PHILIPPINE ARTISTS TO BE FEATURED IN ART TAIPEI 2009

by: Jack Teotico

August 2009

18 artworks from leading artists from the Philippines will be represented at ARTAIPEI 2009, slated to start on from Friday, the 28th of August to September 1, 2009. Established in 1992, ART TAIPEI 2009 formerly known as Taipei Art Fair International, is the longest standing art fair in Asia. Now on its 16th edition, it is organized by the Art Gallery Association of Taiwan. 75 exhibitors from 10 countries throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia are participating in the fair. From Asia, galleries come from China (Beijing, Shanghai and Macau), Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia.

The participating Philippine art gallery, Galerie Joaquin (www.galeriejoaquin.com), will be occupying booth A06 at Art Taipei 2009. Among the works being brought by the Galerie are paintings by Award winning artist Jerry Morada, Lydia Velasco, Eufemio Rasco, Jaspher Penuliar, Dominic Rubio, Anthony Palo and PJ Jalandoni as well as sculptures from Ramon Orlina and Daniel de la Cruz.

Morada's works are represented by two works from his forthcoming show "Ginto at Pilak", an entirely new collection. Morada is the Grand Prize winner at the recently concluded GSIS National Painting Competition. Last year, he won the General Manager's Prize at the same competition, and finalist and Juror’s Choice in several other art competitions. He has, in addition, won a couple of first prizes, in the Bureau of Internal Revenue Poster Making Contest, in 1998, and in the Well Painting Competition, in 1999.

Velasco, the daughter of an important movie set designer, worked at several multinational advertising agencies such as DYR, J.Walter Thompson, Ace Compton, Basic, and McCann-Erickson as an Art Director. After forming Lightmoves Photo/Design, she returned to painting and became a senior member of the premiere art group in the Philippines, the Saturday Group headed by the artist Malang. She also chairs the Kulay Marikina group of artists. Velasco's women are graceful yet hardworking, sensual, strong and independent showing all the facets of the artist's inner self. Her works have been auctioned by international auction houses Sotheby’s, Borobudur, Larasati and Masterpiece. Aside from Singapore and Hong Kong, her works have found themselves with collectors in Japan, Germany, the U.K. and Washington D.C., Florida and San Francisco in the United States.

Paete-born Dominic also worked at an advertising agency – Puris Lintas – and at the world-class Pearl Farm resort before painting full-time. His stay in Mindanao gave him the opportunity to travel and live among the indigenous groups on the island, experiences that are reflected in the diversity of cultures found in his work. Rubio went on a two-year sabbatical, which enabled him to develop his highly popular style of long-necked giants in the Asian colonial setting. His current concern is to capture the nostalgia and romanticism of a time gone by while interpreting them with a modern and contemporary sensibility and a whimsical appeal. He has had seven solo shows to his credit, in addition to several group exhibits as a founding member of the Guevarra Group of artists. His works are favorites in the Asian region particularly in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines, and in numerous Singapore art auctions such as Masterpiece and Borobodur.

Rasco, like Dominic Rubio, is an international favorite, his works doing very well in Singapore, Hong Kong and in Manila. Rasco's works have been auctioned in past Sotheby's auctions while Rubio's works have been featured in Masterpiece auctions.

Orlina, a licensed architect, developed his own techniques using a medium he himself discovered and brought to maturity. This is the carved asahi glass. Under his creative sculpting, a medium usually considered cold are transformed into interesting works of art. Orlina is able to bring forth an unparalleled dynamism in his sculptures utilizing the sheen of the medium and encouraging interesting variations of light and color with his interventions. Among the artist’s international recognitions and awards is his being awarded Winner in 1999 of the Toyamura International Sculpture Biennial in Japan. In the Year 2000, he won First Prize in the Sculpture Category in a biennial in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain, He was finalist in numerous biennials and triennials including the Osaka Trienniale in Japan in 1992 as well as in the Fifth International Exhibition of Glass in Kanaza at the Ishikawa prefecture in Japan as well as in the New Glass Review Competition of the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. His works are a favorite in Christie’s Auctions on Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art.

Anthony Palo, PJ Jalandoni and Daniel de la Cruz are the artists newly being introduced in the international art circuit by Galerie Joaquin but are all equally promising.

In focus at ARTAIPEI2009 are Japanese art, in particular Mizuma Gallery, SCAI and Wada Fine Art. ARTAIPEI also hosts the Asia Art Economy Forum with leading luminaries from the art field invited to speak about art trends.