Passage to Beijing

Celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China burst forth in color as floral architect, painter, designer and stylist Rachy Cuna mounts a three-pronged exhibit at The Gallery on Tai Chang Street in Beijing that will include paintings, jewelry and floral design.

Journeast: Passage to Beijing is the second stage of Rachy’s Oriental–specifically Chinese–sojourn. When Journeast was first mounted at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in 2001, it was a "Passage to Self Rediscovery" and Rachy surprised everyone with large paintings that featured bold brushstrokes in black, gold and red merely suggestive but unmistakably Chinois in spirit and inspiration.

He takes 20 of these works to the capital of the world’s most populous and most dynamic country, complemented with a new collection of jewelry made of mother-of-pearl in orchid forms that he calls "Blooms of the Sea" as well as the China debuts of his much-coveted limited edition jewelry series "Palay" and "Capiz Windows". These distinctly Philippine pieces feature the rich textures of materials that are abundant in our seas and shores. The "Blooms of the Sea" collection will be launched in Manila come August, and will be featured in a special benefit exhibit/sale in Jakarta, Indonesia in September.

The third element of this week-long (June 8 to 15) exhibit is a display of large-scale floral designs using the abundance of Chinese flowers in indigenous containers from the Philippines: baskets of rattan, nito, abaca and seagrass, the rich weaves of the Ifugao and T’nalak as well as capiz accessories.

This journey to the heart of the east is presented by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, the Association of Philippines-China Understanding and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.