August in Art 2023: Ortigas Art Festival, the Sistine Chapel, and The M

If I’m not on duty, I’m either taking a nap or raiding a museum.

Thank you to the month of August (as a concept), and my friends and my family for giving me the opportunities to (metaphorically) touch some grass.

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Fifty One Collective and Arts and Beans Cafe

With all the art events and shows of interest happening in Pasig early this August 2023, I thought I’d make a whole day out of it during one of my pre-night duty days. The timing was mostly driven by the need to catch Rebelasyon 2.0, a group show by the Makiling Art Group MakiSining, which was staged from July 8 to August 8 in Fifty One Collective Art Haus.

The show featured three pieces by one of my co-resident doctors in PGH DFCM, Dr. Niko Cedicol. Pursuing creative endeavors in the midst of the thankless task of being a good senior (et cetera) deserve its own praise and a dedicated visit. Their group posted about his three works here.

**MakiSining.** *Rebelasyon 2.0,* 2023. Hosted at Fifty One Collective Art Haus. Featuring glimpses of **Niko C. Cedicol’s** *Orphaned,* 2022 and *Confusing Hygieia,* 2022 in the background.
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My favorite is “Orphaned” (2022). The artist’s interpretation is depressing; at least the Catholic in me is trying out a very trite philosophy of ‘creating beauty from suffering’ for comfort.

Funnily enough, I also spent some words and storage space on this blog about MakiSining’s group show in Intramuros last August 2022. I’ll run with any reason to walk about for art.

Visit Arts and Beans Cafe @artsandbeanscafe and Fifty-One Collective Art Haus @fiftyonecollectivearthaus

What: This simple cafe marries the growing fast-paced Filipino coffee culture, local art and fairly good coffee. Connected to the shop is the Arts & Beans Art Gallery in the first floor and, maybe unofficially, the Fifty One Collective Art Haus on the second.
Where: West Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City
When: Open daily from 7:00AM to 10:00PM every day; ask the staff for access to ongoing exhibits

Ortigas Art Festival 2023

Going to Ortigas Art Festival was a lot easier back in the day when I still studied and worked near The Medical City. But really I had to make the PHPXXX cab ride to Kapitolyo worth the cost.

Compared to its pre-pandemic predecessors, this iteration is bursting at the seams with the amount of curated works. All empty spaces across every floor in Estancia Mall appeared repurposed as a temporary art exhibit. It was excellent. (Also chaotic near the end of the day, when more people started roaming the mall).

#OrtigasArtFestival2023’s exhibits also seemed more thematically robust. Or maybe I just paid more attention to the details… The works by Linangan Art Residency were particularly thought-provoking and timely.

**Salvi.** *Mitsa,* 2022. Man as the engineer of his own destruction and what-not, with regretful self-pity the kind of sentiment you won’t expect to be emanating from the blank eyes of mannequin. But anything goes.

Aside from its expressiveness and editorial value, this piece caught my eye for two other reasons. One, this visit was fairly fresh from the heels of Barbenheimer (I have not yet watched Oppenheimer, forgive me). But still it felt apt. And second, I just finished the first act of **Asimov’s** *The Gods Themselves* (1972) at that time. Thrilling book that I hope to write about later; the first part is about the all-too-real perils of politics in the academe and Irresponsible Science. Then it gets even better.
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**#OrtigasArtFestival2023.** This post-it board remains one of the best parts (if also most environmentally-unfriendly) of any version of the Ortigas Art Festival. One can only hope to write praise on paper if singing or dancing aren’t enough.
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Visit the Ortigas Art Festival @ortigasartfestival at Estancia Mall @estanciaph

What: A month-long celebration of Filipino visual arts, hailing from the revived traditions of the Pasig Art Club. Aside from art exhibits, there are also weekend workshops and talks.
Where: Estancia Mall, Pasig City – East Wing
When: July to August (the 2023 festival ended last August 13)

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition

An advertisement daringly reads, “Filipinos no longer have to book a ticket to Vatican City to see the Sistine Chapel art of renaissance artist…” A bold claim on value to make, when any Filipino can just as well go to Google’s Arts & Culture app (or equivalent) for a taste.

While the candles, music and ambiance all deliver —and certainly Michelangelo’s art can’t fail to impress in its biblical appeal— I’m still firmly on the side asking “why did I pay PHP750 for 30 minutes of this???”

