It’s been years since I’ve visited a museum and admittedly the last time was when I was out of the country. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been invited to view the latest exhibit of the Lopez Museum called Extensions.
Extensions showcases different artists such as May Munoz, Pilipinas Street Plan, Plataporma, Rock Ed volunteers Gang Badoy, Gerhard Bandiola, Tammy David and Mon Guinto, Liborio Gatbonton, and Mario Dangan, among others.
As I went through each gallery, I listened intently as Mary Ann, a researcher and education consultant, explained the art work and how each was inspired by the artists. There were several pieces that stuck in my head, either because of its beauty, the medium they used or the story behind the creation of the piece.
One was of Maya’s work called Coming It Going. Oil painted on canvas, it was the largest which had 4 panels to showcase its work. Maya was an artist that travels often and this depicted her experience and emotions of such travel. I saw myself drawn to the colors she used especially and focused on red. As this is a painting that wasn’t obvious to the amateur eye, there were several symbols that may have shown happiness or even the opposite. This reminded me of my own travels, when some felt like a blur and others were clear enough to jot down on a journal.
Maya Munoz. Coming It Going.
Another collection was of PSP’s graffiti and mixed media work. They were given images to work on and they had to do their own interpretation, which is now seen at the gallery. The wall was their canvass and the use of bright colors made it pop. Even the darker renditions were mysterious enough to catch anyone’s attention. The use of different materials to create pieces of art work brought out their creativity.
Pilipinas Street Plan
Pilipinas Street Plan
Pilipinas Street Plan
One piece from Nena Saguil called Landscape captured my attention. As explained, she is known for bringing in the mystical and spiritual elements in her art work. Even at an early age, I saw myself interested in these elements. The circles had depicted life and creation. As I looked further, it felt like the landscape was on another plane, beyond our material world. This is one artist I would love to meet someday.
Landscape. Nena Saguil.
Rock Ed’s collection was moving and depicted what was happening in the present. With the use of multimedia, the letters that the prisoners wrote and the video showing the story behind the famous Cebu prisoner dancers left me feeling disgusted. Yes, prisoners shouldn’t be punished for their crimes and it shouldn’t feel like they are living the good life, but it is the innocent men and women that made me cringe, knowing they are trapped.
Rock Ed. Loob at Labas.
Rock Ed. Loob at Labas.
Kudos to the volunteers for their art work which I’m sure will impact all visitors to this part of the exhibit. It made me think of two things. One was to make sure I never get caught in a situation that might lead me to one of our country’s prisons; and second was the fact that capitalism and racism is getting worse.
Rock Ed. Loob at Labas.
The Extensions exhibit was truly memorable. Not only did it remind me of how a simple visit to a museum can stir up different emotions but it showcases culture. With today’s clutter due to information overload and technology, history and culture sits in the background. In order to make things better and create the future we want, it’s important to understand our culture and appreciate the arts.
Now/Here. Plataporma.
To view more pictures taken from the exhibit, you can visit my Lopez Museum set at Flickr.
