Chromatext redux

Enter the gallery and a pair of wooden sculpture with carved literary text – a handcrafted door and a slab showing Jose Rizal in repose, with Josephine – by National Artist Napoleon Abueva greet you to your right. Beside Billy’s door hangs another "literary hybrid" – with text and pictograms on clear acrylic float. Titled "Freddie Heiroglyph (for Alfrredo Navarro Salanga)," the artwork by Cesare A.X. Syjuco includes a poem, also his. Salanga used Syjuco’s work for the cover of a Philippine Studies journal issue in 1984.

On the left-hand wall by the entrance to the CCP’s Bulwagang Juan Luna is another text/image composite on backlit acrylic panel, showing a tank with its big gun firing. Also by Cesare, it’s titled "Talk Trees (for Ray Albano)."

The rest of the offerings upon entry compose an array of intriguing works by familiar names in the visual and literary arts scene/s, led off by a centerpiece sculpture in black plaster titled "Ako" – a self-bust, and what a bust, or busts, by Agnes Arellano, showing a bald lady with four pairs of breasts.

There are five large pastel portraits by National Artist Bencab of his favorite Filipino writers (Nick Joaquin, NVM Gonzalez, F. Sionil Jose, Andres Cristobal Cruz, and an upstart who suspiciously looks like Erap in profile).

Beside the Erap look-alike is a wall installation of 30 frames of vintage book pages minimally slotted in various parts to reveal strips of Chinese paper in glittering gold and red. Titled "Wretched Gold" by Eric Gamalinda, it came in the mail from New York on the eve of the exhibit opening. Beside it hangs a color xerograph of composite images and text sent in by David Cortes Medalla from London.

Other features in this entry section include Pete Lacaba’s early graphic print and three of his Salinawit series of Western music standards adapted into Tagalog; a large oil abstract in double-canvas by Rock Drilon; a couple of paintings by Manny Baldemor; early prints by Pandy Aviado incorporating poems by Eric Torres and Tony Manuud; the "Jeepney" prints series by Danny Dalena interacting with poems by Jimmy Abad; special handcrafted book displays by Babeth Lolarga and Delfin Tolentino; Butch Macansantos’ poem-holograph with integrated art by Pyx Picart; and Fil Dela Cruz’s print in tandem with a poem by Ophie Dimalanta.

National Artists Edith L. Tiempo and Virgilio S. Almario are also represented by two handwritten poems each. On a corner is a large television monitor showing a video sent in by Nick Carbo also from NY, alternating with video from Heber Bartolome featuring Ding Roces who’s visiting from Sydney.

And all those visual and reading treats are just for starters.

You have until Feb. 28 to view a significant, rather staggeringly splendiferous visual cum literary arts exhibit at the CCP Main Gallery, billed as "Chromatext Reloaded," which opened to considerable delight among the participants and guests last Thursday evening.

I kid you not. Involved as I had been in the so-called curating (actually handled excellently by Sid Gomez Hildawa and Jean-Marie Syjuco), I can say with only slightly concealed amazement that everything came together, up roses and hunky-dory, for this grand exhibit that fuses the literary and visual arts.

Mounted by PLAC (Philippine Literary Arts Council) & Friends after the idea was tabled early last year by Cesare and Sid, the show turns a leaf from the ground-breaking "Chromatext I/II" exhibits held at the then-celebrated Pinaglabanan Galleries in San Juan in the mid-’80s.

Indeed, it was time, too, to revive the effort, just as the poetry journal Caracoa resurrected last month, to celebrate PLAC’s 25th anniversary. All I had to do was post a call to a sterling roster of poets and writers here and abroad, and to invite artist-friends’ participation. Well, what do you know? With Eric G.’s contribution barely making it on the final installation hours, the total number of uninhibited exhibitors came up to exactly 87!

Even our dearly departed, like PLAC "orig" Freddie Salanga, Larry Francia and Lilia Amansec are represented, the last two courtesy of Gilda Cordero-Fernando who proved instrumental in pulling in several contributors, including Raul Ingles and Sylvia Mendez-Ventura, apart from lending her own lovely artworks.

Tita Lacambra-Ayala from Davao sent found art with poems, and suggested inviting fiction writer Margot Marfori, whose pair of oil paintings I wouldn’t mind absconding with. Also from Davao came Danny Sillada’s large oil painting with a poem. Merlie Alunan in Tacloban had her son in Dumaguete mail off several poem-posters of hers. Poet and diver Ana Escalante Neri of Cebu sent in a digital collage of dive shots interspersed with her poems. Poet Frank Cimatu collaborated with artist Ramon Rosete III on a large hybrid display, thus joining Lolarga, Tolentino, Macansantos and Picart for strong Baguio representation.

Eileen Tabios of St. Helena, California sent in a five-sheet VizPo wall installation in cruciform titled "List(ing) Poem: Towards The New Filipino Society" wherein each typewritten line is a title of a book by Ferdinand Marcos. Melissa Nolledo-Christoffels in Seattle Fed-Ex’d a large tube with rolled-up canvases of electrifying digital art inspired by her departed father Wilfrido "Ding" Nolledo’s scintillating prose pieces, excerpts of which now hang alongside her works. Luisa Igloria in Virginia e-mailed a visually designed poem for wall projection. Zack Linmark in San Francisco asked well-connected friends here to request movie star Piolo Pascual to scribble, in his own hand, brief poems by Zack right on magazine pages with the actor’s glamor shots.

