RYAN & GAROV S VERGARA
Everywhere We Shoot
“‘Garovs, hindi ko kaya, hawakan mo ako,’ as we ripped a part of the wrapper and found it was a framed piece! So ayun, naka nga-nga nalang kami sa kotse on the way back to the hotel. We brought it up to our hotel room and opened it there! Best ending to our wedding!”
YSTYLE: What do you look for specifically in pieces you collect?
Actually, we don’t look for anything. If we get goose bumps, that’s it.
Can you walk us very briefly through your collection?
Our collection is mostly made up of gifts or exchanges with artist friends.
What is your most cherished piece?
Portraits of our cat, FUZI.
Your most memorable acquisition?
Our first Romeo Lee, we didn’t have money at that time ( sabi nga nila, bahala na!), but we felt we really needed to have an artwork by someone as great as Romeo Lee in our lives before we got married. We met him and loved him instantly, so we bought our first.
Also, the night of our wedding, before leaving the reception, we found the gifts for us outside the location. We noticed one wrapped gift looked a bit mysterious, when we got back to the hotel, the gift had a note that said, “Congratulations! From Soler & Mona.” e were so nervous to open it, thinking it might be an artwork.
“Garovs, hindi ko kaya, hawakan mo ako” (we said) as we ripped a part of the wrapper and found it was a framed piece! So ayun, naka nga-nga nalang kami sa
kotse on the way back to the hotel. We brought it up to our hotel room and opened it there! Best ending to our wedding! (Laughs)
Do you believe in multiple pieces from the same artist? Or do you like to keep it diverse?
When you have art with you, you start loving the artist too. So you can’t really help having multiple pieces. It’s more about appreciating and celebrating the art.
Does “art as investment” play a role in your forays? How do you envision the future of your collection?
Yes! Not investment like money, it is an investment for the well-being of the heart and mind. To get to live with art every day, it is a gift in itself.
Do you have a person in mind who has a collection that you admire?
Yes. But we won’t tell the name. But the person lives in a small village in the middle of Makati.
Are you looking forward to #ArtFairPH? Tell us what you’re expecting.
We are excited to see Dex Fernandez’s collaborative work for Garapata (with so many artists!).