POWERED BY
MEDIA SPONSOR
PACITA ABAD LEOPOLDO “LEE” AGUINALDO II RAYMUNDO ALBANO AUGUSTO “GUS” ALBOR JINGGOY BUENSUCESO BENEDICTO “BENCAB” CABRERA MARIA CRUZ MONICA DELGADO DUDDLEY DIAZ RAMON DIAZ HERI DONO MARC GABA MANUEL OCAMPO LUIS CLAUDIO “ONIB” OLMEDO ALFONSO OSSORIO IMPY PILAPIL ROBERTO M. A. ROBLES MAURO “MALANG” SANTOS DONALD SULTAN JOSEPHINE TURALBA NESTOR OLARTE VINLUAN LUIS “JUNYEE” YEE, JR.
Ways of Creating / Ways of Seeing: Not-so-random Thoughts
CRITERION |krīˈti(ə)rēən| noun (pl. criteria |-ˈti(ə)rēə|) A principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided. ~ New Oxford American Dictionary
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III
What constitutes a “good” work of art? This much-contested question was scribbled on a post-it above my computer screen as I wrote this essay. I still find myself asking this question that I’ve always hated as a fellow artist, cultural organizer, and educator and yet I ask it, nonetheless. Concept. Process. Materials. Texture. Content. Context. Self-reflection. These elements determine my responses to this question.
An anecdote: When I was a 17-year old young aspiring artist, I worked as a summer security guard at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Standing on my feet for eight hours day after day, I was endlessly observing and eavesdropping on the reactions of the museum-goers to the artworks on display. I can recall how incredibly upset I would get about their numerous “misinterpretations” and inane comments like “My three-year old can make that!” I was, what some may call, a “purist” back then. It took years of looking at art, creating my own, engaging with other kinds of artists and art appreciators to understand that the act of creating and seeing are in subjective/objective conversation with each other, literally and metaphorically.
II The writer’s intention is not to dumb things down for its viewers or to speak from above critiquing the artworks. The purpose is to promote greater consciousness about the works that one may be attracted to or provoked by, to encourage viewers to want to know more about these artists and their practices, and to relate this information to their being drawn to specific works. Having said this, some of what is written here may sound sophomoric to those already in-the-know about modern and contemporary art, and perhaps alien to others new to viewing or “reading” art and attending art fairs. The “meaning” of an artwork is seldom one-sided or simplistic—it is multidimensional, often dialectical, formalist, ironic, didactic, political, opaque, oblique, transparent, and profane. The viewer creates and/ or adds to the artist’s intent, even emotion which can be deliberate, intuitive, or unconscious on the creator’s part. The 22 artists featured in Galleria Duemila’s booth this year use materials such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, tempera, Chinese ink, graphite, colored pencil, corrugated cardboard, paper, handmade paper, braille paper, canvas, plywood, steel, iron, resin, marble, alabaster, wood, charcoal, sand, or riverstone that all create textural and contextual multitudes of singular and plural meanings.
Audience interactions with the works create and/or enhance their meanings. They appreciate the work because they are drawn to it in a moving and oftentimes, inexplicable ways. This creator/viewer exchange is one of the most wondrous aspects of art, when it is shared like a genuine gift has been given and respectfully received. The late art critic and novelist John Berger reaffirms my observations about how one views and understands an artwork, in his seminal book, Ways of Seeing: We only see what we look at. To look is an act of choice. As a result of this act, what we see is brought within our reach—though not necessarily within arm’s reach. To touch something is to situate oneself in relation to it … Every image embodies a way of seeing, our perception or appreciation of an image depends also upon our own way of seeing. (Berger 9-10)
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Influences and inspirations that motivate an artist to create come in many forms—personal history, life experiences, mentors, other artists, social and cultural movements, current affairs, spiritual awakenings, the unconscious, nature, aesthetics, madness, critical theory, banality, fear of mediocrity, fame and fortune, criticism, experimentation, passion, where and how they were schooled or not schooled in the Fine Arts, studied and/or live or lived abroad. Take for example, Alfonso Ossorio, born in Manila to wealthy parents from Negros Occidental who spent his early years studying in a British Catholic preparatory school, moved to the United States as a teenager, studied Fine Arts at Harvard University and then later at the Rhode Island school of Design. During WWII, he served as a medical illustrator for the U.S. Army. He befriended the Abstract Expressionist artist, Jackson Pollock. It is said that they mutually influenced each other. His friendships with Clyfford Still and Jean Dubuffet and other artists from his generation like Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Ad Reinhardt may have also impacted his Cubist, Surrealist, and Abstract art practices. By the 1960’s, Ossorio began experimenting more with other materials than paint—found objects, bones, skulls, teeth, shell, wood, plastic—creating hybrid painting/sculptural works which the critic Hilton Kramer called a “surrealist-flavored version of pop art.” One of his works from this period, Congregations, displayed in the Art Fair, gives the viewer a sense of the amalgamation of personal history, art movements, and the time in which he was creating—all influencing this work.
