Palette and Perspective presented a guided gallery walkthrough and artist discussion arranged by space curator Glenn Cuevo and Interior Designer Rossy Rojales. Held on May 24 for their fellow peers, it was executed as a way to expand the vistas of designers, giving an incisive and philosophical angle on the importance of art in design.
The events happened at MO_Space in BGC and Silverlens Gallery in Makati, and involved talks from artists Gerardo Tan, Gregory Halili, and James Clar. Both Cuevo and Rojales emphasized that the project originated from their belief in the importance of artistry to defining spaces as a whole.
“Coming from an interior design profession,” Rojales said, “definitely art is one of the key elements to really elevate the space, and really make it more personal and bring the story in the project in a space.”
“[It transforms the] space from something functional like a sitting area to something that’s very personal,” Cuevo added. “And the artwork actually added that in another dimension [or] space. And, of course, now the space [has] personality, [has] certain character, and now the space, it’s not cold anymore; it’s very welcoming, and it’s very comfortable.”
Palette and Perspective came together as an idea that Cuevo and Rojales had been discussing since last year. Cuevo said that it was a gift for their architect and designer peers, a curated tour that allowed them to bask in different artworks whilst seeing how they work together in an interior design context.
Rojales, meanwhile, participated in helping make the event happen due to Cuevo’s passion for the arts. “When he talks about art, I feel like that’s something that I also wanna learn from. I like hearing his stories, I like hearing how he selects his art for his projects,” she shared.
The pair looked to collaborate with MO_Space and Silverlens, galleries which they had good relationships with. Cuevo himself personally selected the artists who would be giving discussions due to the uniqueness of their artworks and how they work with space.
Cuevo selected Tan for his fusion of collages and paintings, and chose Halili for his distinctive shell-based piece. Clar’s integration of lightworks and sculpture earned him his spot in the event.
“We want[ed] true artists, very well-experienced in the art world, to share their insights,” he said. “You share their profile, their body of work […] and we can exchange ideas from there. That would be something exciting and something new. There’s something very fresh that we could do for art and the design worlds in the Philippines.”
At the end of every talk, Cuevo would show pictures of a room before and after artwork was added. He did this to exemplify the change in vibe that art can provide from a design perspective.
The MO_Space portion of Palette and Perspective included a talk from Gerardo Tan who discussed his art career and how he uses collages to refine his large-scale artworks. He shared his belief that art and interior design finds commonality in being sensitive to how you manipulate spaces. For him, every room should strike a perfect balance between the objects within it.
“ I’m pretty conscious of that,” he said, “like creating certain balance or equilibrium so that in a way you notice the objects, the space, the room, but they’re not imposing. I think that’s what I’m striving for whenever I create a show or even [when I set] up a room or when I’m working on a collage or painting. It’s not imposing itself too much on you, but it’s there.”
For the event, the building housing MO_Space—home to various local and international furniture brands—showcased artworks by Tan and other artists alongside the furnishings on display. Gallery director Mawen Ong shared that each piece was thoughtfully selected and paired to demonstrate how art can transform a space and contribute to a calming atmosphere when curated with intention.
“We took, really, a lot of pains to perfect the curation, to put the right works in the right places, and send the right signals to such a critical audience, which are interior designers and architects,” she said.
The Silverlens portion of Palette and Perspective focused more on artistry. Co-founder Isa Lorenzo explained that the most compelling artworks—those that resonate deeply within a space—often come from the artist’s own inspiration rather than commissioned pieces. To illustrate this, she highlighted select works from Silverlens’s roster.
James Clar, who was unable to attend the event in person, gave a talk through Zoom about the history of his sculptures. He spoke about how his work in different countries influenced the way that he approached art, laying out the complicated engineering that comes with his combination of metalwork and light.
Gregory Halili’s talk centered around the importance of inspiration in creating art. His expansion from the smaller-sized mother-of-pearl shells to larger sculptural works like the one featured during the tour came about from a need to fill a space in his home during the pandemic, allowing his muse to add, remove, and layer ideas within the sculptures.
“I was never a sculptor, but I had developed appreciation late in my career,” he said. “For me, it’s during the pandemic that made me want to explore other means of creating my art other than painting. And that developed into my fascination with exploration of objects and building it up.”
Halili believes that art not only shapes the mood of a space, but also reveals a person’s taste. When used in interior design, it becomes a reflection of both the designer and the homeowner—offering insight into their identity and character.
“It’s really fascinating because art and design really reflects who you are,” he said. “As a person, as a collector, as a means to be comfortable in your own home. So whatever art that you present, it becomes personal, it’s an extension of yourself… Art and design really goes hand in hand; it’s a personal thing.”
In the end, both Cuevo and Rojales hoped that Palette and Perspective allowed their designer and architect peers to get a glimpse of how to expand their design tastes to include artworks that may allow one to personalize a space. More than that, they hope that the similarities between the two opens them up for more creative uses of the areas they work on in the future.
“As designers, we want to understand the difference and the similarities of our storytelling [from artists],” Rojales said. “Because as designers of space, we do a [type of] storytelling ourselves. We choose [and] design the space, the layout, the things, the materiality, the lighting. But when I think about it, it’s also the same with art. They also design it with a space in mind, with lighting, with materiality, with color.”
Photos by Elle Yap and Jegs Santos.
Read more: “Visions in Glass” Celebrates the Unique Artistry of Ramon Orlina
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