It’s All About Her
elcome to our Art Issue! We certainly hope we caught your attention with our eye-catching cover star Solenn Heussaff. We haven’t had a cover as sexy or as tantalising as this since Nise Yabut Cojuangco, which was way back in December 2003. I have to admit that I have always had a crush on Solenn and am equally intrigued by her devilmay-care attitude, being able to do anything that she wants, without paying attention to anyone’s opinion.
This beautiful lady is no stranger to the Tatler cover as we previously captured her as an “It Girl” actress and model. But Solenn is definitely more than just a pretty face: the woman wears so many hats (actor, model, endorser, singer, host, media influencer, and wife to Nico Bolzico) that you can’t help but wonder what she can’t do. She did, however, admit to me, “I can’t dance, I’m as stiff as a board and super awkward with anything choreographed.”
This month, we’re all about Solenn as an artist. She has had two sold-out exhibitions in Manila, and was invited to show at the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art, & Antique Show in Miami. I actually own one of her artworks which I bought from the Provenance Gallery. It sits captivatingly front and centre in my living room. She is an artist to watch and a true visionary.
Although I would like to speak more about Solenn, here’s what we have lined up for you in this issue: a special feature on the top art collectors in Asia compiled by the regional Tatler publications including seven from the Philippines; can religion and fashion truly mix? If Vogue’s Anna Wintour says so, why not? Go to page 182 for the scoop on the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination; a retrospective on the life and works of globally renowned artist Pacita Abad, who has brought pride to the country through a career that spanned over 30 years, with works exhibited in over 200 museums and galleries throughout the world; we check on the The Met Theatre, the eight-decade old national landmark has almost been forgotten but is formally re-opening this year, thanks to the NCAA, with renovations costing a jumpstarter sum of Php 270 million. Read about this in “Restoring Glory,” page 188.
Other noteworthy reading are our travel stories on Amanpulo and quintessentially British experiences linked to the much-awaited royal wedding; plus a Tatler exclusive lifestyle trip the Maserati way in our Motoring section; a jewellery shoot by US photographer Eric Michael Roy; a round-up of cocktail conversations in our “On the Radar”; and a tribute to mothers in our gallery section, “From Thy Mother’s Womb.”
We hope this issue will inspire you to go on your own journeys into your imagination, letting your creativity and self-expression bloom.