Collage Drop-Outs is an ongoing exhibit curated by Mariano Ching and Isabel Ching (no relations!) on display in Finale‘s Tall Gallery. You can catch it until the end of the year. It was a good mix of different mediums, which was exciting for me since it sparked a lot of ideas for future (!) projects. I personally like working with found objects but I’ve only really explored the paper/pulp/wood variety, so it was nice to see such a big variation.

You can click on the photos to see details on works, or check the exhibit’s page on Finale’s website. I don’t have photos of the videos (there are at least three), so if you want to see those, you can go see it while it’s still up.

FINALE ART FILE
Warehouse 17, La Fuerza Compound,
2241 Pasong Tamo, Makati City

Mon. to Sat. 10AM to 7PM
Tels (632) 813 2310, 812 5034

Continue reading COLLAGE DROP-OUTS: FINALE….

It’s been ten days since my first solo show opened, and I don’t know why it took so long for me to wrangle up the time to post pictures. I think I was hoping people would go instead of just look at photos on blogs (hehe), but I realize that not a lot of people have access to the North, just because it’s so far away from everything else. Except my own house. In any case, these are the pieces I ended up putting up for display.

It was such a great night. Thank you for everyone who dropped by and made it super special. Thanks also to people who talked, tweeted, and wrote about it. I hope to see you in future shows that I am hoping to have. Links to people who wrote about this because I am super happy and thankful:

• TAG ALONG/Nante on Status magazine’s blog.
• Manila Art Blogger/Trickie Lopa. Mostly on Kaloy Sanchez’s.
• Candy magazine online/Macy
• Young Star/Ralph Mendoza
• Living Asia Channel/Chui
• Pilar
• Kat
• Hunter and Hoarder/Barby

More photos of the works and opening night under the cut. Again, it’s up until December 31 at West Gallery. Hope you can drop by and take a look.

Continue reading EXCAVATIONS FROM THE END OF THE WORLD, PT. 2….

My brother, Luis, had his first one-man show on the same day that I did. However, he also had another one-man show at Manila Contemporary that same week. (Insane, I know. He is cray.) Exposition features some of his larger work, which I love without bias.

Typically, I look for themes and meanings behind works of art. Coming from a show I put up myself, I have realized how potentially irritating and inaccurate it is to form analyses of works that have no literature to back it up. I don’t really mind so much; it’s more of I don’t want people to get the wrong idea. In any case, Exposition is pretty straightforward. I think the message here is more of the beauty that can be found in something as commonly depicted as skulls, and that this subject matter doesn’t necessarily have to be macabre or horrific.

I personally think that the fact that these were rendered so detached and void of anything thematic is partly what makes them so beautiful. The scale and the skill with which these pieces were made are what make these pieces so visually arresting. How is one moved by what is essentially a symbol of death, something that depicts the absence of life, feelings, and emotions?

It’s a funny feeling trying to explain why my brother’s work is so good (haha), so I’m going to stop now. If you find these photos to be stunning, however, I urge you to stop by the exhibit one of these days because they are so much more beautiful in real life.

Spot the Shinji.

This is Sarie with my favorite piece, for scale! (She’s about as tall as me.) It’s of a fox, and everyone seems to love it the most.

Detail.

Lion skull.

Our youngest sibling, Isabel, also passed by. We almost never see her around these parts, so it was nice seeing her there. I mean, she’s always fun:

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Exposition is on display until January 8, 2012 at Manila Contemporary (Whitespace 2314, Chino Roces Avenue, Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City). Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday: 11am – 7pm, Sunday: 11am – 4pm. It’s closed on Mondays and public holidays. Contact information: +63 2 8447328, info@manilacontemporary.com.

I went to the Ayala Museum for an exhibit by Ang INK (celebrating their 20th year!) last November 21 so I could meet up with Zeus Bascon, who’s a part of INK. He’s an artist and I’m a fan of his work with collages. I also went there because my friend, Franny, is also a part of it.

There were so many people.

By Pepper Roxas, someone who I’ve always associated with INK.

By Bru Sim. Took this partly because I felt like my sister would love it. :)

Here is Fran! And my fat face!

This is what she made. It’s kind of hard to photograph, because it’s glass on both sides, but I can assure you that it’s very, very lovely.

A close-up of a paper boat!

The Fran abides.

You can view 20 Taon at Ayala Museum’s Ground Floor Gallery until January 15, 2012. Follow the link for museum details.

Hello! As I said in the last post, I’ll be having my first solo exhibit soon. It’s called Excavations from the End of the World, and I wanted to make you feel like rifling through the remnants of an apocalyptic event, like the last remaining archaeologist.

Douglas Adams ascribed a new meaning to ‘ahenny,’ which points to the way people stand when they look at other people’s bookshelves. I just wanted to mention that because it generates a certain image of the type of work I’m going to make, and how people will respond to them. At least in my head.

WHEN: December 6, 2011, 6pm.
WHERE: West Gallery, 48 West Avenue, Quezon City
MAP:

If you go, you’ll also see new work by my brother, Luis Santos, Frederick Sausa and Kaloy Sanchez. They are some of my favorite artists, no biases. I posted about Sausa’s and Sanchez’ work before. Also, I will feed you food and beer.

If you can’t make it to opening night, it’s still going to be up until the end of the year (December 31). Let me know if you’re going to pass by, so I can say hi!

Thanks for reading, and I hope I see you there!

Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday, 9am – 6pm.
Telephone: +63 2 411 0336
Fax: +63 2 411 9221
Email: info@westgallery.com

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These are some of my old pieces, but they’re pretty close to the kind of work I’m making for this show:

From Manilart.

From a group show.

Thou asketh for space, and thou wast givest. Or something.

Since I didn’t have my own room (I share with my sister), I asked for this huge table that nobody used. I’ve been spending my time there when I want into my “Work Zone,” but I was caught in a flurry of trips that led to it being really, really messy. I haven’t properly moved in yet, but here are some photos anyway.

I don’t know what this cubby hole thing used to be for, but I asked for it, and now I keep my Washi tape, Dymo thingums, and bits and pieces of paper, such as important Field Notes notebooks, which fit snugly into each pocket.

First instinct was to dump everything on this fine, fine desk. The problem is that because it has so much stuff on top of it, I have resorted to working on the floor.

This is a preview of my upcoming show, I guess! Please try to save the night of December 6 for me. I will feed you. :)

The idea is that once I get a breather, I fix this space up really good. It’s a temporary set-up, but it’s the best place I currently have access to, so I might as well make it mine.

Also: I should get used to ghosts, as this area is reportedly haunted. It’s a little problematic, because I find myself scrambling down a staircase at 4:30 in the morning with half-done projects, scared out of my wits because my brain has started to malfunction. BUT I WILL OVERCOME.

Mostly because I have to.