Manny Garibay's favorite airport is... NAIA

Away from the hustle of the city, there is a disarming calm inside the art studio of painter Emmanuel “Manny” Garibay.

Painted white, the walls are immaculate. Clutter is unwelcome here: all the paintings are in the loft, brushes are together, cans and tubes of paint are together, everything is in its right place. The peace is punctuated momentarily by a punching bag quirkily hanging amid all his painterly paraphernalia.

Even the morning sun knows how to position itself into this quite spot — past the lush greenery through the large windows, into the interior and the adjacent balcony. As one peers down from the portico, one could see a flowing brook reminiscent of little country towns in England.

The space is in stark contrast to the festive critiques he paints on most canvases. The whiteness of his walls complement the subject matter he has become known for — Christianity. However, the colors that burst forth in his works often depict crises in institutions of faith, made complex with a touch of colonialism. Despite the vivacity of his images, an overtone of gloom somehow cuts through — a biting commentary on the all-too-real conditions some Filipinos live through on a daily basis.

Believe it or not: At the Taj Mahal complex in India

Fresh from an enriching art residency in New Haven, Connecticut, granted by the Overseas Ministries Study Center, the 49-year-old artist in comfortable green shorts and white T-shirt welcomes me into his studio. Having criss-crossed the globe for such art residencies and exhibitions, receiving awards and recognitions for works of art, Garibay gives key insights not only on traveling at large, but also how it is being an artist on the move.

His replies are as frank as his paintings. He says things as they are. Our exchange is as illuminating as it is fascinating.

PHILIPPINE STAR: What do you remember most of your first trip abroad?

MANNY GARIBAY: I was part of a group traveling to Brunei, a member of a delegation of young artists for an ASEAN painting workshop in 1998. I was there to receive a prize for winning an art competition as well. But more than the prize, what made it memorable for me was the fact that it was my first encounter with some overseas Filipino workers. They became our friends and it was such a relief to be in familiar company, because we didn’t have access to alcohol. They were always so busy — they said they didn’t have time to feel homesick, as there was always so much to do. It felt good seeing such hard-working Filipinos being appreciated the way they should be, by their employers and colleagues.

What won’t you leave home without?

I always try to bring a sketchpad with me, or anything I can draw or write on that is easy enough to carry around in a knapsack. There are inevitable lulls in any journey and it’s exactly during these moments of boredom that one’s mind starts working. Idle time in transit is the best time to just sit down and think and put such thoughts on paper.

Brief encounter: Freddie Alquiros, a collector of Garibay paintings, brings one of his acquisitions to the studio.

How do you pass time at airports?

Airports are converging points where people from different parts of the world come together. There is no better place to observe them, see how their culture reflects on their behavior, how they dress and move about, how they deal with others. I pass the time by looking at people.

Who is your ideal travel companion?

My wife Edna. I travel a lot, but I don’t like traveling, because I’m forever anticipating something to go wrong. I’m always thinking ahead, but sometimes that leads to paranoia. It’s good that I have someone who eases the tension and convinces me not to worry too much.

What is the first thing you do upon checking into a hotel or resort?

Check the bathroom, look out the window and see what view my room has. Perhaps a quick television check. I don’t normally stay inside the hotel room, for I don’t like being cooped up in one. I would rather spend more time in the lobby where I people-watch, see people in and out, up and about.

What would you consider a must-do activity in any foreign city that you visit?

Learn about the people. It would be a shame to be in a foreign place and simply be stuck in a hotel or a resort — no matter what the star category is. Even when it tends to be a discomfort at times, I would much rather stay in private homes. Nothing piques and satisfies my interest in culture more than immersion.

Describe your most memorable trip?

It’s really the scary ones that linger in my memory. Once, coming from Seoul, the plane suddenly plunged several hundred feet. Some of the passengers were screaming and crying in fear. That’s one of my many apprehensions. But because I’ve been traveling so much, I’ve learned to overlook many of those anxieties and angst. I just tell myself “Bahala na.”

Endearing moment: Manny and Edna in a park in Adelaide

What do you miss most when you’re away from home?

I have the nicest house, one that’s really cozy. I always miss the house when I’m away, because I like being home. In fact, on most days, I’m just here with my wife and kids. I long for my house because I’m really happy with it. We found contentment here in the presence of my family.

What is the best travel advice you have been given?

Travel light, which I try to do. Sometimes my wife and I get into arguments, as she tends to bring along items that are cumbersome and unnecessary. But in the end, we work it out.

Let’s talk favorites now. Name your favorite city abroad.

Picking one is hard. But the city that left the deepest impression on me was Edinburgh in Scotland. It must have been because the biggest arts festival was taking place when I was there and instead of cars, it was just this massive spirit of festivity taking over the streets.

Name your favorite spot in the Philippines.

It’s a toss between Davao City and Sipocot, this little town in Camarines Sur. They are both very charming places and there is a kind of innocence in Sipocot that I find captivating.

