years of history in molding young minds than by honoring one of the country's most enduring literary legacies. This book will certainly help us rediscover Balagtas. It is sure to deepen our interest in a celebrated masterpiece and make us realize how one man's work can transcend the ages and inspire people of another lifetime," notes Cao. Almario, who is also the dean of the UP College of Arts and Letters, calls Balagtas the "First Filipino Poet", claiming that the latter – through Florante at Laura – demonstrated a poet's power. For the first time, notes Almario, a poet dared to challenge his readers (in the exhortation "Sa Babasa Nito") to carefully consider his written words because these would be of immense use to them. "In a way, Balagtas broke free from the shackles of colonialism and paved the way towards freedom for the likes of Rizal, Bonifacio and many generations of contemporary poets," Almario points out. For more details, call 901-3152.
 Artist's Statement:
The mind is a subtle, multi-dimensional environment of images, symbols, words, feelings and emotions. It is a complex self-organizing and patterning system. An active mechanism that morphs and manifests in limitless forms, fusing, synthesizing and juxtaposing images, words emotions, etcetera in seemingly random and senseless ways, wherein everything is inter-related and interconnected, stringed with a thread visible only to wide and open minds. My paintings are frozen fractions of the mind's activity - recreated intuitively on flat canvasses of acrylics. Surreal pictures where reality and fantasy waltz in the depths of dreams, daydreams and the subconscious. Each painting is open-ended. There is no fixed interpretation or definite meaning. All the elements can be taken literally or symbolically acoording to the whims and personal experiences of the viewer.
 
An installation art for 2008 Guandu International Outdoor Sculpture Festival. Statement: The Shield is symbolic of the ozone layer.The ozone is supposed to protect us and the world from excessive heat and harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. But, due to our ignorance, neglect and irresponsibility, we have caused irreparable damage and holes to it . And now, we are experiencing the worldwide effect of global warming which resulted to climate change which puts us in a nightmarish brink of destruction. Glaciers and Alps are rapidly melting threatening low-lying lands and islands into submerging underwater. Rivers, inland seas, lakes and other smaller bodies of water are drying up. More and more forest, bush and grass fires occur due to excessive heat from the sun. Heat waves are becoming more and more intensified killing humans, plants and animals. The Shield is a grim reminder of our precarious situation. When we enter inside it to take shelter from the scorching heat of the sun, we realize that we no longer get full protection because of the many holes around its wall. Just like the ozone cannot protect us fully any longer because of the holes we have created to it - maybe unconsciously. My installation is interactive. The people who will be viewing and entering into it are encouraged to put some weaving to the holes (like a dreamcatcher) symbolically trying to mend the holes of the damaged and continually thinning ozone layer. Thus, my artwork will be changing during the duration of the exhibition. -rishab
An installation art for 2008 Guandu International Outdoor Sculpture Festival. Statement: The Shield is symbolic of the ozone layer.The ozone is supposed to protect us and the world from excessive heat and harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. But, due to our ignorance, neglect and irresponsibility, we have caused irreparable damage and holes to it . And now, we are experiencing the worldwide effect of global warming which resulted to climate change which puts us in a nightmarish brink of destruction. Glaciers and Alps are rapidly melting threatening low-lying lands and islands into submerging underwater. Rivers, inland seas, lakes and other smaller bodies of water are drying up. More and more forest, bush and grass fires occur due to excessive heat from the sun. Heat waves are becoming more and more intensified killing humans, plants and animals. The Shield is a grim reminder of our precarious situation. When we enter inside it to take shelter from the scorching hat of the sun, we realize that we no longer get full protection because of the many holes around its wall. Just like the ozone cannot protect us fully any loner because of the holes we have created to it - maybe unconsciously. My installation is interactive. The people who will be viewing and entering into it are encouraged to put some weaving to the holes (like a dreamcatcher) symbolically trying to mend the holes of the damaged and continually thinning ozone layer. Thus, my artwork will be changing during the duration of the exhibition.
