“Rust to Art” Exhibit is Funding the San Sebastian Basilica Restoration

A recently-opened digital exhibition is leading the fundraising efforts for the restoration of the historic San Sebastian Basilica. Titled Para Sa Ina: Rust to Art Exhibit and hosted by the San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation Inc., it brings together 22 local artists to celebrate the fusion of faith, innovation, heritage conservation, and art.

The all-steel Gothic revival church, a masterpiece of Spanish engineer Genaro Palacios y Guerra, took a decade (1881-1891) to design and construct. Building it involved a meeting of global minds. Friars, engineers, metalsmiths, glassworkers, sculptors, and laborers from six countries came together to bring Palacios’ vision to fruition.

The rust-to-art exhibit started in 2018 as the foundation’s compelling call for the historic landmark’s restoration. For this year’s run, the exhibit features unique artworks made using various materials incorporated with rust from the basilica. The collection is comprised of 35 unique paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces curated by Asst. Prof. Mary Ann Venturina-Bulanadi, PhD of the University of Santo Tomas.

“The rust takes on new meaning. It becomes a new beginning, a renewal of faith, a birthing of new ideas, and best of all, a conduit of our love to the Blessed Mother. It becomes light in a moment of darkness and despair,” explains curator Asst. Prof. Venturina-Bulanadi.

Meanwhile the foundation’s Executive Director Marianne Claire Vitug emphasized the symbolism behind incorporating rust in the artworks themselves. “The exhibit titled Para sa Ina aims to transform an almost dire situation of actual material failure in the structure to an optimistic one,” she notes in her message. “When an exhibit featuring rust in art works was first conceived in 2017 and eventually done in 2018, the idea itself is a direct defiance to the this main enemy of the basilica’s physical fabric. It conveys the message that the team and stakeholders are not afraid to confront the elements that contribute to the deterioration of the church. The 2022 edition of the exhibit reiterates the aforementioned theme.”

Also, as the title suggests, the exhibit calls on strengthening the devotion to two Señoras. Through this goal, the artists also highlight their prominent history in the San Sebastian Basilica. The artworks are divided into art pieces inspired by the Nuestra Señora del Carmen de San Sebastian (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel of San Sebastian) and Nuestra Señora de la Salud (Our Lady of Health).

Furthermore, Para Sa Ina is the second rust to art exhibit that the foundation has hosted since 2018. Once again, they partnered with Reredos, an informal group of artists that specialize in religious art. Aside from the Reredos artists, this year’s line-up also includes Joe Datuin, Lawton Ladao, and Al Perez.

The digital exhibit is available exclusively on www.sansebastianconservation.org. Also, the artworks are available for purchase through the foundation until the exhibit closes in April 2022. All the proceeds will go to the teams who are conducting the restoration activities for the San Sebastian Basilica.

Photos courtesy of San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation Inc.