AN ODE TO BOTONG AND THE CULTURE CAPITAL AT SM CITY MASINAG
On Aug. 24, 2010, the province of Rizal was honored as the country’s Culture Capital as part of the ASEAN program that highlights cultural initiatives as a key element in ASEAN community building. Supported by the UNESCO, the program allowed the Philippines to travel through a cultural highway for two years by promoting people to people exchanges.
This is not surprising as the province named after our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal has been known as the Cradle of Philippine Art because of its artists’ communities and folk festivals.
As it continues its cultural journey around the Philippines, “My City, My SM, My Art” pays tribute to National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco in an exhibit at SM City Masinag from June 8 to 12 at the mall’s atrium.
As an artist who influenced, and in turn was inspired by, his community, Botong’s body of work serves as a visual document of timeless and traditional folkways in his beloved Angono, where he was born and lived.
The exhibit will also showcase how cultural spaces in the province today like the Pinto Art Museum serve as gateways for modern and contemporary art through the works of Erwin Leaño and Japs Antido, as well as the Samson brothers — Jerson, Pogs and Jaypee.
Master photographer Danny Victoriano will also exhibit his compelling photographs that not only highlight Rizal’s beauty and culture, but also convey environmental messages. The exhibit will also amaze us by revealing how the Cradle of Philippine Art is nurturing a new generation of artists through art-oriented schools like the University of Rizal System or URS.
A celebration of Philippine visual arts — painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and filmmaking — “My City, My SM, My Art” is a joint project of SM, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the Shell Companies of the Philippines, and The Philippine STAR with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Centerstage Productions.
“My City, My SM, My Art” brings art and people together by showcasing the works of masters, modernists and millennials around the SM Supermalls. Advocating art for all, the team works with communities to mount exhibits, workshops and contests in key cities around the Philippines.