Maybe it’s the privilege of actually having seen the Sistine Chapel up close, paired with the paradoxical frugality of having to spend my own money for a peek, but I’d give this giant photograph exhibit only a 3 out of 5. Maybe. Definitely 0 when it comes to transporting the viewer to the Vatican…

See: Review by Amanda T. Lago (Rappler), which hits the same marks exactly

**Exhibit grounds.** The ambiance upon entrance was enchanting, and a good contrast to the commercial business of Estancia Mall. But the lit plastic candles, floor space, QR codes for painting notes, and the scent of old perfume can only impress you so far.
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**Michelangelo.** *The Creation of Adam,* 1508-1512, digital reprint. Perhaps the best fresco painted in all time, in terms of its dramatic composition. But maybe lovers of *The Last Judgment* would fight me on this.
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**Photo Souvenirs,** featuring the Globe-led *The Hapag Movement.* The exhibit itself was meh, but the souvenir shop and the mini-photobooth made up for it with additional happy points. I bought probably way too many prints and postcards from the attached exhibit shop.

Thank you to K for allowing yourself to be dragged post-duty.
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Visit Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition – website

What: A multi-sensory exhibit featuring up-close, life-sized and never-before seen perspectives of Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings, organized by SEE Global Entertainment.
When: July 1 to September 30, 2023. Timed tickets are good for 1 hour, and can be bought ahead or same-day onsite.
Where: Estancia Mall, Pasig City

The Metropolitan Museum of Manila 2.0

I first visited the Metropolitan Museum of Manila as a college student, when it was still in one of the old buildings lining Roxas Boulevard. Back then, photos or videos weren’t allowed, so the only proof of my experience resides in my and C’s memories. I remember almost nothing else from that experience aside from the fact that we held hands and I took home some postcards.

A few years later and I finally found myself visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in its new home in BGC, Taguig City, alongside my sister celebrating her birthday and our mom. The museum is also styling itself as ‘The M’. Still, they continue to exhibit local and international contempoary art.

**Gerardo Tan,** in collaboration with musicologist **Felicidad A. Prudente** and Ifugao master weaver **Sammy N. Buhle,** *Anti taku e sana, Amung taku di sana (All of us present, This is our gathering)*. This transformative exhibit was presented first at the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, and it’s now here in The M for its homecoming exhibition. Weaving turned into musical notations, and visual codes transmitted back into weaving and sound.

Aside from the audiovisual installations, The M is also hosting several events related to the themes of Philippine music, indigenous weaving, and the interplay of modern art and tradition. E.g. On the day of our visit last August 19, they were setting up the second floor for a session entitled “***Notes and Renderings.***” This September 2, there’ll be a public program entitled “***Habi at Buhay: Generations of Masterweavers from Hingyon, Ifugao.***” Check out their social media pages for more information.
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**Elusive Edge: Reflections on an Exhibition on Philippine Abstractions,** as curated by Patrick Flores. This exhibit, located in the 3/F North Gallery, features the diverse and distinct history of the abstract form in the Philippines, from some of **Rosario “Charito” Bitanga**’s abstract forms (center piece), to **Arturo Luz’** untitled sculptures, back to precursors in **Vicente Manansala**’s *Mangga at Papaya*.
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**does art in tiny.** This shot took a couple of seconds; there were actually a fair amount of people inside the exhibit.

Featured, to my right / photo’s left: *Electricity Turned Off, Television Turned Off, Mind Turned On,* by **Lee Aguinaldo.**

Vibe with me on instagram @jarimon_ for more random stories.
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**JEFRË,** *Points of Origin – Peace.* Pieces from this USA-based Filipino-American artist’s first solo show were originally mounted indoors (according to a brief investigation online), but they’ve now made their way to a courtyard-like space connecting The M to its neighboring building. Apparently this artist is also to thank for ***The Victor***, the towering multimedia sculpture now distracting Manila commuters.
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Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Manila @metmuseummanila or @metmanila on FB

What:
When: Tuesdays to Saturdays, except on public holidays and other special notices. Visitors must pre-register online at least a day before the planned visit.
Where: M. K. Tan Center, 30th Street, BGC

That’s it for today. Before I end: thanks to the universe for granting me essentially a 4-day weekend (punctuated by two night-duties, and a national exam).

Next up in life — a trip to Davao for a Family Medicine conference, some haggling for a good elective, and the existential thought of being 2/3rd done with residency. If you round it up. More immediately: another night duty in the ER. Ugh.

Until next time! ❤️

Comments

2 responses to “August in Art 2023: Ortigas Art Festival, the Sistine Chapel, and The M”

Monch Weller

28 August 2023

Thank you for sharing, Jari! I did see the outside of the Sistine Chapel exhibition at Estancia when I visited Enderun Coworking months ago. Kaya pala ang daming tao!

And yeah, I never really learned of the met transferring to BGC until weeks ago. :O

1. jari m
  
  09 September 2023
  
  Hi Monch! :) Yes, dami nga tao sa Estancia even up ’til now –though I suppose going on a weekend + an art festival = really high foot traffic.
  
  Come visit the new Met! Their efforts to make the experience accessible already make it worth a visit imo :) And it’s in the middle of everything else in BGC too.