Ramon Orlina at Alliance Française de Manille

MANILA, Philippines - Ramon Orlina mounts “Glass and Bronze,” which opens on June 18, 6:30 p.m., at Alliance Française de Manille’s Total Gallery, 209 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel Air II, Makati City.

For this exhibition, Orlina presents once more his trademark pieces in green glass with their iridescent arches, perspectives and shapes, side by side with lustrous sculptures in cast bronze that he has newly created.

Orlina has the distinction of being the pioneer in the use of glass as an artistic medium of expression in the Philippines. In the early years when the glass medium was treated as “decorative” by the art community, Orlina single-handedly struggled to achieve recognition for his glass sculptures. His tireless efforts bore fruit and he succeeded in elevating glass into a medium of fine art, now much admired at home and abroad. He was the only sculptor in the Philippines and in the whole ASEAN region to sculpt from large blocks of glass using the formidable cold method in the mid ’70s. Since then he has broken new ground for this medium and become a major influence on other Filipino artists who have also ventured into the glass medium. 

Through his art, Orlina promotes Filipino cultural identity and Filipino originality and ingenuity. His most significant works in the country are his large-scale works which include “Oneness” which majestically stands at the ASEAN Park at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, a giant mural called “Paradise Gained” at the National Museum, and the “Risen Christ” at the EDSA Shrine. 

At present, Orlina has found his way back to his beloved alma matter, the University of Santo Tomas where he finished Bachelor of Science in Architecture, and where he is working on “Tetraglobal,” an outdoor monumental work commissioned by the University for its 400th Anniversary in 2010, to be located at the Alumni Park.

The show is on view until July 13.

For information, call AFM director Olivier Dintinger or cultural PR officer Earl Parco at 895-7441 or 895-7585, or e-mail odintinger@alliance.ph or cultural@alliance.ph.