Dos Filipinos, dos premios: Spanish authorities congratulate Garibay (right) and Ramon Orlina (second from left) after winning second prize in painting and top prize in sculpture, respectively, at the International Biennial of Basketball in the Fine Arts in Alcomendas, Spain

Favorite airline?

Definitely Singapore Airlines. They’re quite ahead in terms of innovations. They have some features — both on board and on the ground — that the other airlines are still planning on. Though they are a bit more expensive, they offer the best in service and comfort. It’s so good that I normally don’t have to pay for my own airfares.

Favorite airport?

It might sound funny, but my favorite airport is still NAIA, despite all the flak it’s been receiving as the worst airport in the world. When you see NAIA, while still on the plane in flight, you already know you’re about to come home. NAIA gives you that feeling — the warmth of homecoming.

Favorite museum? And if you could take home a piece of art, which one would it be?

I guess my favorites are the Prado Museum and the Reina Sofia National Museum of Art, both in Madrid, Spain. I have always admired the Spanish precision of strokes, their sense of craftmanship, which means if I were to take home a piece of art, it’s likely going to be something by a Spanish master. I have been drawn to Diego Velasquez and Francisco Goya ever since, so chances are, I’d choose a painting by either of them. It’s that precision I’ve spoken of that captivates me in Velasquez’s work, and yet — in contrast — what I like in Goya’s is its roughness, a quality of his paintings that I can identify with. I suppose it’s a trace of struggle, a marker not so much of perfection, but control. My control of the medium is very important to me.

Favorite hotel?

I don’t go to hotels, because I’m really not fond of them. But of the few that I’ve stayed at, perhaps what can qualify as my favorite would be the Steigenberger Hotel in Berlin. It was memorable for me, since it was my first time in Berlin — it was sometime in the ‘90’s — and I was there for an exhibition which I was very excited about.

Favorite landmark, building or park?

It’s really difficult for me to pick favorites, simply because I consciously try not to impose some kind of ranking scale on the places I visit. I live for the moment, and so wherever I am, I engage with the space as best as I can. I do like Central Park in New York, because of the way it sprawls. But I can’t even call it my favorite, because I just have no regard for any kind of hierarchy, when it comes to my experience of places.

Thumbs up: The artist Emmanuel Garibay is all smiles as he leaves the Canberra Museum and Gallery in the capital of Australia to join his niece Yuhum Garibay

Favorite musical or play?

Again I can’t say it’s my favorite, but the most recent one I’ve seen is Cats. I never really go out of my way to watch, but this was in New Haven, Connecticut and I was there for a touring exhibition. Another thing that has left an impression on me, was one of those Neo-Filipino performances — I think it was the first in the series — at the Cultural Center of the Philippines that involved Nonon Padilla.

Favorite restaurant or bar?

I’m not much of a bar person — although I have to admit that I was often at Penguin in Malate, when I was young. As for restaurants, I truly like Sonya’s Garden in Tagaytay. I like its spruced-up shanty vibe, a bourgeois barong barong. It’s such a pleasurable mix of things. And what I like about it most is eating in a green house with all those plants around you. It’s an experience.

Name an event anywhere in the world you would like to participate in.

There is none, to be totally honest. Although as a joke, I would say the Boston Marathon, because I’d like to have more stamina than I have right now. It’s one of my biggest frustrations when I play basketball, getting tired so easily at my age.

What is the worst souvenir you have ever brought back from a trip?

It was this miniature Taj Mahal I got in Agra, India made of some really cheap, fragile material. It was so fragile that it was crushed to smithereens by the time I got home. It wasn’t even recognizable anymore. I didn’t have money then, so I got the cheapest token I could find.

Aside from unpacking your suitcase, what is the first thing you would do upon returning home?

I immediately go to my studio. It’s a compulsion. The first thing I do is the thing I do most of the time — either sketch or paint. I just need to do something with my hands.

Name a city you have never visited but would like to someday?

Not just one city. I’m especially interested in the cities in Asia Minor. My interest in them stems from my own investigations into societal breakdown and how this ties up with our losing touch with the sacred. This area provides a kind of historical bridge between a mystic way of thought and a rational way of thought. As someone who has come from the seminary, I have a preference for work that has strong theological inflections.

What would you say is the best part of travel?

I must say it’s the food. I would like to think of myself as adventurous when it comes to experiencing food. But of course, at my age, I have limitations and need to be more careful. I have to watch my high uric levels, for instance!

What would you say is the worst part of travel?

I hate the process of getting to the destination — the routine of boarding the plane, then the deplaning. All that fuss when you get to Immigration and then Customs. Not to mention all those fees and fines you have to pay!

If you could reside anywhere in the world aside from the Philippines, where would it be?

Definitely Bali or Yogyakarta or any of their nearby islands. Their art and culture are amazing and worth keeping a close proximity to. The temples are another thing to want to be close to. And Indonesians really are the most like Filipinos anywhere else in the world, whether in physical appearance or in terms of culture. Indonesia conjures up a fantasy for me of an old Philippines. So Indonesia almost feels like home.