Businesswoman Suzette Ramirez Hernandez leads the grand relaunch of Kulayara Art Gallery in San Juan on Wednesday, May 25, with a stellar lineup of artists that include Hermes Alegre, Fil Delacruz, Romulo Galicano, Raul Isidro, Gig de Pio and Ephraim Samson. All six artists, who are renowned for their contemporary, realist and abstract paintings, will showcase a wide array of works spanning a diversity of genres and styles.
The relaunch also coincides with the grand opening of Zette’s Café, the official coffee shop of the gallery where guests can partake of coffee, frappes and wines, indulge in entrees such as salpicao, pot roast and fish and chips, or be nourished by soups and salads as well as delectable desserts such as red velvet and chocolate cakes, or pair their coffees with fresh breads that Suzette herself bakes.
Unlike stereotypical art gallery owners usually depicted as stiff sophisticates, the thirty-something and soft-spoken Suzette strikes one as very cool and casual without the intimidating air, easily establishing rapport with people.
“Diplomacy helps a lot in business,” the young businesswoman notes, whose presence in the Philippine arts community as gallery owner since 2011 did not come from her being a high-brow player as she finished Foreign Service at the Lyceum of the Philippines where she majored in International Trade.
Despite the challenges that came her way – including the demise of her mother due to cancer, the young woman, who was a teenage beauty queen and finished her course in less than four years – became a pillar of support for her family, helping with the family business even while setting up her own business enterprises such as a coffee shop and even working as a ramp model.
It was while helping a friend manage a company specializing in the selling of Murano blown glass and painting from Venice that she thought of putting up her own business that also dealt with art.
After all, without her being conscious of it, she has always been in the world of arts and crafts through the family business she helped sustain. Aside from the artistic sensibilities, she always had great taste too, crucial to her being able to help her friend’s Murano glass and Venice paintings business.
I was aware of the fleeting nature of modeling and showbiz. I knew it cannot be my bread and butter. So I was intent on pursuing a career as a businesswoman. But I also wanted it to be a business that makes a difference. At this point, I now realize the value of legacies we leave behind. I want to be doing something like that, something that helps build legacies,” said Suzette.
In the case of Kulayara Art Gallery, that would be the legacy of fine art by the country’s best artists, all reflective of our lives as Filipinos. The first incarnation of Kulayara dates back in 2011, around the time when Suzette started seriously building her own art collection. That first version of the gallery was located in Connecticut Street. Suzette later transferred the location to Montessori Lane, also in San Juan. She constantly considers the convenience of guests and patrons, and after her latest search for a better location, she has now settled with #28 Gutierrez Street in San Juan’s Little Baguio district. She finds the new location most ideal for its accessibility, serenity and privacy.
Suzette wants to make Kulayara even more all-encompassing based on her planned museum activities. Aside from exhibits, art lovers can look forward to various art-related activities and events that Kulayara will be hosting. Art classes and sketching sessions are also being lined up, while popular artists and art experts will also be holding talks, workshops and seminars throughout the year. The gallery owner is also open to partnerships with government, universities and organizations for activities and events in line with her advocacy of fostering legacies through art.
Visit Kulayara Art Gallery located at 28 Gen. Juan Gutierrez St., Brgy. Little Baguio, San Juan City.
