CCP holds facade light show
CELEBRATING its 52nd founding anniversary this year, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) looks back on the year that was and anticipates what the future brings for the artistic sector and the country in general, through a light, projection, and sound show, in Sinag 2021, slated on Nov. 18 to 21. The CCP’s iconic building facade will serve as the canvas for a projection mapping conceptualized and executed by projection designer, GA Fallarme. Featuring the CCP’s archival footage and some visual elements to add texture, volume and movement to an otherwise static element, the projection show revolves around the theme “Kahapon, ngayon, at bukas.” The first segment, Kahapon, pays tribute to the Filipino audience and is accompanied by singer/composer Ebe Dancel’s song “Manatili.” The second segment, Ngayon, contemplates on the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and how it has affected the country, particularly, the artistic communities, through a short animation. It features the story and illustrations by Joel “Făbô” Fabonan, animated by Fallarme, with National Artist Lucrecia Kasilag’s Divertissement as music bed. The final segment, Bukas, is set to electro-pop music by Joee Mejias, and is a fun and whimsical video where a CCP trickster invades the virtual world. The light show, designed by the CCP artistic and technical team led by Danilo Villanueva and Louie Alcoran, is a creative interlude of lights and sounds in the fountain and other areas. A Little Light Music is set to Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird. The on-site and online launch of Sinag 2021 is on Nov. 18, 7 p.m., and will be live streamed on the CCP Facebook Page.
Celeste Lecaroz holds one-woman show
SECRETS are the theme of the new one-woman show of visual artist Celeste Lecaroz, entitled “Dialogo,” which is on view until Dec. 3 at Art Elaan in Ayala Malls Manila Bay. The exhibit features pastel paintings of young women dressed in Filipiniana who are engaged in various activities that depict secrets, like chatting intimately, reading a letter, or in solitary meditation. “Dialogo” is the latest in Ms. Lecaroz’s “sisterhood series” that she began in 2019 and executes only in pastels. For more information, follow Art Elaan Gallery on Facebook and Instagram, visit artelaan.com, call 7-728-6577, or e-mail info@artelaan.com.
LausGroup launches regional art showcase
THE LAUSGROUP of Companies (LGC), one of the largest and fastest-growing multi-brand automotive network in the country, kicked off the holidays with the launch of the “HeART of Central Luzon” — an art initiative showcasing the vibrant Kapampangan culture and craftsmanship featuring some of the region’s award-winning and up-and-coming local artists. The “HeART of Central Luzon” exhibit runs until Dec. 5. Interested art patrons and enthusiasts can visit select LausGroup car and motorcycle dealerships across Pampanga to see the various artworks in person, under limited capacity in compliance with local health and safety protocols. To get the full list of venues for the art exhibits, as well as the schedule of the artists, visit the LausGroup Complex Facebook Page.
Incentives given to vaccinated visitors at Intramuros
TO ENCOURAGE more people to get their COVID-19 jabs, the Department of Tourism (DoT) is giving incentives for fully vaccinated individuals who wish to visit the Walled City of Intramuros in Manila. From Nov. 15 to 30, individuals who have completed their vaccination within the same period may enter Fort Santiago free of charge. During this period, fully vaccinated individuals visiting Fort Santiago and Baluarte San Diego will receive free Beep cards, with a cap of 50 guests per day. To avail of the incentives, guests must be fully vaccinated when visiting the sites from Nov. 15 to 30, and present their vaccination card or certificate (with indicative dates) at the entrance gates. However, the DoT clarified that those who have not yet completed their vaccination may still enter both Fort Santiago and Baluarte San Diego by paying the P75 entrance fee for regular visitors, and P50 for discounted eligible visitors such as seniors, students and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Salcedo Auctions’ The Wish List auction
EXPLORE a wish list of important Philippine and international art, rare hardwood antique furniture and ecclesiastical objects, fine decor, and valuable collectibles at Salcedo Auctions’ Under the Tree: The Wish List auction on Nov. 27, 2 p.m. at Salcedo’s NEX Tower sale room and online via salcedoauctions.com. The auction lineup includes art by National Artists Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera, Victorio Edades, J. Elizalde Navarro, Arturo Luz, and Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, together with key pieces by modernists Romulo Olazo, Juvenal Sansó, Romeo Tabuena, Lao Lianben, and Nena Saguil. Major highlights include a very rare early work by Mr. Edades. An oil painting of an unidentified young lady circa 1930s is offered by the family of fellow National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz. Two other key art pieces in the sale are a large monochromatic BenCab acrylic on canvas painting depicting two of his iconic Sabel muses, and a rare 1961 Barcelona era work by Alcuaz entitled Night in Marantz, a surrealist landscape. As in all major sales of Philippine collectibles, antique hardwood furniture and ecclesiastical pieces are on offer, among these a pair of 19th century Ilocos four-post comodas and an 18th century pair of molave altar columns. They auction will be held live and online on Nov. 27, 2 p.m. To view the catalogue and register to bid, visit Under the Tree: The Wish List (salcedoauctions.com).
Visayas Art Fair
CEBU DESIGN Week in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts presents the first Visayas Art Fair on Nov. 25 to 28 at the Montebello Villa Hotel, Cebu City. With the theme “Connecting the Islands Through Art,” the Visayas Art Fair 2021 showcases Visayan identity, arts and culture. There will be 17 participating galleries from Visayas and nine galleries from the National Capital Region. Among the activities are lectures, on the spot painting contests, a nude art class, crochet bombing, and a fashion show. All guests, exhibitors and staff must be vaccinated. Non-vaccinated individuals will have to pay an undergo COVID-19 antigen test on site (priced at P380) and must receive a negative result. Pre-registration of guests online is encouraged. Hygiene stations will also be put in place. Guest capacity will be based on regulations of IATF that will be implemented during the time. To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/VAF2021. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/cebudesignweek.
