PANAY’S PASSION FOR THE ARTS AT SM CITY ILOILO
Panay, the sixth largest and fourth most populous island in the Philippines, is divided into five provinces: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo and Guimaras, as well as the island of Boracay.
The island links past, present and a promising future. It is here that one finds Aklan, which is said to be the oldest province in the Philippines, as well as Guimaras, one of the newest.
The region’s breathtaking beauty, heritage sites, festivals and weaving traditions have inspired homegrown artists for generations. They have also found their voice in events like the Visayan Islands Visual Arts Exhibit Conference (VIVA Excon), the largest and longest-running arts festival in the country, which they take turns in hosting with other Western Visayan provinces.
The recent My City, My SM, My Art at SM City Iloilo brought mallgoers on an exciting cultural journey around Panay, giving them a glimpse of the vibrant art scene in alluring Aklan, the island paradise of Boracay, the gemstone country of Antique, captivating Capiz, glorious Guimaras and sweet home Iloilo.
A joint project of SM, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Shell Philippines, the
Philippine STAR, with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Centerstage Productions, My City,
My SM, My Art is a celebration of Philippine visual arts — painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and filmmaking.
The campaign brings art and people together by showcasing the works of masters, modernists and millennials in a road show 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.
Tourism officials led by Usec for DOT Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation Arturo P. Boncato Jr. attended the launch, together with Asec for DOT Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation Maria Rica C. Bueno, Asec for DOT Tourism Development Roberto P. Alabado III and Region VI DOT director Atty. Helen J. Catalbas.
They were joined by Tourism Promotions Board CO O Marie Venus Q. Tan, PACEOS president JM Antonio B. Pascual and Iloilo provincial administrator Atty. Suzette Mamon.
SM officials led by SM senior vice president for marketing Millie Dizon and SM City Iloilo assistant mall manager Jasmine Lynn Maquiling warmly welcomed them.
Guests enjoyed the program, which included an AVP hosted by Atty. Sedfrey Cabaluna featuring the amazing works of Panay artists. These works were exhibited in and around the My Art Gallery, which was inspired by the Panay house in the Visayas.
My City, My SM, My Art featured Aklan artist Anna India de la Cruz-Legaspi who weaves the magic of pina into her exquisite works of art; as well Boracay-based Filipino German artist Andrew Gritzka who creates uniquely upcycled mixed media pieces.
Antique, the province where the mountains meet the sea, was represented by Alberto Emmanuel Villavert III, who has won grand prizes in prestigious competitions like the 10th PLDT Telephone Directory Cover Competition and the Shell National Students Art Competition in 1994.
Alvin Bueno, Jr., who is known for his cubism style and Lino Villaruz whose works are fashioned from local materials like the sand of the famous Baybay beach in Roxas City gave mallgoers a glimpse of the vibrant arts scene in Capiz, the Seafood Capital of the Philippines.
The beautiful island of Guimaras known for its sweet mangoes, sweet memories, also offers many artistic opportunities as seen through the works Robert Vargas and Edmar Colmo.
Back in sweet home Iloilo, Momo Dalisay amazed guests with his Living Art; while Alan Cabalfin and Antipas Delotavo were feted for their mastery of their respective crafts.
Alan Cabalfin is an artist of mixed persuasions and many talents. Although he originally broke into the Iloilo arts scene as a watercolorist, he became well known as a ceramic artist after training with Nelfa Querubin in Miago-ao, Iloilo, and in ceramic art in Japan.
He says that of all art forms, he decided to focus on clay art because it is different, and clay makes him literally and figuratively more in touch with his land. Cabalfin’s passion for pottery was translated into cinema when he made his first short film, Dihon (Mold) in year 2000. Dihon has won several awards including the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Grand Urian, Film Academy of the Philippines citations and became the country’s official entry to the Kodak Worldwide Student Program Cinematographers Competition in Sydney, Australia.
Cabalfin spends half the year in the US where he shares his art as part of the Blue Ridge Potters Guild. He spends the other six months in Iloilo where he gives back to the community by molding young talents through workshops and lectures.
Antipas “Biboy” Delotavo’s works, on the other hand, reflect social realism. A master of portraiture, his subjects are as real as it can get. He illustrates human expressions like no other.
In 2013, he mounted an exhibit called “Mallcontents,” which revolves around the mall and its impact to Filipino lifestyle and culture.
Born in Iloilo in 1954, Delotavo studied Fine Arts at the Philippine Women’s University in Manila. He is a grantee of the Embassy of France and the British Council where he was the recipient of travel grants to Paris and London, respectively, both in 1980.
His works have also been exhibited in the Che-ju Pre-biennale in Korea in 1995 and the 14th Asian International Art Exhibition in Japan in 1999, as well as in New York, Singapore, Berlin, Chang Mai in Thailand and Madrid.
More recently, he was part of the “Pinto: Manhattan Manila” exhibit in Tribeca, New York City in 2018.
With its aim of bringing art and people together, My City, My SM, My Art also conducted a terra cotta art-making workshop conducted by Cabalfin. Nelmar Ejar won the grand prize and brought home SM gift certificates.
My City, My SM, My Art is a take-off from the previous My City, My SM campaign, which promotes tourism; My City, My SM, My Cuisine, which highlights regional culinary specialties; and My City, My SM, My Crafts, a celebration of traditional art and modern Philippine design in cities where SM has malls. My City, My SM, My Art’s next stop is in SM City Cebu.