Julia Cameron wrote about the weekly artist date, an individual me-time for the artist in everyone. I had the opportunity to tag along on a field trip of sorts with a group of more experienced artists. This was, for me, the group version of an artist date: a date with other artists.
We went to the Jorge B. Vargas Museum inside the UP Diliman Campus and saw two exhibits, Tru-Colors: A Visual Experience on Contemporary Philippine Realities, at The Edge Gallery (until June 14) and Dramaturgical Revelations of Everyday Life, at Kawilihan Gallery (supposedly until June 1 but extended, we were told).
Mixed media triumphs in Tru-Colors, but the arrangement of the pieces, especially Leonilo Doloricon's two works, fails to produce a coherent flow of thought. It struck me how stimulating it was to gather in front Jose Tence Ruiz's CSI (Laundry), two complex pieces in a series, as my companions dicussed its merits (or shortcomings) and what they thought it was trying to say. Two relatively small pieces that caught my eye were Herbert Pinpiño's The Last Resort, an illustration waiting to be animated, and Melvin Quitazol's Pa Rin, a statement on communism. EJ Zaman Mijares' animation deserved a larger screen but needs an original score. The collaborative installation Kapihan ni Ka Mayo is understandably more political protest, less art. As a "visual experience on contemporary Philippines realities", what I missed is a message about affluence and consumption.
Dramaturgical Revelations of Everyday Life presents an idyllic Philippines complete with piped-in crickets through works from the Vargas collection, which includes a number of Filipino masters. The grouping of the pieces is highly logical and the scope of everyday life is commendable. It is a pity that some of the paintings need cleaning or are chipping off and are in need of immediate restoration.
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