Exhibits
Altered States
Artery Arts Space, Quezon City
Ongoing until June 4
Five artists delve into the stream of consciousness flowing through popular media using their chosen medium. Zeus Bascon, Dina Gadia, Allan Balisi (aka Saturnino Basilla), Isabel Santos and Derek Tumala exhibit their respective paintings, drawings and sculptures in their hybrid states that represent transformative social fantasy.
The artworks on display – composed of a collection of tattoo design, collage aesthetic, ethnoastronomy and spirit portraiture – produce new arrangements of cultural representation, signification and identity.
For more information on this ongoing exhibit, call (02) 725-2837 or email arteryartspace@gmail.com.
In the days of my youth I was told what it is to be a man
Artery Arts Space, Quezon City
Ongoing until June 4
Monsters of creation portrayed with graphic violence are the main subject in Dean Africa’s latest solo. Africa’s current series of mixed media works illustrates concepts of conflict and change as forces that shape life in ways that are strange, wild, frightening, bewildering and captivating.
According to the University of the Philippines Fine Arts graduate, the pieces on exhibit are inspired by abstraction, sequential art, collage culture, cinematic horror, fantasy and the violence of everyday life. In addition to his studio practice, Africa self-publishes his own comics and music.
Call (02) 725-2837 or email arteryartspace@gmail.com to know more about this solo show.
Muralla
Upper Gallery, Vinyl on Vinyl, Makati City
Ongoing until June 4
Contemporary visual artists Eko Canlas, John Lawrence Canto, Mr. S, Quatro, Qudo and Rai Cruz come together in this group exhibition that showcases the noble Muralla street of the oldest district in Manila, Intramuros.
Through their introspection, observations, personal traces and memories of traversing through this one-way street in the form of their artworks, the six artists revisit the past to offer new interpretations of history and rediscover parallels marking our mutual passage through time.
For inquiries and more details, email info@vinylonvinylgallery.com or visit www.vinylonvinylgallery.com.
Concerts
Elena Monti
Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila
May 28, 7:30 p.m.
Italian soprano Elena Monti is coming to the Philippines for an evening of classical vocal music. Performing alongside Monti are our very own tenor Ronan Ferrer, pianist Raul Sunico, Musicgear Chamber and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra string ensemble under the baton of Maestro Ruggero Barbieri.
Monti enjoys a prolific concert activity and she has worked with various conductors. She also debuted in the most prestigious Italian and international theaters, including the Teatro alla Scala (La Scala Theater). The varied roles she sang include Mimì in La Bohéme, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and Violetta in La Traviata, among others.
Ticket prices are P1,300 and P1,800. Contact the CCP Box Office at (02) 832-3704 for inquiries and more information.
Theater plays
Walang Kukurap
Function Hall, Philippine Coast Guard Headquarters, Manila
May 30, 3:00 p.m.
Following successful shows in various government departments and agencies in previous years, Art in the Workplace (Sining sa Tanggapan) brings its Walang Kukurap theatrical play to the Philippine Coast Guard Headquarters in a bid to support the government’s campaign against graft and corruption.
The one-hour program will showcase the artistic talent of in-house artists from the PCG. The story chronicles an analysis of graft and corruption from the findings of artist-researchers and first-hand testimony of whistle-blowers and anonymous syndicate insiders.
The production, presented by Tanghalang Pilipino, is aimed at encouraging public workers to promote Philippine art and culture.
For inquiries and more information, contact the CCP Cultural Exchange Department at (02) 832-1125 locals 1708 and 1709.
Lectures
Multifunctionality in Taiwan’s Independent Art Space
School of Design and Arts Cinema
SDA Bldg., De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Manila
May 24
Art curator Esther Lu shares today her expertise on how an independent art space in Taiwan serves as a breeding ground for ideas and cultural dialogue in this lecture that’s part of the initiative of the Museum of Contemporary Arts and Design’s MCAD Platforms.
Among many of Lu’s renowned projects include Big Family Business (2007) in Istanbul, Turkey and Good Gangsters in Town (2008) for the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan. Her talk focuses on the Taipei Contemporary Art Center, an independent initiative founded by a group of artists, curators and scholars that offers a platform of expression among themselves.
Call (02) 230-5100 local 3897 or email mcad@benilde.edu.ph for inquiries and more details.