It is important to note that the individual and in some cases, multiple works of these artists in no way represent the breadth of these artists’ oeuvres whose works have changed or evolved over time, particularly those of the more established and mid-career artists like Benedicto Cabrera, Junyee, Augusto Albor, Ramon Diaz, Josephine Turalba, and Maria Cruz. They all create in more than one medium if it best suits their concepts for new bodies of work. The artworks in Galleria Duemila’s booth are deliberately arranged. The Modernist past meets another Modernist or Contemporary present. A meta-narrative is constructed in the hope that the viewers can see how each work of art is in dialogue with each other—reflective of the artists’ practices across generations, modern and contemporary art movements, and aesthetics. Galleria Duemila honors a myriad of talents whether they are of Filipino descent, a part of the Filipino Diaspora like Monica Delgado and Duddley Diaz residing in the United States, Maria Cruz living in Germany or an American like Donald Sultan and an Indonesian such as Heri Dono. To end this brief survey of artists, what distinguishes them from each other as unique individuals resonates in their concepts, processes, materials, textures, contents, contexts, and self-reflections. Perseverance, conviction in what they are creating, and distinct creative visions provide these artists with visibility and the possibility for longevity in the art world today. This writer now turns the original question back to the Fairgoers—What constitutes a “good” work of art? May the creator/viewer exchange begin for some and continue forever more for others. •
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(L - R): A GUEST AND MAY BADOUR, THE LEBANESE ARTIST SHOWCASED IN GALLERIA DUEMILA’S FIRST EXHIBITION IN DEC. 1975 WITH SILVANA DIAZ, GALLERIA DUEMILA ART DIRECTOR AND FORMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATE CHRISTINA PAGASPAS.
GALLERIA DUEMILA PRESENT DAY. GATE BY AUSTRALIAN ARTIST TONY TWIGG AND DUDDLEY DIAZ’S HALIYA IN THE BACKGROUND.
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he twenty-two artists with thirty-eight phantasmagorical pieces showcased between them in Galleria Duemila’s selection for Art Fair Philippines 2017 embody the criteria for “good art” through an eclectic range of techniques, styles, and visions. Their age range is wide—from 34-year old Jinggoy Buensuceso to 89-year old Mauro “Malang” Santos as well as the mediums that they choose to create in—from painting, sculpture, drawing, mixed media, to video and performance art.
