In Nostalgia exhibit, Philippine art gets sentimental
Carlito Amalla’s painting of an indigenous dance in southern Philippines
Philippine Nostalgia features the latest collections of three Philippine-based artists: Carlito Amalla, Gari Apolonio and Denes Dasco. The artists are all graduates of the UP College of Fine Arts in Diliman, Quezon City. Amalla holds a BFA Painting degree Batch 2003, Apolonio a BFA Major in Art History batch 2005 and Dasco a BFA Painting degree holder batch 1996. The exhibit is curated by UP Fine Arts professor Rubén DF Defeo.
The artists recreate the aspects of Philippine life closest to their heart.
Amalla, a theater and visual artist and a Manobo from Agusan del Norte, depicts the dance traditions of indigenous peoples from Luzon to Mindanao. Growing up, he knows these dances instinctively and he feels the need to preserve and promote them at a time when Philippine society is modernizing rapidly. He is currently teaching at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and also a part of other organizations focusing on arts. He taught dance, music, painting, sculpture and conducted cultural workshops to children and out-of-school youths. Most of his students and trainees belong to indigenous communities. He worked with them at Butuan Young Artists Circle, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPRCV), Service for Peace-Global Peace Makers, United Nations Association of the Philippines (UNAP), and many other organizations. He was conferred in 2008 the UNAP Outstanding Youth Service Award by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Art by Carlito Amalla, Gari Apolonio, and Denes Dasco
Apolonio offers his personal tribute to the komiks creators and their creations. Komiks provided fun leisure time during its heyday with its engrossing stories and superior illustrations. His works reimagine komiks by bringing back some of the great illustrations from the 1940s to the 1990s.
Dasco’s interest revolves around Filipino street games. He believes street games such as patintero, taguan, tumbang preso and luksong tinik made Filipinos’ childhood a happy time worth remembering and retelling among family and friends.
The exhibit is supported by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts in Manila. It will open on October 10, Tuesday, and will run until October 20, 2017. The Exhibit Reception will be held on October 13, with Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega as guest of honor.
On October 12, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Amalla and Apolonio will give an Artist Talk before the Filipino American community especially the students so that new generation will get a better understanding and appreciation of their culture. They will talk more extensively about the art that they created and interpreted. There will be discussions about indigenous dances and costumes and traditional komiks. It will be followed by an open forum and art demonstrations. It will be a celebration of a rich culture in art specially timed for Filipino American History Month.
© 2017 The FilAm
