It was truly breathtaking to have been surrounded by spectacular works of art at the recent preview and cocktails for the Magnificent September Auction 2018 at Leon Gallery. Leading the way was the epic work “The Nose Flute” by National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco. Highlights included Vicente Manansala’s “Pila sa Bigas (Queuing for Rice)” and “Mga Sabungero (The Cockfighters)” plus Fernando Amorsolo’s “Dalagang Bukid (The Country Lass).”
Collectors and connoisseur guests were also enthralled with bye modern art of the masters, such as Fernando Zobel y Montojo’s “Saeta 52,” Jose Joya’s “Carnival” and two important works from the “Stations of the Cross” series by Ang Kiukok. There were also historical documents from our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal and his wife Josephine Bracken. The personal flag of El Supremo Andres Bonifacio was the only one of its kind.
Curator Lisa Guerrero Nakpil, Ed Cua with Vicente Manansala’s “Pila Sa Bigas”
A bed once owned by the Pardo de Tavera famille and created by Chinese furniture maker Ah Tay was on display. There was the tall kamagong cabinet from the home of Dr. Jose Fabella, the Secretary of Health during the time of President Manuel Quezon.
It was, indeed, a feast for the senses, dahlings, and not just visual but also gustatory. Chef Michelle Tomacruz prepared a hearty buffet spread of Asian dishes paired with overflowing wine.
Enjoying the sights that night were auction partners from the DLSU-CSB’s Museum of Contemporary Arts and Design (MCAD) — curator Joselina Cruz and director Chris Green. Spearheading the cocktails were Leon Gallery director Jaime Ponce de Leon and curator Lisa Guerrero Nakpil. Enjoying the cheerful ambiance were collectors Marivic Vasquez, Dr. Jimmy Laya, Jose Moreno, and Tim Tan, artists Betsy Westendorp and Annie Cabigting, gallery owners Jia Estrella and Tina Fernandez, brothers Jay, Carlos and Matt Laurel, Ken Hakuta, Roselle Allado, the delectable Bambi Harper, and JV Cobankiat.
Michelle Tomacruz, Tina Fernandez with Annie Cabigting’s “Guilio Paolini, Senzo Titulo”
Taking in the spectacular works of art were power couples and lovey-doveys Paulino and Hetty Que, Carlo and Monique Lopez, designer Robbie Santos, arts investment speaker Tonico Manahan, brothers Alex and Mark Jentes, art conservationist Tats Manahan, furniture restorer Mark Wilson, restaurateur and vivaciously adorable Malu Gamboa-Lindo, DF Art Agency’s Derek Flores and media’s eyecatcher Ces Drilon no less.
It seemed like the night would not end as the beautiful guests raised their champagne flutes to the incredible works of art on the walls and the rare historical documents and artifacts in the velvet cases in the premier auction house in the country, Leon Gallery, but where else, palanggas.
Loving Lomography with the Austrian Embassy
SM Aura Premier 2 AVP for operations Ian Mathay, The Podium mall manager Nona Go-Castañares, SM senior vice president for marketing communications Millie Dizon, SOS Children’s Village Philippines board of trustees president Maria Angeles Lapeña, Austrian Ambassador Bita Rasoulian, Lomography Wholesales manager Edwin Chou
The Austrian Embassy in Manila, in partnership with Lomography, SOS Children’s Villages Philippines, Sunny16 Lab, and SM Supermalls, presented the “Snapshots of a Happy Childhood” Lomography exhibition at the SM Malls.
The exhibition, dahlings, that toured SM Malls was launched at The Podium, made a stop at S Maison, and closed at SM Aura Premier. SM Appliance Center Inc., Philips and Cocina Peruvia all supported the event.
The Lomo Instant camera prints in seconds, while the Lomo Instant Automat adjusts the shutter speed, aperture and flash automatically.
“Snapshots of a Happy Childhood” is a 6x14-foot Lomo Wall composed of 1,000 individual snapshots of children taken by Lomography and analogue cameras. The photos for the exhibition were taken by children living in the SOS Children’s Village in Manille while others were submitted by the international Lomography community.
For those who are not in the know, Lomography is a recent type of photography invented by the Lomographic Society, founded in the early ‘90s in Austria. The founders first experimented with a Lomo LC-A, a Russian toy camera. They were taken by the unique, high-contrast photos with vignettes and soft focus. Well, palanggas, now you know, n’est ce pas?
Lomography today is considered an art movement, with different groups around the world aiming to spread and support the art. The Lomographic Society International headquarters is in Vienna, Austria, which maintains a website.
Side exhibitions included “Captured Moments in a Loving Home,” which highlighted photos taken by the SOS children’s film cameras. Mallgoers also had the rare chance to view Lomography analogue, instant cameras, and art lenses up close in the Lomography Classics exhibition.
The children from the SOS Children’s Village Philippines render a song and dance number during the exhibit’s closing reception at SM Aura Premier.
This happening is part of the Austrian Embassy’s initiatives with its Presidency of the Council of the European Union this year. The project focuses on Article 27 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child which states the “right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social development.” I’ll say amen to that!