Galleria Duemila Art Fair Philippines 2017
The majority of the artists have received multiple awards, honors, and recognitions in the Philippines and internationally, including a Palanca Literary Award for Marc Gaba and a National Artist Award for Benedicto Cabrera (BenCab), whose A Society Conscious Filipina from his critically acclaimed 1972 Larawan Series is in this year’s Fair. Additionally, internationally renowned Venice Biennale artists, Heri Dono’s Mimpi Dapat Lotere and Manuel Ocampo’s An Arena for a Pseudo-Context are also highlighted here. Duemila’s booth, to borrow from American Post-Minimalist, Donald Sultan is an alluring “theater of the object”, celebrating a diversity of artists’ imaginations. The artworks range in creation from 1968 to 2017. Works rarely seen or unseen by the public include: the late Renaissance man and former CCP director, Raymundo Albano’s Nambaran; the late Abstract visionary Lee Aguinaldo’s Green Circulation #9 & Homage to Edison; the late Onib Olmedo’s poignant urban ink wash Untitled; the late one-of-a-kind mistress of play Pacita Abad’s Close To You, Enki’s Whirl; sculptor Impy Pilapil’s Anthroposophy influenced Fragrance 1; Roberto Robles’ Chinese Philosophy inspired marble sculptures Yin and Yang; Ramon Diaz’s powerful Haiku-like drawings/studies—Han Lady Rider, Untitled, Horse Series 8, and Untitled from his Horse Series of paintings; prolific Maria Cruz’s Red, from her thought-provoking ongoing 1 Million Coin Series comprised of 30,000 retraced coins; mercurial UP Fine Arts’ Professor Emeritus of Painting Nestor Vinluan’s 2017 sculpture Teal On A Riverstone; and Donald Sultan’s convergent hints of landscape, floral, and still life forms as seen in Five Blue Flowers With Flocked Centers,
March 10, 2002 (12/12) & Yellow Flowers On A Striped Ground, March 27, 2002 (12/12).
1968
Earlier works by the premier Philippine Abstractionist Augusto Albor’s Refuge, Driftage, and Kuwadro and Mauro “Malang” Santos’ expressive tempera on paper Plants are on view— alongside more recent and newer works created by painter, multimedia and performance artist Josephine Turalba’s timely social pastiche No Way Forward, No Way Back; multifaceted Junyee’s Freshness of Memory 1, Freshness of Memory 2, and Resting Light 2 exemplify his sophisticated and meditative painting practice; and the mythological and mystical alabaster figurines of Duddley Diaz The Neophyte, Haliya Enthroned No. 2, and Bakunawa No. 2—can also be viewed. The newer generation of artists connects to the older ones in a triumphant continuum. Featured poet and visual artist, Marc Gaba’s Why Content Rises Up Into the Soul referencing French philosopher Gilles Deleuze indicates an affinity with Post-Modernist practices; Monica Delgado’s Taught alludes to the rebirth of formalist concerns; and Jinggoy Buensuceso’s Unfamiliar Landscape contemplates the use of organic materials to explore otherworldly spaces and gendered symbolism. •
— Angel Velasco Shaw, 2017 ANGEL VELASCO SHAW IS A MEDIA ARTIST, EDUCATOR, CURATOR, AND CULTURAL ORGANIZER CURRENTLY LIVING IN MANILA. HER DOCUMENTARIES HAVE SCREENED IN AMERICAN, EUROPEAN, AND ASIAN FILM FESTIVALS, MUSEUMS, GALLERIES, AND SCHOOLS. FILM COLLECTIONS INCLUDE: THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF MANILA, CINEMATHEQUE SUISSE SCHWEIZER FILMARCHIV, CASA ASIA, AND THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. SHE IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES/ COMMUNICATION ARTS DEPARTMENT, AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE FOR HERITAGE, CULTURE AND THE ARTS AT THE PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY.