‘Love Stories’ exhibit raises funds for Basilan scholars Art and romance make a lovely pair in Love Stories, a fund-raising exhibition of paintings and photographs organized by the Philam Foundation for its scholars in Basilan. The exhibit runs from February 11 to 20 at the Philam Lobby on U.N. Avenue, Ermita, Manila. Comprised of visual narratives on romance, Love Stories features the paintings of Wilfredo Alicdan, Mark Arcamo, Caña, Convocar, Marc Cosico, Joe Datuin, Vincent Padilla, Sherwin Tan, Roger “Rishab” Tibon and Inna Vitasa, and the photographs of Paul Escobar, Edwin Loyola, Martin Macalintal, Peter Marquez, Kaye Pizarro, Vic Sollorano and Harvey Tapan. Held in celebration of National Arts Month and the Valentine season, Love Stories will open on February 11, Monday, at 6 p.m. To underscore the exhibit’s theme, the opening-night program will feature poets Vim Nadera, Mike Coroza, Teo Antonio and Marra Lanot reading love poems and poet Pete Lacaba crooning his “salinawit” – romantic songs which he himself translated from English to Filipino. Love Stories is specifically intended to build up resources for the Aid for Basilan Children (ABC) Fund, a project of the Philam Foundation in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) since 2002. The ABC Fund sends over 500 children to school in war-torn Lamitan, Basilan, providing them with uniforms, books, school supplies and supplemental feeding over a period of six years to cover their elementary education. Through the years, various components such as a mentoring program, remedial sessions, teacher training and audio-visual materials have helped improve the learning capabilities of students as well as the teaching skills of the instructors. In 2007, the Philam Foundation and the PBSP reached an agreement to sustain the scholars’ secondary education. Through the Love Stories exhibit, Philam is creating a synergy between the various causes it upholds – promoting Philippine art and artists while also raising funds for its scholars. Starting with Love Stories, the Philam Foundation is looking at revitalizing the insurance company’s arts program this year. Already recognized for its corporate social responsibility efforts in Health, Education, Arts & culture and Livelihood and enterprise development (HEAL), the foundation wants to further strengthen its role in the field of arts. This is a nod to its history as a premiere supporter of the arts. Philamlife on U.N. Avenue was among the country’s pioneers in hosting exhibitions in the 1960s with its Lobby shows drawing crowds of art enthusiasts and patrons. In recent years, the Philamlife Theater, also on U.N. Avenue, has been home to the acclaimed Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). Philamlife has produced Christmas CDs like “Payapang Pasko” (2004), featuring the MPO playing traditional Filipino Christmas songs arranged for an orchestra and “Iyo Kailan Pa Man” (2005), featuring traditional Filipino kundimans or love songs as sung by the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers. For inquiries on Love Stories and the ABC Fund, please call the Philam Foundation at 526-9449/ 526-9446 or e-mail philamfoundation@aig.com.
‘Florante at Laura’ (exhibition at UP Vargas museum) One of the country’s most enduring literary masterpieces, Florante at Laura – written by 19th century poet Francisco Baltazar, also known as Balagtas – serves as the inspiration for an exhibition at the University of the Philippines Jorge B. Vargas Museum this February. It will be held at the Edge Gallery from February 8 until March 31, 2008. Celebrating both the visual arts and literature, the Florante at Laura exhibition features 23 figurative paintings based on the different sections of the poem, using the edition edited by National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario. The paintings, reflecting a variety of styles, were made by Mark Arcamo, Buen Calubayan, Caña, Salvador J. Ching, Convocar, Marc Cosico, Cris Cruz, Leonilo Doloricon, Egai Fernandez, Alfred Galvez, Sajid Imao, Jon Jaylo, Jerome Malic, Wilfredo Offemaria Jr., Vincent Padilla, Jonathan Rañola, Laya Roman, Don Salubayba, Fernando Sena, Rex Tatlonghari, Roger “Rishab” Tibon, Inna Vitasa and Janice Young. The artists breathe life to the events chronicled in the epic poem, from Florante being tied up in the forest and menaced