“PALANGGA” by Rommel Flores
Through years of watching art exhibits put up by the Fine Arts program of the University of the Philippines Cebu College (UPCC) two things would catch my attention: concepts and choice of materials.
These two things separate the shows the program puts up from the usual art exhibits in the city.
It communicates to all and sundry that the program is very much a cerebral one.
In “The Sentenaryo,” a show put up by the program in celebration of UPCC’s 100 years of existence, the tinkering of materials continues.
It would be hard to dwell on concepts in an exhibit that showcases 100 works, each by a different artist.
However, the wit and courage in using non-standard media was very much in
display.
The six works that caught my fancy might not be the best pieces aesthetic wise, but they are to my opinion the ones that carry the spirit of the UPCC Fine Arts program.
The most colorful of my pick has to be Tura Buenaventura’s oil on driftwood.
The work’s motif and bright colors strike me as very oriental.
This three-dimensional art evokes a kimono sprawled over a sofa.
“Back to You” by Yvette Malahay
Just as oriental evoking is Yvette Malahay’s “Back to You,” an origami mosaic on wood which depicts a silhouette of branches on a sunset.
It seems a bit sentimental but not as emotional as Rommel Flores’ “Palangga,” an acrylic on styrofoam depicting a dad carrying his daughter on his shoulders.
Jogen Mil’s “Flower, Pet Bottles and J.B.’s” which uses soda bottle caps is an eye-catching conversation piece. It presents an innovative use for a very common item.
The most elegant looking has to be “Siren Minaudiere in Blue Capiz” by Neil Felipp San Pedro. It might also be the smallest work in the exhibit.
Sio Montera’s “Ibagsak” surprised me a bit. His scratched letters on a metal plate does support the school’s left-leaning sentiments.
I’ve always thought of Montera, an abstract minimalist, as more on the “burgis” and so this work subtly reveals his political soul.
The show is not so forward looking though.
We don’t, for example, get to see creative video loops and digital expressions.
Or maybe some kinetic and interactive pieces.
Be that as it may, the show was able to show quite a spectrum of styles in the local visual arts.