alfonso ossorio
Congregations, 1968 Mixed media 95 × 132 × 22 CM / 37.43 × 52.01 × 8.67 IN
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1972
benedicto “bencab” cabrera
augusto “gus” albor
71 × 43 CM / 27.97 × 16.94 IN
121.83 × 121.83 CM / 48 × 48 IN
A Society Conscious Filipina, 1972 Acrylic on paper 10
1976
Refuge, 1976 Mixed media on canvas
1981
1983
leopoldo “lee” aguinaldo ii
ray albano
81.20 × 81.20 CM / 31.99 × 31.99 IN
121.90 × 121.90 CM / 48.03 × 48.03 IN
Green Circulation #9, 1981 Acrylic on marine plywood
Nambaran, 1983 Acrylic on wood 11
1985
mauro “malang” santos
augusto “gus” albor
61.60 × 45.70 CM / 24.27 × 18.01 IN
73 × 138 × 12 CM / 28.76 × 54.37 × 4.73 IN
Plants, 1983 Tempera on paper 12
Driftage, 1985 Black iron
1990
augusto “gus” albor
luis claudio “onib” olmedo
38 × 38 × 6.5 CM / 14.97 × 14.97 × 2.56 IN
77.4 × 107.9 CM / 30.5 × 42.51 IN
Kuwadro, 1985 Black iron
Untitled, 1990 Ink wash on board
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1991
impy pilapil
14
1993
leopoldo “lee” aguinaldo ii
Fragrance 1, 1991 Painted steel
Homage to Edison, 1993 Acrylic on marine plywood
243.8 × 35.54 × 20.30 CM / 96.06 × 14 × 8 IN
91 × 91 CM / 35.85 × 35.85 IN
1998
2001
manuel ocampo
heri dono
224.5 × 194 CM / 88.45 × 76.44 IN
60 × 80 CM / 23.64 × 31.52 IN
An Arena For a Pseudo-Context, 1998 Oil on canvas
Mimpi Dapat Lotere, 2001 Oil on canvas 15
2002
roberto m. a. robles
roberto m. a. robles
roberto m. a. robles
17 × 32.5 × 4.5 CM / 6.7 × 12.81 × 1.77 IN
15.5 × 30 × 3 CM / 6.11 × 11.82 × 1.18 IN
18 × 20.5 × 60.5 CM / 7.09 × 8.08 × 23.84 IN
Beyond Filipino 55, 2002 Paper relief 16
Beyond Filipino 60, 2002 Paper relief
Beyond Filipino 57, 2002 Paper relief
2013
roberto m. a. robles
roberto m. a. robles
roberto m. a. robles
218.05 × 157 × 12 CM / 85.91 × 61.86 × 4.73 IN
70 × 16.5 × 2 CM / 27.58 × 6.5 × .79 IN
70.5 × 17.5 × 2.5 CM / 27.78 × 6.9 × .99 IN
Reciting Poetries, 2002 Mixed media on canvas
Yin, 2013 Marble
Yang, 2013 Marble
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2002
18
1 donald sultan
Five Blue Flowers With Flocked Centers, March 10, 2002 (12/12), 2002 Spray coloured paper pulp, stencil, lithography, woodcut, flocking on shaped stpi handmade white paper 133.4 × 129.5 CM / 52.56 × 51.02 IN
2 donald sultan
Yellow Flowers on a Striped Ground, March 27, 2002 (12/12), 2002 Spray coloured paper pulp, stencil, lithography, woodcut, flocking on shaped STPI handmade white paper 128.3 × 127 CM / 50.55 × 50.04 IN
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2002
ramon diaz
ramon diaz
28 × 28.5 CM / 11.03 × 11.23 IN
45.5 × 36 CM / 17.93 × 14.18 IN
Horse Series 8, 2002 Mixed media on braille 20
2011
Untitled, 2011 Colored pencil & ink on paper
2012
ramon diaz
ramon diaz
30.5 × 23 CM / 12.02 × 9.06 IN
27.8 × 19.7 CM / 10.95 × 7.76 IN
Untitled, 2011 Ink on paper
Han Lady Rider, 2012 Chinese ink on paper 21
2003
1 22
2015
1 pacita abad
Close To You, Enki’s Whirl, 2003 30-colour stencilled colored paper pulp, lithograph, silkscreen, TGL handmade white paper 3D construction, collage embellishments on handmade cream STPI paper 81.3 × 106.7 × 3.5 CM / 32.03 × 42.04 × 1.38 IN
2 monica delgado
Taught, 2015 Acrylic on wood
82.5 × 83 CM / 32.51 × 32.7 IN
2 23
2013
duddley diaz
duddley diaz
duddley diaz
17.78 × 5.6 × 9.4 CM / 7.01 × 2.21 × 3.7 IN
24.5 × 15 × 10.5 CM / 9.65 × 5.91 × 4.14 IN
21.50 × 24.5 × 15 CM / 8.47 × 9.65 × 5.91 IN
The Neophyte, 2013 Orange Utah alabaster 24
Haliya Enthroned No. 2, 2013 Orange Utah alabaster
Bakunawa No. 2, 2013 White Italian alabaster
2016
jinggoy buensuceso
marc gaba
244 × 122 CM / 96.14 × 48.07 IN
76.14 × 60.92 × .63 CM / 30 × 24 × .25 IN
Unfamiliar Landscape, 2016 Black sand, charcoal, resin on plywood
Why Content Rises Up Into the Soul, 2016 Oil on two canvasses 25
josephine turalba
No Way Forward, No Way Back, 2016 (stills) Three channel video 9 MIN 45 SEC
26
maria cruz
Red, 2016 Oil on canvas 200 × 300 CM / 78.8 × 118.2 IN
27
luis “junyee” yee, jr.
