Exhibits at Silverlens Manila
TWO exhibitions are on view at Silverlens in Manila until Feb. 11. Corinne De San Jose’s “Lazy Projectors” is composed of a sound installation, outmoded audio and video systems, digital video, and cyanotypes. She transformed the main gallery space into a multi-sensorial theater to bring to life the lost silent film Dalagang Bukid, considered the first film produced and directed by a Filipino. Information about the actual film remains scarce: it follows the story of a young flower vendor, Angelita (played by Atang de la Rama), as she is forced to marry a local loan shark. It was released with subtitles in English, Filipino, and Spanish. Atang de la Rama had to sing the song “Nabasag ang Banga” in person during its theatrical run. These seemingly isolated bits and fragments of information become De San Jose’s entry points into crafting new works to create an atmospheric, immersive setting. Meanwhile, Mark Andy Garcia’s “Chasing Sunsets” is also on view until Feb. 11. Mr. Garcia is known for his layered, textured landscapes that connect geographies as places of spiritual belonging that make sense of the non-material. “Chasing Sunsets” is his second solo exhibition at Silverlens. Silverlens Manila is at 2263 Don Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati.
POC offers opera classes, new show
THE PHILIPPINE Opera Company (POC) will open the Young Artists’ Series (YAS) 2023-2024 season with I Love OPPA-RA! on March 11, 6 p.m., at the Opera Haus in Makati. I Love OPPA-RA! is a re-imagined show where some of the K-dramas like Penthouse and Vincenzo, to name a few, will be showcased. The YAS started in October 2012 as a soiree held every third Wednesday of the month featuring the Young Artists of Philippine Opera Company. The program is designed to nurture, train, and develop the next generation of classical singers. It provides a professional training ground for young singers in the art and craft of stage performance. For inquiries, call POC at 0917-645-2946. For more details, visit www.facebook.com/PhilippineOperaCompany.
Korean Cultural Center marks the Lunar New Year
ON JAN. 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) will be welcoming the Lunar New Year with Korean traditions, games, and food. Seollal (Lunar New Year) is one of the most important holidays in Korea where families get together. To celebrate Korean-Philippine friendship and relations, and to introduce Korean traditions of the Lunar New Year, the KCC will bring six Korean traditional games and activities for the public to enjoy, with the chance to win prizes. The event is open for everyone of all ages and interests. Visitors can try traditional Korean games such as Ddakji, a game which involves flipping another player’s card, which became famous after Gong Yoo played it in Squid Game. Meanwhile, the game Tuho involves throwing an arrow inside a pot, a game of accuracy and precision that needs concentration skills. Jegichagi is similar to the Filipino game sipa — just kick and keep the shuttlecock in the air as long as possible. And Yunnori is a traditional Korean board game. All participants will be given a stamp card at the entrance which they will use to complete and experience all the traditional Korean games. After playing all the games, participants will do a sebae, which is a traditional Korean bow during New Year to elders, which they can do while wearing a hanbok if they choose. After this, they get a chance to win prizes such as a gift certificate or Korean culture items! The prizes are on a first come and first served basis while supplies last. Visitors can then go to the Cooking Classroom for a hearty bowl of Tteokguk, a rice cake soup Koreans usually eat during the Lunar New Year. The KCC is at 59 Bayani Rd., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Tickets to the Art Fair available
TICKETS are now available for the Art Fair Philippines which will be held this year at The Link in the Ayala Center, Makati from Feb. 17 to 19, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Day passes are P450 and are available at https://artfairphilippines.com/afp2023/visitorinfo.php. Concession tickets — which will only be available on site — are P350 for students with valid IDs and senior citizens and PWDs, while Makati students will valid IDs pay P200.
Andrei Solmirano exhibits at ArtTablado
ANDREI Solmirano started painting at the age of 10 during weekends, holiday breaks, and when she got home from school. From a musically inclined family, she also loved singing, and that muse overpowered the other and she pursued singing as a part-time career. Painting took a backseat as she took on various jobs in the corporate world. But in 2020, she took up the brush again.That led to the opening on Jan. 16, at Robinsons Land ARTablado in Robinsons Galleria, of Andrei Solmirano’s exhibition titled Yadah to the King: Celebration through Art and Music. For this self-taught artist from Caloocan City, art has become an expression of her faith and an “invitation for others to lift their eyes and experience God’s love and goodness.” Yadah to the King is a collection of artworks that celebrate God with images of lions (for the “Lion of the tribe of Judah to display His absolute authority and power over all creation,” abstracts, and florals. Ultimately, what Andrei Solmirano aspires for her art to be able to do is admirable.
ARDP auditions for Agnes Locsin’s Encantada
ALICE Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP) will be holding auditions for a production of National Artist for Dance Agnes Locsin’s Encantada. The auditions will be held on Jan. 27 and 28, 2 to 6 p.m. at the Metropolitan Theater Dance Studio. Male dancers should wear a fitted black shirt and dance shorts, while female dancers should wear black leotards and black tights or fitted black shorts. Dancers are to bring their resumes, vaccination cards, water bottles, and towels. Mask-wearing is to be observed. The auditions will also serve as a masterclass under Ms. Locsin. Sign-up at https://forms.gle/vPohSg44nFFCnvXi6. For more information, visitwww.facebook.com/ARDancePH.
Janelle Marahay paints flowers
JANELLE MARAHAY became a lawyer because even as a child she saw a need to help women. “There is a need to educate women, especially those on the margins, on what their rights are, and what protections they have under the law against abuses and discrimination.” To cope with the stress of law school, she started painting. For this self-taught artist, painting became a means of escape from the uncertainties and terrible things happening in 2020. Selling her artworks provided much-needed funds to get her through law school, and art gave her the outlet to be creative while going through the grueling process of studying law. Flowers as a subject encapsulate her aesthetic. “In reality, flowers are beautiful yet fragile. Portraying them on canvas feels like defying nature: to paint flowers that never wither,” she said in a statement. An exhibit of her works, All Abloom, opened on Jan. 16 at Robinsons Land ARTablado in Robinsons Antipolo. The show is on view until Jan. 31. In her latest pieces, the artist portrays the “complexities, the falls, the flourishings” of being a woman.
Virgilio Almario releases revised edition of poetry book
NATIONAL Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario has released a revised edition of Jose Corazon de Jesus: Mga Piling Tula. Edited by Mr. Almario and published by San Anselmo Press, the collection features over 200 pages of De Jesus’ Tagalog poems, including the popular “Ang Pagbabalik,” “Ang Pamana,” “Ang Manok Kong Bulik,” “Ang Bato,” “Barong Tagalog,” and the poem-turned-patriotic anthem “Bayan Ko,” among other works. Jose Corazon de Jesus was a writer-performer who was dubbed as the Philippines’ “poet of the 20th century,” and “first king of poetry jousts (Balagtasan).” Mr. Almario has made tweaks to the 1984 edition (e.g. spelling, choices of poems, etc.) in order to make the collection more relevant and appealing to contemporary readers. Jose Corazon de Jesus: Mga Piling Tula is available through the Facebook page of San Anselmo Publications, Inc., and through Shopee.
