Collection - Sining / The Arts

Sining / The Arts

An artist will create. He sees the world and its endless possibilities. A brush. A pen. A guitar. A spatula. Movement. All these are but means to express. A canvas. The stage. A table. Avenues and mechanisms to showcase.

We are all the richer for them. We celebrate creatives in all their forms and manifestations.

Kidlat Tahimik. National Artist for Independent Cinema -

Froilan Medina. Palanca Award-winning Writer. -

Ben Cabrera. National Artist for Visual Arts. -

Veepee Pinpin. Ecclesiastical Architect. -

Guy Custodio. Restorer of Ecclesiastical Heritage. -

Mytz and Awie Abelador. Ivatan Artists. -

Heist creative. Sydney Branding Photographer. -

Franco Navarro. Bangkok-based Architect and Graphic Artist. -

Lissa Romero de Guia. Writer. Painter. Healer. -

Oliver Olivete. Mighty Bhutens. Mosaikero. -

Ammin. Kalinga. Wanderer. mambabatok. Musician. Actress. -

Mang Dado Ona. Dangal ng Batangan Awardee. Balisong-maker. -

Kawayan de Guia. Photographer. Painter. Book Producer. -

Joey Ayala. Musician. Educator. Social Activist. -

Marian Pastor-Roces. Author. Art critic. Museum curator. -

Kidlat Tahimik. National Artist for Independent Cinema

It is not commonly known that Kidlat Tahimik wore suits to work when he was with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. He obtained an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. Not hard to believe that he would found AISEC in UP.

A crossroad in his life was when he took a sabbatical from work in Paris and headed to Munich for the Olympic games in 1972. He had used his savings as capital to sell souvenirs and memorabilia during the games. He lost everything during the terrorist attack and found himself broke. He then found haven in a commune in Germany where he temporarily stayed until he could raise enough money to return home. He found employment in a movie set doing production support when the director saw him and used him as an extra. That director was noted filmmaker Werner Herzog who eventually influenced him to pursue his own visions.

Kidlat Tahimik's film Perfumed Nightmare was completed in 1977.

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Aris Bagtas

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Obando-native Aris Bagtas draws inspiration from the local culture of Bulacan. His folkloric and ecclesiastical paintings can be found in the walls and ceilings of the famous churches and basilicas of his home province. His son Dale, an artist in his own right, follows in the footsteps of his father, imbibed with the legacy that was passed on to him.

Froilan Medina. Palanca Award-winning Writer.

Introduced to literature at a young age by his father, and mentored by numerous national artists and playwrights including NVM Gonzalez and Rene Villanueva, Froilan emerged as an award-winning writer. His story Wala sa Sarili won third prize in the 1993 Palanca Awards’ category for Short Story (Filipino), and his screenplays for the films Boses, Kid Kulafu, and Thelma have earned him accolades as a writer for feature and documentary films.

Froilan envisions a Philippine nation that is progressive and tolerant, culturally and materially rich, and offers a promise of hope for all those fighting daunting problems and facing impossible odds.

Chef Ginny. Taal Town.

Feliza Taverna y Cafe in Taal town serves top class food by Chef Ginny of Adarna fame, in the restaurant below the restored heritage home. The movement to restore and preserve heritage homes is gaining steam and advocates with impeccable tastes and a strong sense of style are moving in and adopting homes. The Taal Alliance marches onward.

Veepee Pinpin. Ecclesiastical Architect.

Vincent Pinpin (VeePee) is a lover of architecture, which to him is the synthesis of a people's culture, lifestyle, and art. An interest in how a man shapes and is shaped by his environment had been a preoccupation of VP's ever since his childhood in his family's ancestral home in Laguna, eventually leading to his choice to enter the UP College of Architecture.

Now a practicing architect, VP's design philosophy stipulates that a space ought to be designed with a purpose in mind -- while remaining friendly to the natural world. A deeply spiritual man, his main focus is designing religious spaces and teaching Asian vernacular architecture.

Kalel Demetrio. Liquido Maestro.

Mixologist Kalel Ervin Demetrio, also known as Liquido Maestro, is an artist who spends his time on the road, in search of spices and ingredients he would concoct into different brews and drinks. He experiments with tastes and flavors as he devices interesting mixes. He interacts directly with farmers, buying produce in bulk, to reduce intermediation costs. He runs the Agimat Foraging Bar in Poblacion, Makati.

