halfwhiteboy

One of the galleries at Pinto Art Museum. Taking selfies and photos for their OOTDs and Instagram accounts is arguably on a lot of the minds of people who flock to Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, Rizal . Yup, and that includes me. After all, Pinto Art Museum is perfect for OOTDs and Instagram shots . I hope, however, that people don't forget something that makes Pinto so important in the first place-- the art . The museum houses an extensive collection of contemporary art, mostly from up-and-coming artists. Let's take a look at some of them.

Signature Gabito. One of the pieces on display at Ignore the Noise. It was a painting at furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue's showroom at Hive , one of a shrouded figure set against a black backdrop and that seemed to jump out of the frame. The figure was unmistakably human, kneeling, head bowed and with one hand clutching his chest, like he was defeated, devastated or something. There was a certain creepiness to it that spoke to me, appealed to me. It was hauntingly beautiful and I was completely mesmerized. I would later learn that the painting was the work of a young artist named Dino Gabito , and that he had just held his first solo show on the same month I saw his painting at Hive. It drove me nuts that his show, which was aptly called Shroud Ides of March , featured several more such paintings of shrouded figures, more so when I found out all his pieces were sold out -- and that there is a long wait list for his works. Seventeen months later Gabito is now holding hi...

A sampling of eye candies at this year's Art in the Park, at least two of which now have new homes (*wink wink*). It was exactly 364 days of waiting since the first time I've been to Art in the Park , an annual one-day event organized by the Museum Foundation of the Philippines Inc. and Philippine Art Events Inc. where affordable artwork is sold. Set in, er, a park, the event has consistently been attracting a sizeable crowd eager to buy or simply peruse works of art from big-named and independent art galleries, art schools, and other groups. Kwittiegirl was with me this time around and we both joined in the legions of people who trooped to the Jaime Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village, Makati City last Sunday, March 22. We arrived at around 11 in the morning and the place was already packed. Although the country's most significant affordable art fair wasn't scheduled to open until 10am, there were reportedly already hordes of people waiting outside the park's ...

Installation by Maxine Syjuco. I've heard of it before yet I still keep on missing it year after year anyway. But yesterday, March 23, I was finally able to catch Art in the Park at the Jaime Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village, Makati City. Although I only arrived at past-five already, I still had a good two or so hours looking around, perusing the artworks, and grabbing some dinner and coffee. Art installations The steel frames and enlarged photographs installation by artist Maxine Syjuco first greeted me at the park. I then made a right and into artist Pete Jimenez's exhibit dubbed "Iron Will," a visually intriguing display of everything iron, cast, twisted, and welded in every which way. There were huge pieces involving car hoods and doors, pipes and pipe elbows, as well as smaller items that would fit perfectly atop a console. Pete Jimenez's "Iron Will."

A mere two weeks after catching Art Fair Philippines 2014 , which showcased the best in contemporary art by Filipino artists and by some of our Southeast Asian neighbors, art has gotten me excited once more. I just learned that Art in the Park 2014 is happening on March 23! A sampling from the 2010 staging of Art in the Park. It's one of those events I've always been wanting to attend but for some reason, I'm always out of town or something when it happens. Not that I'm hellbent on collecting art with much urgency, it's just that I want to see beautiful things at the very least. Buying anything will largely depend on my wallet and probably only after much thought and a lengthy mental debate with myself.

(Continued from Part 2 ) This is the last of three posts about the recently concluded Art Fair Philippines 2014 . I know it maybe too late (definitely too late!) to catch it but I'm hoping to show you some of the artwork exhibited at the event just in case you're interested in anything. That said, you can check with the art galleries concerned. *   *   *   *   *   *   *   When someone says art, paintings are what comes to mind first. But of course art isn't all about them. At the recent Art Fair Philippines 2014, I was also drawn to the sculptures and other creations that qualify as "display items" on your table, console, or shelf.   For instance, at the exhibition booth of Art Cube, I was wowed by the intricate designs and the sheer amount of detail involved in their Alice in Wonderland mixed metal sculptures by artist Daniel Dela Cruz. I mean, just look! "Where do I go, I don't much care where.." by Daniel Dela Cruz,...

(Continued from Part 1 ) This is the second of three posts about the recently concluded Art Fair Philippines 2014 . I know it maybe too late to catch it but I'm hoping to show you some of the artwork exhibited at the event just in case you're interested in anything. That said,  you can check with the art galleries concerned. "Sleepwalkers" by Genepaul Martin, Secret Fresh Aren't they adorable? They remind me of our dear cats  Kwittie Boy and Foreman . The artist responsible for them, Genepaul Martin, calls them "Sleepwalkers" and there's more of them in full color. Of course I had no idea who the artist was. It was My Bibe who knew him through Instagram and she was most excited to meet the guy and see his work up close. Represented by Secret Fresh , he was the only artist featured in their über cute booth that resembled some whimsical fantasy land. He must be that special. Although I just tagged along, I share My Bibe's appreciatio...

A piece by Iggy Rodriguez, Manila Contemporary I'm no art afficionado and I'll be the first to admit I know very little to nothing about art, but I'm glad we went to the Art Fair Philippines 2014 last Saturday. I certainly had a good time, snapping photos away with my phone, and the Php 150 entrance sure was money well-spent. The event ran from Feb. 20-23 with a special VIP preview last Feb. 19. It was held at the 6th and 7th levels of The Link car park. Only on its second year, Art Fair Philippines bills itself as the premier platform for exhibiting and selling the best in modern and contemporary visual art. The 2014 staging featured 28 galleries ( I didn't even know we had a lot of art galleries in the Philippines! ) and 7 solo exhibitions, none of which I recognize. Well, except for BenCab and Kenneth Cobonpue. Although the exhibitors have already packed up, their respective galleries are still very much open, which is why I decided to still post these photo...

I'm not a fan of taking photos in low light, what with all the inconveniences of special lenses, tripods and lighting equipment low-light and nighttime photography entails. However, I do appreciate the products of such patient and meticulous labor. I just don't have the patience to wait for even a minute to complete a single shot. I guess slow shutter speeds just aren't my cup of tea. So imagine my amazement when I learned that there's a Texas-based photographer named Noel Kerns who specializes in night photography. Night photography! Mind you, the images that he captures are nothing short of stunning. I love how he says he shoots almost exclusively by the light of the full moon. He does employ a few special lighting tricks here and there but still, measuring shutter speeds -- or lack thereof -- in terms of minutes instead of seconds or fractions thereof is something I just don't have the patience for.