luis “junyee” yee, jr.
Resting Light 2, 2016 Paint on t&g board
Freshness of Memory 2, 2016 Paint on t&g board
88 × 61 CM / 34.67 × 24.03 IN
88 × 61 CM / 34.67 × 24.03 IN
88 × 61 CM / 34.67 × 24.03 IN
Freshness of Memory 1, 2016 Paint on t&g board 28
luis “junyee” yee, jr.
2017
nestor olarte vinluan
Teal on a river stone, 2016-2017 Stones, concrete, driftwood and acrylic paint 125 × 27 × 21 CM / 49.25 × 10.64 × 8.27 IN
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SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABAD, PACITA ABAD, PACITA, AND CID REYES. PACITA ABAD: CIRCLES IN MY MIND, PRINTS AND PAPER PULP WORKS. SINGAPORE: SINGAPORE TYLER PRINT INSTITUTE, 2003. PRINT. AGUINALDO, II., LEOPOLDO “LEE” HERRERA, MA VICTORIA., CLARISSA CHIKIAMCO, CID REYES, AND ROD. PARAS-PEREZ. THE LIFE AND ART OF LEE AGUINALDO. QUEZON CITY: VIBAL FOUNDATION, 2011. PRINT. ALBOR, AUGUSTO “GUS” REYES, CID. IMMATERIAL: THE ART OF AUGUSTO ALBOR. MANDALUYONG CITY, PHILIPPINES: ARTINFORMAL, 2010. PRINT. BUENSUCESO, JINGGOY BUENSUCESO, JINGGOY. UNFAMILIAR LANDSCAPES. GALLERIA DUEMILA, INC. 2016 CABRERA, BENEDICTO “BENCAB” YUSON, ALFRED A., AND CID REYES. BENCAB. MANILA: MANTES PUB., 2002. PRINT. CRUZ, MARIA CRUZ, MARIA, AND JO HOLDER. OO: SELECTED PAINTINGS AND PROJECTS BY MARIA CRUZ, 19962008. PHILIPPINES, MANILA: ATENEO DE MANILA U, ATENEO ART GALLERY, 2008. PRINT. DELGADO, MONICA DELGADO, MONICA. IF ARISTOTLE CAN’T BE YOUR TEACHER, YOU HAVE TO TEACH YOURSELF. GALLERIA DUEMILA, INC. 2015
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DIAZ, DUDDLEY GUILLERMO, ALICE. THE ART OF DUDDLEY DIAZ. QUEZON CITY: VIBAL FOUNDATION, 2010. PRINT.
OSSORIO, ALFONSO FRIEDMAN, B. H., AND ALFONSO OSSORIO. ALFONSO OSSORIO. NEW YORK: H.N. ABRAMS, 1972. PRINT.
DONO, HERI SUPANGKAT, JIM, IRMA DAMAJANTI, AND ELLY KENT. THE WORLD AND I: HERI DONO’S ART ODYSSEY. JAKARTA, INDONESIA: PT. MONDEKORINDO SENI INTERNASIONAL, 2014. PRINT.
PILAPIL, IMPY PILAPIL, IMPY. INTERACTIVE. FOUNDATION, 2011.
