Ongoing exhibit, here and abroad
HUMANature, an art exhibit which runs from 17 August to 16 September, is a joint venture between Transwing Art Gallery and the German Club at the Eurovilla II Penthouse on Rufino St., Makati.
The exhibit was put together by Frau. Rica Rentzing from the house committee of the German Club Manila and Oliver Quingco, curator of Transwing. HUMANature features several artists seeing in perspective: Children, by nature curious and playful, look at the world with wonder, unafraid to try new things. They build bridges, not walls, and have honest opinions for the simplest of things. “Blessed are the children for they shall inherit the earth.” Maternal love binds mother to child. Long before weirdos and geeks… before X-men… the world had ethnic minorities in different parts of the globe. In 1990, more than 100 highland peoples constituted approximately 3% of the Philippine population. Over the centuries, the isolated highland peoples retained their indigenous cultures and traditions which flourished throughout the Philippines before the Islamic and Spanish contacts.
The ten exhibitors are relatively unknown, except for one, Francisco “Paco” Grospe Sy. The inclusion of the late most prominent “Mabini Artist” is not so much a “come on” to the everyman as a challenging “Come on” to purists.
CAVEAT EMPTOR. To reassure the wary before they are asked to part with their money for a work by an unknown artist, perhaps, how about applying the test of “Where-is-a-prophet-knownin-his-own-country?” Three of the unknown artists were chosen by independent German curators to exhibit at the annual Fair for Contemporary Art in Berlin. For the first time, three Filipino artists – Anafe Nemenzo, Kevin Villar Cubinar, and Arnel David Garcia – will represent the Philippines at the International Contemporary Art Fair “BERLINER LISTE” from 15 to 17 September 2017. I cull from Transwing Art Gallery’s endorsement of the selected trio:
“Anafe Nemenzo from General Trias, Cavite, is S&T graduate of Eulogio Rodriguez Institute in 2012. Her works are ‘dancing of the rhythm of the heart and soul… symbols of peace and freedom.’ To Anafe, being an artist obliges her to share it to the world, “because you can’t honor anything by hiding it away.’ She won the third prize in the Transwing Art Gallery competition and was finalist at the latest GSIS competition.
“Kevin Villar Cubinar on his art: ‘I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That’s art to me.’ [His] social art focuses on impact [on] poverty, inequality, pollution, politics and religion among people. Cubinar is a studied artist, engaged in architecture and design. His artworks display a strong sociological and political bent … to draw attention to collective ills and conditions… meant to encourage empowerment or incite change in a community… to change the narrative of today’s neglect. He was inspired [to join] art competitions because of its commitment to nation-building for a better world.”
“Arnel David Garcia is a known artist from Angeles City. (at 45, ‘the grandfather among the three’). Sculptor, but also paints landscapes. (Garcia is a mixed bag of accountancy and computer science, but pursued his muse in the arts.) Respected self-taught artist. He is college instructor of Kapampangan Studies at the Holy Angel University and instructor in the College of Business and Accountancy at another institution. Garcia was finalist in several art competitions (AAP Annual Competition, GSIS, and Metrobank). A man of many parts (president of Kapampangan Manguleampong Gugulis, PR of Katipunan da reng Talasaliksik at Talaturung Kapampangan), researcher on Kapampangan prehistory and archaeology. He published several articles and booklets on Kapampangan arts and crafts.”
Our Ambassador to Germany H. E. Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek will host dinner on September 14, proud to welcome the three participating artists and Transwing President Klaus Hartung and Mrs.Jane Hartung. There are plans for a painting session and a reception to be hosted by the Philippine Honorary Consul in Frankfurt. Tour of Frankfurt and Rheingau and Rheinhessen.
The three artists will also be received by the mayor of Wilhelmsfeld. They will be welcomed by the Knights of Rizal when they do a panting session in Wilhelmsfeld, where a larger-than-life statue of a pensive Dr. Jose Rizal by the Filipino sculptor Anastacio Caedo dominates the high ground. Wilhelmsfeld is a proud sister city of Calamba, Laguna, and bears the cachet as the “Noli Village” because of its provenance as the place where Rizal finished his manuscript.
Among Mr. Hartung’s proud claims is that Transwing sponsored the reprinting of the German editions of Dr. Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere.and El Filibusterismo and the distribution of Dr. Dahm’s Rizal biography written in the German language. Transwing has an impressive collection of Philippine history and art books and, as Herr Hartung is a life-long member of the Fraternity of the Knights of Rizal, his gallery is active in Rizal-themed activities in Germany.
Transwing Art Gallery has partnered with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Art Association of the Philippines (AAP), Philippine Art Education Association (PAEA), German Club Manila, and GSIS Museum. Herr Klaus Hartung was able to realize our three artists’ travel and participation in Berlin Contemporary Art Fair through generous participation of sponsors. Thanks to a creative package (like Hotel Wilhelmsfeld and City Tour of Hedelberg c/o Dr. Fritz Hack; overnight care of H+Hotel WI-Niedernhausen) and the pro-active participation of the artists to give each sponsor an artwork of an even higher value than the sponsorship amount. FEEDBACK: