nameabledaysPage2: Events whirl even after Arts Month

2. Tres Kantos
Three Exhibits in Manila by Sydney-based Filipino Artist Edd Aragon

Edd Aragon, artist and famous Filipino cartoonist of the Sydney Morning Herald (and my e-group mate at Banggaan Artists Group), writes in his blog:

“Can't wait to come home to Manila this April, very excited to see family and friends. Will be there for the whole month and hope to visit Baguio, Iloilo and Boracay with friends from Manila and North American chapter of Banggaan Art Group. Heber Bartolome, Filipino musician / painter and Ben Razon, Filipino photographer helped me a lot in organising the shows, putting me in touch with gallery owners. Thanks guys! Will bring you some bonza rippa Aussie red wine!”

Here are the “three corners” of his homecoming exhbit.

Digitalla Prima
Aragon's digitally-manipulated photographs and scanned images.
(Two Venues)

"Pixels as paint!” Ed enthuses. “I'm now addicted to this wonderful, electronic canvas.
I avoid gimmicky plugged-in effects. A simple paint program like Photoshop
offers simple yet powerful tools; much like an ordinary lead pencil effectively
used to sketch a pretty portrait in the analog world."

Venue & Opening: 3 pm, Sunday, April 6, The Oarhouse, 1803 A. Mabini St,
Malate, Manila tel.(+632 4508301)

Mulat!
Aragon's ultra-violet light-reactive (inivisible) paintings on canvas of legendary
Filipino and western rock & blues musicians, nudes and allegorical images.

"I can't help but think analytically when using u.v. reactive materials,” Edd explains. “The process is tricky, e.g.using white paint to appear as black under u.v. light, and develop the painting as I go; brushwork is almost second nature; but the theme is my real palette, like bridging the old and modern day heroes using musical and visual allusions in an alternative light. It's almost like exploring the dark side of the moon. Truth is hard to perceive in the blinding day-to-day life and light. Beneath the prismatic chaos reside the ultra-violet rays of rapture for things unseen."

Venue & Opening: 5 pm, Saturday, April 12, Banyuhay ni Heber Arts & Music Center, 170 Banlat Rd, Tandang Sora, Quezon City

Op Edd!

A collection of Aragon's opinion editorial (op-ed) cartoons and caricatures published in The Sydney Morning Herald, including prints of his political cartoons currently in exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra.

"Newspaper culture is universal; artists and journalists working together but each in his own world and constantly aware of events and deadlines,” Edd tells us. “My experience in Manila as newspaper cartoonist brought me confidence and tenacity to work in Australian newspapers since 1980. I've always injected the element of human form in my editorial drawings; and enjoy using manual airbrush to draw, scanned and brought to a paint program and rebirthed."

Venue & Opening: 6 pm, Saturday, April 19, Maestro, Masterpiece Art Depot, 2nd flr. rm 207, Seneca Bldg,1152 E.Rodriguez Ave, Quezon City, tel (+632) 396 5488

The artist at work on his Tandang Sora (Melchora Aquino, "Mother of the Philippine Revolution") UV painting)

The Filipino Artist as Invisible Man

(excerpt)

By Alfredo Roces

…The Filipino artist is also part of Australian culture whether this is recognized or not. Perhaps our artistic role of expressing the state of Australian culture today lies in our very invisibility. It says something, doesn't it? We came to Australia to be free, and if the price of freedom is anonymity, so be it.

Edd's current work [of UV-reactive art] speaks to me about visibility and invisibility. Under ordinary light his new canvases are white and empty–invisible paintings. But under ultra violet light, or what is known as blacklighting in the billboard advertising game, strange images appear.

It seems to me, the new migrant to Australia is like these “aragonite” paintings—blank and invisible to those who only see from a certain cultural framework, those who apply only one special code for recognition within a closed exclusively English speaking mode.

But place him under a different light, his own light, a light equally valid and equally luminous, and we might uncover perhaps unique noble traits and virtues. We may encounter basic humanity behind that anonymous facade.

Painting is not merely an image on canvas hanging on a wall. The viewer is asked to confront that image. The result of this confrontation decides what happens to the work of art. You have the artist-creator, you have his work, and you have the viewer. The three must interact and come together to produce the beauty and magic of art.

3. Printemps des poètes

The Alliance Francaise de Manille fete of spoken poetry & good wine
is slated for April 2
L'ELOGE DE L'AUTRE, CARREFOURS, CROISEMENTS, METISSAGES
“In praise of the other: crossroads, crossings, crossbreedings”

The French, as represented by its local cultural center, Alliance Francaise, is most friendly to poets apparently around the world, as the event is observed in French cultural centers all over. Alliance deputy director Christophe Farges and board director Deanna Ongpin-Recto host the yearly event. Judging from pervious editions, Printemps is a most gracious literary event, well-attended by an appreciative audience, poet-readers, musicians and performers, and well-provided with tables of fine victuals and generous servings of French viticulture. Overall a heady literary treat for lovers of the word.

4. Romanza Book Launch

To be soft-launched at Printemps des poètes at Alliance is painter/watercolorist Marivic Rufino's bilingual art-and-poetry book Romanza. In a volume lovingly designed by Eva Peñamora and published by Tahanan Books of Reni Roxas, Mav's paintings are paired with National Artist Rio Alma's poems in the traditional Filipino short forms of the Tanaga, Diyona & Dalít. Romanza is edited with translations by Marne L. Kilates, and an introduction by the art critic Ruben Defeo.

Here are samples of the Marivic Rufino paintings, with the Rio Alma poems and my translations.

Sagot sa Lutrina

Nagbabalik ang ulan
Para magbayad-utang
At ang hampas ng hangin
Para muling maningil.

Answered Prayers

The rain comes back
To pay debts
And the wind
To collect payments.

Dahas

Ano nga ba ang dahas?
Isang bisig ng poot,
Kapanalig ng lakas,
At kabiyak ng lungkot.

Violence

And what, indeed, is violence?
An arm of rage,
A co-believer of force,
A spouse of sorrow.

Selos

Ang gabi’y lumalalim
Kahit hindi hukayin.
Ang mata mong malambing,
May sampung libong tabing.

Jealousy

The night deepens
Though no one’s digging it.
Your sweet eyes hide
Behind thousand veils.

❜