MANILA, Philippines - Works by a group of artitsts from the Visayas and Mindanao, The VisMin Art Collective, will be the featured exhibit starting July 5 at the Altro Mondo Gallery, 3rd level Greenbelt 5 in Makati.
Titled “Habagatan,” it will be the first exhibit for The Vismin Art Collective, artists who were awardees and finalists of the recently concluded Philippine Art Aards. “Habagatan”, which means "south", will showcase works by Lester Amacio, Cezar Arro, Raul Bendanillo, Mariano Catague, Florence Cinco, Gary Custodio, Rommel Garde, Christopher Gomez, Jana Jumalon-Alano, Gualberto Licong, Dennis Montera, Jericho Vamenta, and Arel Zambarrano.
The exhibit seeks to open an avenue for cross-cultural exchange in art as the 12 artists offer diverse works that are indicative of their respective roots and influences in the Visayas and in Mindanao.
The group came together as a result of the competition, spawning a collective thrust to promote art and fellow artists from their home turf. In “Habagatan,” Philippine Art Award Grand Prize winner Jericho Vamenta offers his signature sgraffito technique, layering color and scratching away at the surface to arrive at a distinctly narrative piece. Dumaguete winner Jana Jumalon-Alano incorporates personal items and found objects in her mixed media series, shaping each artifact into an offering. From Butuan and Iloilo respectively, Gualberto Licong and Mariano Catague mine heavily from Southern folk culture in subject and style. Cagayan de Oro native Christopher Gomez evokes Basquiat in his subversive interpretation of portraiture. Together, the works are not just a sampling of what lies south of the center: they also serve as vessels for the artist’s identity and individual art practice set against his cultural milieu.
The show opens on Thursday, July 5, 6PM until July 29, 2012.
For more info, call the gallery at 501 - 3270 – 71, email altromondo.info@yahoo.com, or visit www.altromondo.com.ph.