GABA, MARC GABA, MARC. DAYS OF CREATION. GALLERIA DUEMILA, INC. 2016. OCAMPO, MANUEL OCAMPO, MANUEL. MANUEL OCAMPO: MUMU TERRITORIUM: JABAR LOGIC IN TIMES OF MCARTHURIAN TRANSGRESSIONS MULTIPLYING ON THE BORDER OF THE CONCATENATED POSTDUCHAMPIAN THEATRE SWASTIKATING BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE. MAKATI CITY, PHILIPPINES: FINALE ART FILE, 2005. PRINT. OCAMPO, MANUEL, AND ARVIN FLORES. AN ARCANE RECIPE INVOLVING INGREDIENTS CANNIBALIZED FROM THE RELIQUARIES OF SOME PROFANE ILLUMINATION. NEW YORK: TYLER ROLLINS FINE ART, 2010. PRINT. OLMEDO, LUIS CLAUDIO VELOSO “ONIB” OLMEDO, ONIB. ONIB OLMEDO: DIMENSIONS OF DEPTH. PASAY CITY, PHILIPPINES: CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES, 2007. PRINT.
THE
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SENSES
ROBLES, ROBERTO M.A ROBLES, ROBERTO M. A., AND GINA FAIRLEY. SALUYSOY. MANILA: ATENEO DE MANILA U, OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, 2011. PRINT. SANTOS, MAURO “MALANG” MALANG. MALANG: PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS. MANILA: RAYA, 1981. PRINT. SULTAN, DONALD RATCLIFF, CARTER, AND JOHN B. RAVENAL. “DONALD SULTAN : THE THEATER OF THE OBJECT”. THE VENDOME PRESS, 19 JAN. 2017. WEB. 03 FEB. 2017. TURALBA, JOSEPHINE TURALBA, JOSEPHINE. VAGARI. GALLERIA DUEMILA, INC. 2016 VINLUAN, NESTOR OLARTE VINLUAN, NESTOR. PAINTINGS/INSTALLATIONS/ OBJECTS IV. GALLERIA DUEMILA, INC. 2017 YEE, JR., LUIS “JUNYEE” JUNYEE. THE SILENCE OF J. GALLERIA DUEMILA, INC. 2016
GALLERIA DUEMILA ART FAIR PHILIPPINES 2017 February 15 to 19, 2017 A RT D I R E C T O R
Silvana Ancellotti-Diaz
EXHIBITION TEAM
Johanna Labitoria Anna Rafanan Thess Ponce Bing Francisco Mayet Taluban Roy Abrenica Ulysis Francisco Edgar Bautista Jose Jeoffrey Baba Gabriel Abalos E X H I B I T I O N N O T E S / C ATA L O G U E T E X T
Angel Velasco Shaw
G R A P H I C D E S I G N / L AY O U T
Anna Rafanan
Copyright 2017 Galleria Duemila, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system transmitted in any form or by any means without the written consent of the abovementioned copyright holders, with the exception of reasonably brief excerpts and quotations used in articles, critical essays or research.
g alle r ia due m i l a was established in 1975 by Italian born Silvana Ancellotti-Diaz. Duemila means “twentieth century”, and it was this vision that inspired Duemila’s advocacy in promoting and preserving Philippine contemporary art. To date, it is the longest running commercial art gallery in the Philippines maintaining a strong international profile. With the vision to expose its artists locally and within the ASEAN region, Duemila complements its exhibits with performances, readings and musical events in its custom-built gallery in Pasay City, Manila. Galleria Duemila takes pride in being the only local gallery to publish and mount retrospectives of artists as part of its advocacy in pursuing art historical research and scholarship. With the collaboration of institutions, Duemila has mounted the retrospectives of Roberto M.A. Robles (Ateneo Art Gallery, 2011), Duddley Diaz (Vargas Museum, 2009), Julie Lluch Dalena (Cultural Center of the Philippines, 2008).
It has also published a book on Diosdado Magno Lorenzo (National Library of the Philippines, 2009) and produced a major Pacita Abad exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, 2004. The gallery maintains close ties with museums throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States. Its futurist vision keeps it at the cutting-edge of Philippine art, making and archiving history as it happens. services: conservation and restoration of paintings, consultancy services, commissions and installation