Yes, it’s that kind of scope and variety on full display, with RayVi Sunico attaching his poems as labels on wine bottles, their row fringing exciting collages by fellow PLACero Ricky de Ungria, UP In Mindanao Chancellor. Marjorie Evasco conducted delicate calligraphy of two poems on rice paper, one in tribute to artist Fernando Zobel’s "Luminosa." Marne Kilates’ poem boldly menaces from a digital collage by Dan Pinto. And Danton Remoto sent in several mixed-media poem offerings.

Writer-painter-musician Heber Bartolome displays several remarkable oil paintings, while Ding Roces has photo prints footnoted by elegant text. Poet Jovi Miroy inspires artist Daniel Tayona with his excerpt on the use of Latin. Graphic designer Beaulah Taguiwalo arranges book pages with illuminating text.

Multi-genre artists Jun Cruz Reyes, Frank Rivera and Judy Freya Sibayan come up with an oil painting, text-integrative collages and wall installations, respectively. Alice Sun-Cua contributes a cross-stitched Dimalanta poem, Thelma Rivera a portrait of Jimmy Abad, and Eric villegas a bas relief profiling that Erap wannabe.

Eyecatching writer-painters Erlinda Panlilio and Mav Rufino shore up the assembly with luminous abstractions paired off with several haiku and a poem, respectively.

Eyecatchers in all that variegated display, to my mind’s eye’s utmost appreciation, include Jean-Marie Syjuco’s virtual sculpture on acrylic mirrors, a painted mixed media installation titled "Tableau to Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire (in memory of Bobby Regala and Lee Aguinaldo)" – with a Nabokov quote: "I am the waxwing slain by the false azure of the window pane." During our set-up, Jean Marie recalled how it was Lee’s favorite line, and that she had resolved to use it well before word got out that Lee passed away, only over a week ago.

Vim Carmelo Nadera also shows why he’s the high priest of multi-genre performing poets in Filipino with his riveting assemblages. "Agua de Mayo" mixes up myriad symbols of fiestas and the rainy season, together with found objects and a rainstick that kinetically serves as a balancing scale on the side of either "Likas" (Nature) or "Likha" (Creation), with an observer participating in the choice by picking up sigay or seashells and depositing these into countervailing containers. Bravo!

Lorina Javier has an exquisitely designed if eclectic gown hanging from the ceiling, with poetic text as embroidery. Raul Funilas mystifies with a peek-a-boo sculpture-installation of a Christ-like birth. And "altarist" Boy Yuchengco concocts a quasi-Buddhist-cum-bulol altar to welcome the year of the Baboy Damo (Boar), replete with lechon on banana leaves as evanescent floor installation.

The young are well-represented, electronically or otherwise, with Jessica Zafra’s slideshow collaboration with a group of digital artists; Lourd de Veyra’s audiotape interaction with Nona Garcia, censoriously accessible only through headphones; Fran Ng’s self-portrait with text as facial tattoo; Joel Toledo’s and Pancho Villanueva’s poem-painting collaborations; Sarge Lacuesta’s and Mookie Katigbak’s video poems and floor installation; Carlomar Daoana’s poem-embellished bridal gown; Ginny Mata’s Vigan photos; Gelo Suarez’s installed deconstruction of a Dimalanta poem; and Maxine Syjuco’s black-and-white photos as self-portraits highlighted with a Tristan Tzara quote.

Fellow Philippine Star mainstays Barbara Gonzalez and Igan D’Bayan obliged my request for participation, lending a painting each, with Tweetums’ work partnered with text. Another formidable columnist from this paper, Billy Esposo, also obliged with a ritual reading of poems to toast Robert Burns Day (also the birthday of former president Cory Aquino and dear departed artist and former CCP honcho Ray Albano) with Glenmorangie single malt whisky and haggis patties on toast with dollops of mashed potato, as prepared by my better half Bambi.

Then Billy’s nephew, Roy Esposo Espiritu, also of Scots bloodline (of the Clan McGregor), and perhaps the only Pinoy who taught himself to play the bagpipes, blew a stately hymn while CCP Chair Emily Abrera cut the ceremonial ribbon together with the National Artists in attendance.

With Roy and the bagpipes leading the way, the crowd streamed into the gallery to find Boyu performing the Tai Chi Tao with a saber, encircled by the Pinikpikan Band on percussion, followed by a Yin Fu Pa Kua pas de deux with Carol Bello, the band’s vocalist.

So it was that kind of evening, too, with bagpipe strains cross-fading with our own indigenous world music to accompany a Chinese martial-art dance – oh how cosmic. And I’m sure I left out some names, since I can still taste last night’s Glenmorangie even as I wrap this up.

Oh, wait. Gerry Cornejo, RJTV talk show host and yet another "Chromatext Reloaded" exhibitor with his photo collages, gets special mention, if only because he had the cheek to enter hallowed CCP ambience with a jar of his GERRY’s Aah-DOBO Espesyal! To gift us with, for pulutan, or as he said, "for rice topping, sandwiches, pasta, noodle soup, salads, etc." At 340 grams net weight, it sells at P135 per jar of regular or spicy chicken, or at P1,000 for eight bottles. Text or call 0916-4124129 or 0917-8164588 for orders. I vouch for the spicy variation, which is nearly as good as my wife’s haggis.

Yes, it was that kind of camaraderie that highlighted the opening of Chromatext redux.