Contemporary design refers to the constantly evolving design trends of today. With the power to design our built environments, architects have been experimenting with various architectural approaches. Whether that is through unconventional forms or the integration of smart technologies, BluPrint lists down Filipino architects who are defining contemporary architecture. Deo Alam Architect Deo Alrashid Alam […]
In Review: Five Art Exhibits Highlighting May’s Unique Offerings
In recent weeks, BluPrint published its continued coverage on some of the happenings in the local art scene. Art exhibits daring in its approach and its ideas sprouted up across the country, battling the summer heat with its own version of passionate fervor.
With May coming to an end, here are some highlights we wanted to share with our readers as we prepare for the next month of offerings from our local artists.
Running Backwards into the Future
Curated by James Clar and shown at Modeka Art, this assemblage of great Filipino artists expresses snapshots of our local art scene and its continued evolution. It pushes back against Westernized ideas of what art can be, and gives us local artists that shoves against hierarchies and colonialism.
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Standout artworks like Angel Velasco Shaw’s “1985” or Judy Freya Sibayan’s “Lemon Cake” take audiences to a journey of identity and definition. Works like Bernie Pacquing’s violin sculptures or Isabel Aquilizan’s “Sunog na Kanin” and other works featured here blur the lines between archiving and artwork.
Or is there really that much of a difference between archiving and art? In its own way, isn’t art as much a way of preserving our lived realities and emotions in that specific period when the work is created? Running Backwards Into the Future brings those questions in the forefront for us to ruminate on.
Read more on our coverage here.
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Artist Josephine Turalba’s recent exhibition in Salcedo Auctions sews a tale of post-colonial existence for the Filipino through her own personal experiences.
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The work, made of colorful leather pieces sewn together to create a giant tapestry, brings us to Turalba’s travels from the Philippines to the United States and Turkey. And in that journey, she links together these seemingly-disparate cultures into one comfortable whole.
She finds the common thread between the brownstones of Boston to the crowded streets of Manila, our churches and the mosques in Turkey, our own societal problems with the problems of other countries. It blends them together and tells the story of our common human connection even in other countries—that despite the differences in culture, we might not be as different as we thought we were.
Read our interview with Turalba regarding the work..
Violent Camote
Roxlee’s exhibit in Gravity Art Space strikes a balance between the strange and the humorous. Paintings of humanity bordering on the cartoony, evocative in their emotions, give a sense of the independent filmmaker’s subversive streak even as he battles with meaning within a society.
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In a recent talk about the exhibit, the artist admitted that much of the works came about due to boredom during the pandemic. In a way, that makes a lot of sense because which of us haven’t done the odd project or so while we were stuck in our homes?
And yet, it also exemplifies the freedom that exists in his work. In a career of advocating for independent local art, he has pushed for Filipino artists to explore strangeness instead of marketability. And what better way to delve into the strange than the kind of subversive sexual humor that borders on obscene?
Check out our coverage of the exhibit.
I ought to nail down the sky, it keeps getting away from me
Displayed in Vinyl on Vinyl, Koki Lxx’s work continues to elude easy definition. It comments on imperialism and colonization, and it works as a pretty showcase of scattered, colorful lights across a spectrum. How does it define the fleeting nature of beauty? And how strongly does it connect to the evils of imperialist powers within our country?
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The work festers on in your mind quietly. The images’ vagueness works to its advantage as it creates in us a meaning reflected in the living conditions of our world today. It shows that, as fragile as beauty is, it’s also one that sticks with you as you seek understanding for what you don’t know.
Read here for further discussion.
Piña, Why is the Sky Blue?
Stephanie Comilang and Simon Speiser’s exhibit at Silverlens Manila portray the effects of capitalism and colonialism in our world, and suggests the further progression of society from these terrible pasts through the use of technology.
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It’s an incitement, in other words, against the idea of culture as a stagnant thing. More than anything, Piña, Why is the Sky Blue? portrays indigenous and traditional cultures as alive, not something stuck in museums gathering dust. The artists believe that the progress of technology doesn’t mean the death of one’s way of life.
Rather, the exhibit encourages us to adapt to the times and find the ways one can reconcile the old and the modern together. Life coexists together, and with how tech has evolved, nothing is truly dead and nothing is truly extinct.
Read our coverage here, and this article, which discusses the tech aspect of the exhibit further.
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Pushing Art Forward
These highlights only give a small glimpse of the diversity of art exhibits in the country. But they do give an idea of the discussions happening within the community. As we battle through pursuing a selfhood away from our colonial past—a selfhood we can call our own—it leads to great, thoughtful works that balances the societal discourse with our personal struggles.
In the Philippines, adaptive reuse gained traction during the 1970s with the rise of conservation and environmental preservation movements. It offered an architectural solution that reuses existing spaces to fit modern needs. Across the country, several projects demonstrate how this approach is being applied—transforming heritage structures into active spaces for culture, hospitality, and community life. […]
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From residential spaces to civic structures, lighting dictates the mood of a space. It controls the visual dynamics of an interior, serving as a guiding tool that highlights key design elements, including materials and textures. Related Reading: Lampscaping: How to Light up Your Home like a Pro Regulating the Mood: Natural and Artificial Light in […]
More and more Filipinos are flocking to condominium communities. Often tucked within busy city centers, condo living acts as a small respite from urban chaos. Faced with the challenge of transforming a cramped condominium into a warm living space, BluPrint lists condo interior design ideas that can maximize each square foot of small spaces. Purposeful […]
Modern bathrooms are no longer purely functional spaces. Increasingly, they are being designed as environments that support cleanliness, ease, and quiet restoration within the home. As daily life becomes more demanding and health awareness continues to rise, homeowners are beginning to expect more from the spaces where daily rituals begin and end. For architects and […]
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From the moment a diner steps through the door, each detail shapes how a meal is experienced. Restaurant design has evolved, with architects and culinary professionals collaborating to create built spaces that are as intentional as the menu itself. The spatial atmosphere acts as an additional ingredient that can define the culinary experience. Taupe and […]
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