Virgin Labfest 16 visits its archives
THIS year’s Virgin Labfest (VLF), hosted by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Writer’s Bloc, and Tanghalang Pilipino, will go digital again. This edition will focus on education, with festival components revolving around the theme of FFF — Fair, Fellowship and Flashback. The festival will be streamed from Nov. 24 to Dec. 5, on the CCP, VLF, and Tanghalang Pilipino Facebook Pages. The Playwrights Fair features conversations with playwrights from all over the country at 8 p.m. The Fair recognizes the works and life of the artists/playwrights who passed during this time of pandemic. The event also features current playwrights, their challenges, efforts, and experiences with virtual platforms used, to cope with the situation the pandemic brings to the theater community, and to get updates about local and US based theater communities. The Writing Fellowship Program will be conducted from Nov. 16 to Dec. 5 under the tutelage of playwright Glenn Sevilla Mas. The Culminating Activity which will be streamed for public viewing on Dec. 5 will be directed by Dennis Marasigan. The festival will feature some of the best works from VLF 1-15, culled from the archives of the CCP. For more information, follow VLF on CCP Social Media platforms, or visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.
Leon Gallery’s The Kingly Treasures Auction
THE LEON Gallery presents will hold The Kingly Treasures Auction on Dec. 4, 2 p.m. The auction will feature 184 items for sale including Fernando Amorsolo’s Girl with a Clay Jar (1937), Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s Fish Vendors (1975), and Justiniano Asuncion’s watercolor of a mestiza (1840s). Other items include a lot of three historical flags — the Philippine flag (1899), an American flag with 45 stars, and the Spanish Flag taken from the Aduana (Customs House) at Intramuros — and the Telesforo Chuidian Sword (1899). To view the catalog, visit https://leon-gallery.com/…/The-Kingly-Treasures-Auction. To register to bid, visit https://www.leonexchange.com/en/auctions.
Artbooks.ph releases new titles
ARTBOOKS.PH has released a number of new books this month, from a look at an auteur to studies on spirituality, to architectural discussions and essays being gay. Among them are Sine ni Lav Diaz : A Long Take on the Filipino Auteur (P1,500), edited by Parichay Patra and Michael Kho Lim. This collection of essays is the first book-length study on the groundbreaking filmmaker. Another release is the Dictionary of Philippine Mythology (P760), a new English translation of Ferdinand Blumentritt’s Diccionario Mitologico de Filipinas, edited by Jordan Clark of The Aswang Project. First published in 1895, Mr. Blumentritt’s the first book dedicated to the study of indigenous Philippine mythology and religious beliefs. The new edition seeks to “create an accurate interpretation of the original release and convey the intent as proposed by Blumentritt” for a contemporary audience. The book also includes Mr. Blumentritt’s Ethnographic Map from 1890 and his 1901 list of Philippine Tribes and Languages for further context and visualization. Also on the list is Grace Nono’s Song of the Babaylan: Living Voices, Medicines, Spiritualities of Philippine Ritualist-Oralist-Healers (P2,100), a pioneering interdisciplinary study of the world of healers in the Philippines and all the sounds and beliefs that it holds. The book was named the Best Book in Spirituality at the 2014 Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards, and Best Book in Arts & Culture in the 2014 Gintong Aklat Awards. The first in a series of books on Manila’s architectural heritage by Fernando N. Zialcita and Erik Akpedonu with Victor S. Venida, Endangered Splendor Vol. 1: The Center (P1,800) gathers significant buildings from the Spanish, American, and early Independence periods which have survived to this day. Edited by Mark Blasius and Richard T. Chu, More Tomboy, More Bakla Than We Admit (P699) is an anthology of essays that explore the unique identities, behaviors, and nuances that distinguish Filipino lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons.
Bio of Leonides Virata launched
STATE-OWNED Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) hosted the launch of the biography of its former chairman, Leonides S. Virata, recently. Written by writer and columnist Butch Dalisay, the book, O, Ilaw: The Life and Legacy of Leonides S. Virata, chronicles the professional accomplishments of the former DBP chairman both in government service and in business. Mr. Virata was connected with the research department of the Central Bank before moving to Philamlife in 1952 to direct the company’s support for various projects including Far East Bank, Bacnotan Cement, and Manila Doctors Hospital, among others. After almost two decades in the private sector, Mr. Virata was appointed Secretary of Commerce and Industry in 1969 before being appointed DBP chairman in 1970, where he is credited for the shift in DBP’s focus and orientation to support countryside development.
Risa Hontiveros launches new book
Risa Hontiveros is launching a new book, Healthy Buhay, Happy Mama: Risa Hontiveros’s Journey Through Motherhood, during National Reading Month that aims to empower women during the new normal and beyond. She reflects on her own career as a successful journalist, politician, and community leader in her new book as a springboard to giving advice specific to other Filipinas. Her stories and advice revolve around four key areas: work-life balance, finances, health and wellness, and navigating the new normal as a mother. Healthy Buhay, Happy Mama is published by Bookshelf PH, a boutique publisher and marketplace for books, ebooks, and audiobooks. The title is one of several new ones from the publisher aimed at providing advice to Filipinos for the new digital economy. The first 200 copies of the book will be personally signed by Ms. Hontiveros.