Galerie du Soleil MNL holds special Lenten back-to-back shows
MANILA, Philippines — Galerie du Soleil MNL, an emerging art and culture hub in the heart of Taguig, launched its third exhibit and two fundraising group shows, “Ama,” a Lenten offering, and “Straight from the Heart.”
The first of the back-to-back shows, “Ama,” was conceptualized by artists Danny Rayos del Sol, Agi Pagkatipunanand Jik Villanueva as an annual Lenten exhibit, an offering, a sacrifice, and an invitation to reflect and contemplate on how the divine relates to humankind, manifesting in fatherhood and its many faces.
The show’s first run highlights nine artists, all fathers, whose works center on spirituality and faith, with each artwork expressing Christian faith and life and how it grounds their approaches toward fatherhood and helps them understand it more.
“The team would like 'Ama' to evolve into a mobile exhibit that can be mounted anywhere, all while consistently highlighting works centered on the Christian faith. Each edition aims to devote its proceeds to a chosen beneficiary each year,” said Villanueva.
This theme continues in “Straight from the Heart,” with its proceeds going to the beneficiary Ino Pagkatipunan, who is Agi Pagkatipunan’s son in need of medical assistance.
Participating artists, both established and emerging ones, have donated their artworks to the show, including Ramon Orlina, Kublai Millan, Ram Mallari, Ombok Villamor, Marge Organo, Melissa Yeung Yap, Richard Buxani, Jeff Dahilan, Wencyl Mallari, Meroy Castrillo, and Elias Pernecita. Galleries such as Artes Orientes and Artologist have also sent artworks to aid the cause.
Galerie DU Soleil MNL doubles as a museum, housing the permanent collection of the Rayos del Sol family. It aims to be a destination that highlights the creative scene in Taguig, spotlighting visual arts, music, dance, spoken word, creative writing, and more art forms, all by Taguig artists but also welcoming creatives beyond the city borders.
For Rayos del Sol, a former officer of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the preservation, promotion, enriching and developing arts and culture has always been his advocacy. “It’s not so much giving back as it is paying forward, as we need to support living artists in their profession,” he said.
“Ama” and “Straight from the Heart,” the back-to-back Lenten exhibit, is ongoing until April 23, 2023.
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