Scribe by Joy Mallari

Artist Joy Mallari revisited a character  a girl astride a horse and wielding a sword  from one of her paintings entitled A Sword of a Thousand Truths. Inspired by this character, she made an ensemble of life-like pieces of sculpture of varied finishes. These artworks, depicting an army of sword-wielding figures and collectively titled Scribe, were recently exhibited at Secret Fresh gallery at the Ronac Art Center in San Juan City.

Sharing the inquisitive expression of her first storybook character Tin of Doll Eyes, these sword-wielding figures were far from ferocious. They appeared self-assured and knowledgeable despite their youth. Mallari depicted the Scribe girls at the cusp of adulthood, treading a perilous phase of transition.

The original painting, which was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, depicts a surreal scene of destruction. The girl is a picture of calm amidst chaos, riding a crystalline horse, which is above a giant book bound by chains. The girl who can be likened to a modern-day Joan of Arc remains collected and still amidst disorder.

The pieces of sculpture exhibited at Secret Fresh were culled from this pictorial image.  They were rendered three-dimensionally with the steed markedly transformed into a Trojan horse, allowing a heightened encounter with other facets of figure and form from which the narrative revolved.  Fifty-five of these “toys” were issued with an additional 10 custom-made and hand-painted images.

Secret Fresh has made “toy” collaborations in the past with other artists such as Mark Justiniani, Lynyrd Paras, Charlie Co and Paolo Vinluan.

Mallari has widely shown her art in local and international venues. Her other recent solo exhibitions include Doll Eyes in 2010 at the UP Vargas Museum and two others in 2008 titled Rekwerdo at Sitio Remedios in Ilocos Norte and Perennial at Art Verite in Taguig City. She explores the link between literature and art, telling stories through vivid and emphatic images in her paintings. Doll Eyes, written by author Eline Santos, was inspired by Mallari’s painting. It won a National Children’s Book Award in 2011. Mallari was a member of Salingpusa and the Sanggawa Art Collective.

Watch out for the new “toy” by Luis Lorenzana this month.

(Secret Fresh gallery is open on Tuesday to Saturday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m and on Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. For updates, visit  www.facebook.com/secretfresh.)

‘Seeing life in a bright light’

The Philippines had its first-ever outdoor music and movie festival at the newly opened Circuit Event Grounds in Makati City during the CinemaJam event of Essilor. The venue was packed with visitors who came for the food, amusement park activities and, most importantly, the live music and movies.

GraceNote kicked off the all-day affair by playing classic tunes and Paramore favorites followed by Moonstar88 who got the crowd jumping with their original alternative songs. Itchyworms capped off the afternoon with not only the crowd favorites, but also with a few jokes in between. 

When it was time to watch the movies, all lights at the venue were turned off in preparation for the films Limitless and Love Actually. Guests enjoyed the many selections offered by the various concessionaires and food trucks. They also filled their bellies before rocking out to Callalily and headliner, Bamboo. The night ended with an hour-long, crowd-pumping set by DJ Ace Ramos.

In addition to the awesome music and movies, guests were able to enjoy other activities such as skateboarding, soccer, American football, basketball, wall climbing, kite flying and bungee jumping. These activities were courtesy of Crizal Transitions, distributed exclusively by Essilor Philippines. Essilor is a world leader in the design, manufacture and customization of ophthalmic lenses.

All guests went home “seeing life in a bright light” and with high hopes that Essilor will make CinemaJam an annual event!

Dreaming in style

Here’s a partnership that will guarantee you of a restful sleep. And, perhaps, will ensure you of dreaming in style.

Kenneth Cobonpue had a weeklong launch to open the newest Kenneth Cobonpue showroom in Manila. Featuring over 50 of his original creations, the showroom was filled with outdoor and indoor furnishings including the Cabaret Bed, which was complemented with Magniflex mattress.

The mattress brand upholds its natural creations under Home Studio, its exclusive distributor in the Philippines. It recently partnered with furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue in launching the Italian luxury mattress in Manila.

Made from eco-friendly and all-natural materials, Magniflex offers premium comfort with the feel of Italy’s still meadows and fragrant winds in every sleep. This mattress comes in different variety of materials to meet rare preferences on mattresses and sleeping demands. The mattress brand infuses the Tuscany feel in its products with all-natural materials that are hypoallergenic, non-toxic, breathable and biodegradable.

Known for his undeniable artistry and use of natural products, Kenneth Cobonpue redefined the design industry with his sustainable and natural creations that exemplify style and function in unison. Sharing the same passion in conveying his design principle, Magniflex proudly announced its collaboration with the world-class furniture designer.

Cobonpue said, “Like my designs, Magniflex captures its constant desire for innovation. I believe in its commitment in giving the highest quality of standards and utilizing natural materials like bamboo and mais in creating extraordinary mattresses that caters to the market’s extraordinary needs.”

(Visit Magniflex showroom at Home Studio, 63 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan City or call  721-9832.)