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Rey Ucat. Graphic Designer.

Rey is a self-taught graphic designer from the Philippines. His passion for the arts in its many forms, enriched with a degree in philosophy, infuses his graphic work not only with creative merit but also with substantive insight – a unique aspect of his design process. He admits to being a fan of American art director and graphic designer, Paul Rand, who was himself self-taught.

From logos to t-shirts, posters and the entire range of marketing collaterals, Rey is able to capture what clients require, infuse his own artistic viewpoint, and then translate these into original designs that are distinctly clean, to-the-point and striking.

A staunch champion of the values of justice, courage and kindness, Rey hopes that adherence to the Golden Rule and the command to love will allow us all to clearly deliberate on proper courses of action to deal with the tumult in Mindanao.

The Project Larawan logo was created by Rey.

Rizal Underground

Rizal Underground's popularity in the 90s was enhanced when their tune Sabado Nights was used in a San Miguel beer commercial which featured Ina Raymundo. But the musical ability and creative credibility of the Villegas brothers really manifested in their less commercial work with Bayang Barrios, who is married to guitarist Mike Villegas.

Guy Custodio. Restorer of Ecclesiastical Heritage.

I met Guy Custodio in 2013 in Albuquerque, Bohol. Back then, the renowned art restorer was rehabilitating the ceiling frescoes of Sta. Monica church. The original paintings, completed by Ray Francia, a Cebuano artist commissioned by the Archdiocese of Cebu to render the ceilings of over 20 churches throughout Bohol with ecclesiastical art in the 1920s to 30s, had seriously depreciated and were in need of restoration. He would patiently and methodically work on the original sheets that made up the ceiling one by one, aided by locals he would train to assist him.

Dr. Joven Cuanang

Dr. Joven Cuanang, one of the country’s top neurologists, is equally known for his pursuits outside the medical field. The former Director of St. Luke’s Hospital is also lauded for his patronage of the arts. He founded both the Boston Art Gallery in Quezon City and the Pintô Art Museum in Antipolo, to provide venues for local artists to showcase their work. He owns Sitio Remedios, a nostalgic resort of restored ancestral houses which captures the charm and feel of old-world villages. As of late, he has been advocating the inabel and supporting the entire traditional weaving process, from strengthening the sourcing of local fibers through the reestablishment of cotton farming in Ilocos Norte, to the promotion of the final textile and garments. His latest preoccupation is Balay San Nicholas, recently restored and brought to its former glory through his leadership and guidance.

Dr. Joven Cuanang -- neurologist, heritage advocate, and one of Ilocos Norte's finest and reputable citizens. Renaissance man.

Teri Malvar. Multi-awarded Actress.

Therese "Teri" Malvar is a multi-awarded thespian who won her first best actress award at 13-years old opposite Angel Aquino in the indie film ""Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita." Since then, she has received numerous recognitions, both local and abroad, including the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award at the 15th New York Asian Film Festival, and the Silver St. George Best Actress at the 38th Moscow International Film Festival, for various film projects.

Teri is a great-granddaughter of General Miguel Malvar. She is also of Rizal lineage. Dr. Jose Rizal's youngest sister Soledad, is her great-grandmother.

Eric Madrigal Masangkay. Sculptor.

Through the careful selection and execution of nuanced details, Eric's impressionistic work exalts the human form in highly-charged dynamic poses, both demonstrating movement and manifesting tension.

Dale Bagtas. Artist.

Dale in a quiet moment with his dog given to him by his girlfriend.

Dale is a multi-awarded artist whose recent recognitions include:

International Prize Michaelangelo Award (The Genius of Italy) Teatro Italia, Rome, Italy / July 22, 2023

World Best Artist Prize Award / Palazzo Fatta, Palermo Italy / June 21, 2023

International Prize Pegasus for the Arts Award & Top Artists Protagonists of Contemporary Art Award in Scoula Grande di San Teodoro in Venice Italy. May 18, 2023

5° International Prize Leonardo Da Vinci Award / Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci / April 6, 2023

1° International Prize Donatello / Borghese Palace, Via - Ghibellina, 110 - Florence, Italy