Postura Exhibit of Romulo Galicano and Patis Tesoro Travels to Cebu

Select pieces from one of last year’s most successful and most talked-about art exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Postura: Portraits, Prestige, Posterity, travels to Cebu for a limited, ten day exhibition at the Northwing Atrium of SM City Cebu. 

Postura presents a collection of formal portrait paintings by Romulo Galicano, together with Filipiniana couture and Ninay dolls of top designer Patis Tesoro. 

While the earliest Philippine portraits were made in remembrance of those who had passed on, portraits now, with men and women in their best attire and poses, serve as powerful non-verbal communicators of present prestige, affluence, and stature. 

Romulo “Mulong” Galicano, a son of Carcar, Cebu, is undoubtedly the most sought-after portraitist at present. Internationally recognized, his Portrait of Eddie Chua received the top honors in the prestigious 2005 Portrait Society of America Competition in Boston. His talent as a portraitist is seen in his ability to capture not only the likeness, but the soul and personality of his sitter. His paintings of the powerful and the influential, of industry captains, matriarchs, and young heirs ensure the preservation of their visage for posterity.

The name of Ma. Beatriz “Patis” Tesoro, on the other hand, is synonymous with Filipiniana wear. Indulging in the basic elements of the dress, particularly texture and embellishment, Patis has been refashioning Philippine attire, making them more than mere costumes of remembrances, but clothes to be remembered by.

Known also in the fashion circuit as a champion of the dying arts, crafts, and culture, among her significant crusade was the revival of the piña weaving industry in the Aklan provinces; the creation of a new, affordable fabric, piña seda, which is a weave of piña and silk; and through the Katutubong Filipino Foundation (KFF) which she co-founded with former First Lady Amelita Ramos, the improvement of the natural dye production in the country. 

The Cebu Postura is scaled-down version of the large Manila show in June, but equally impresses with the choice works of Galicano and Patis re-presented for the Cebu audience. The show will be on view from January 31 until February 8. 

Postura: Portraits, Prestige, Posterity is made possible by the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the Province of Cebu, Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, SM City Cebu, Aboitiz One, Inc.and Finale Art File.