by two lions to his dramatic reunion with his beloved Laura. Each artwork is accompanied by a stanza that pertains to the depicted scene. Adding visual interest is a backdrop that reinforces the period and setting in which Florante at Laura unfolded. Rendered by the artistic team of Alfred Galvez Mural Designs and Finishes, the exhibit design features trompe l’oeil (fool the eye) effects such as faux columns and moldings and baroque decorative elements. The rich exposition of imagery aims to engage viewers and help them rediscover the celebrated work of Balagtas. The Florante at Laura exhibition is curated and conceptualized by Susan A. de Guzman and Giselle P. Kasilag of Project Art. Florante at Laura is a Philippine literary classic, deemed an integral part of the Filipino experience. It is a staple in the high school curriculum, with class discussions often leading to more creative pursuits such as dramatizations or the creation of story books. It has also been the subject of theatrical productions, television specials and films. Beyond the love story between the two lead characters, Florante at Laura is a well-disguised commentary on the ills of society under the Spanish regime as witnessed by Balagtas. The story may be set in the faraway kingdom of Albanya but the conditions it depicts were realities taking place as the Philippines struggled to become a free nation. The genius of Florante at Laura’s author was hailed by no less than national hero Jose Rizal, particularly in his novel Noli Me Tangere where Pilosopo Tasio muses: “Mahusay na makata at mahusay mag-isip si Baltazar” (Baltazar is a great poet and a great thinker). The Florante at Laura project is the exhibit component of the Komedya Fiesta 2008 1st National Festival, one of the major activities celebrating the UP Centennial. Focusing on Balagtas’ signature work is considered an appropriate complement to the festival’s theme as Florante at Laura was not only written in the manner of the komedya theatrical tradition, but also because its author was the best known poet of his time. Komedya Fiesta 2008 is presented by the University of the Philippines Diliman Office of the Chancellor, through the College of Arts and Letters and in cooperation with the Office of Initiatives in Culture and the Arts with the support of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. For more details about the Florante at Laura exhibition, please contact the UP Vargas Museum at tel. nos. 928-1927, 981-8500 locals 4021 to 24, 928-1925 or via e-mail at vargasmuseum@gmail.com or vargasmuseum@yahoo.com.
Cordillera Suite Homage to Apo Ben featuring new works of Cordillera artists Aguinaldo Alangui Elmeda Mang-osan Sabado Rishab Photographs by Wig Tysmans and works of National Artist Bencab Music by Pinikpikan Band Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 6:30 PM Yuchengco Museum, G/F RCBC Plaza, Corner Ayala & Gil Puyat Sts., Makati City RSVP: Carla - 889-1234 info@yuchengcomuseum.org
Light and shadow The placid pond stare blankly back at me. Frail fingers. Sunbathed. Running down and up. In small circles. In mindless small circles. Caressing the shimmering smoothness of my timid black pen. As if summoning the enchanted muse. In a blinding smoke reveal herself in front of my eyes. Submissively saying: "I'm yours, my lord. Make a wish and I shall grant it." The crawling shadow swallowing a pavement and a trash bin. She never comes. Not a glimmer of light. Or smoke. That bitch! I think she's occupied with her too-many lovers. Satisfying their insatiable lust for words. Their passionate quest for living words. Like me. A dry leaf has fallen. Caught in the spider's silken labyrinth. My pen is silent. Heaving and drooping low. Frozen half an inch above the immaculate nakedness of unlined paper. Devoid of fire to start a love affair. Awaiting for the warm black liquid to moisten her dry lips. For the flaming kisses that burns all of her. Front and back. Consuming her. With love. With lust. With rage. Sneaking above. The rustling branches seem to mock my agony. My mind hovers in the cloudless sky. Snatched by the winds of uncertainty. I am drowning. Gasping in the lonely heights of nothingness. My lungs and patience ready to explode in dismay and frustration. The indifferent sun hide behind the silhouette of distant pines. My trembling hand. Growing darker. Wrestling with defeat. Refusing a submission. Unleash a sudden wicked thrust down the mesmerized page. Reflecting the dying sun my pen pierces straight right in. Hard and deep. Drawing that elusive first blood gushing with insurmountable vigor. Bursting a portal into the deepest secrets of the mind. Delivering the sweetest of pain to the slumbered enchantress. Sending her flying high. Screaming in breath-taking ecstasy. Cursing rivers of black ink that flows wildly. Rivers that flood the mind with passionate fire. Drowning the blank paper. Front and back. Drowning the shadows. And myself. Darkness is reborn. Full of lights. -rishab
 Poetry symposium, jazz concert set in Baguio The Baguio Writers Group in cooperation with Baguio Country Club and Smart Communications Inc. presents a poetry symposium on "To Do or to Be: How to Make a Poem" on Sept. 15, Saturday, 2-5 p.m. at the Wolfson Room of the Club, South Drive, Baguio City. Panelists include Marjorie Evasco, Sid Hildawa, Marra Lanot, Francis and Priscilla Macansantos, Edgar Maranan and Alfred Yuson. In the same evening the writers group will host an invitational concert, "Jazz for Tonight," at 7 p.m. at Par 7 of the Country Club. Featured performers are Jacqui Magno, Gou de Jesus, Richard Cariño, Desiree Caluza, Butch Cando, Egay Buñing, Joanifer Abubo, Enrico Subido, Ivan Cruz and On-Call. Seats are limited. To reserve call or text 0927-989-0191. #
framing a tilted horizon naked and devoid of luster a crippled gothic window cling to a rusted hinge succumb to ivy's embrace and her poison lullaby his numb spirit wallow in the mire of unknowing while the altar of doom awaits his imminent fall and marriage to oblivion lurking in desolation on the cold marble floor shattered mirrors a million fiery eyes sleeplessly waiting waiting devouring shrouded corpses marching in the sky ravens on their urgent flight blazing wrath of the sun god piercing through the crumbling wall deadly glances devouring fragments of time devouring their own reflections weaving through staggering doors and lamenting empty halls echoes of freezing wind whisper hymns of melancholy gnawing melancholy sending stray butterflies fleeing in faceless fear back into their cocoons floating in stillness back to their nightmares in the darkest side of limbo -rishab
timeworks
grinding
spinning
in what seems
for eternity
the hands of time
with utmost precision
sets everything
in harmonious motion
tiny atoms
vast universes
the three worlds
animate and inanimate
from one form to another
orchestrating
balancing
the endless cycle
of creation
maintenance
destruction
but
indifferent to all
even to itself
the aged clock
breathless
succumb to
degradation
its hands and gears
frozen
beaten
eaten
by the unforgiving rust
still
its immortal spirit
almost invisibly
endures
steadfast
in its silent journey
untouched
unwavering
along its course
it heal broken spirits
broken hearts
yet
kill
annihilate
mercilessly
 
dreamweavers
we sow seeds of dreams
in the garden of our hearts
dreams we nurture
dreams we embrace
dreams that we look up to
bringing life and fulfilment
dreams that ease our pains
laughter love peace
yet
there are dreams that
takes us in a different course
altering our sense of sanity
dreams of destructive nature
sowing fear and confusion
in our fragile hearts
man waging wars against man
dominating everyone and everything
eaten by greed bottomless greed
the dreams we carefully weave
that we sought shelter of
sometimes turn into thorny cages
entrapping and piercing us
a gnawing nightmare of
frustration sadness anger
offering nothing but emptiness
and imminent destruction
what's your dream?
   
 A
Panagbenga - Delphic Art Exhibitions
Installation Art
Opening Date : 21 Feb 2007 - 10 am
Skating Rink, Burnham Park
Art Exhibit
Opening Date : 22 Feb 2007 - 10 am
Centennial Gallery, Baguio Convention Center
Maryknoll Sanctuary Group Exhibition
Campo Sioco, Baguio City
17 Feb - April
Featuring various Baguio artists
A collection of pallette art by Rico and Melanie Hizon.
A travelling exhibition.
Bencab
Anita Magsaysay-Ho
Malang
Rishab
and other selected artists....   
a group art exhibition
oct 26-nov 11 2006
shaw hallway
level IV shangri-la mall
edsa corner shaw boulevard
mandaluyong city
a group art exhibition
sept 1 - 30 2006
baguio-mountain provinces museum
baguio city
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