A gorgeous show and another art tribute to a grand lady

Founded on Feb. 13, 1960 by Eugenio Lopez, Sr., the Lopez Memorial Museum turned 50 last month.

Don Eugenio Sr. had set up the museum in honor of his parents, Benito Lopez and Presentacion Hofileña, with the objective of providing scholars and students access to his personal collection of rare Filipiniana books, manuscripts, maps, archaeological artifacts and fine art.

Today, the collection housed at Benpres Bldg. on Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Center, stands as one of the oldest, publicly accessible private art collections in the Philippines.

On Feb. 18, the museum’s 50th anniversary was celebrated in grand style at the Rockwell Tent, with a heady presentation spearheaded by Cedie Lopez Vargas, the Lopez Museum director.

The myriad activities kicked off with the launching of the coffee-table book, Unfolding Half a Century: The Lopez Memorial Museum. Followed “Threads” — a multi-media show curated by Chitz Ramirez and Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez, who sought to transform the whole tent into one giant installation.

They succeeded on a breathtaking scale, with the use of 10-foot projection screens all around, painted circuitry on the floor surrounding the circular stage, and a multi-media exhibit with contributions coming from a diverse assembly of contemporary artists, including Ann Pamintuan, Ann Wizer, Antipas Delotavo, Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, Keith Sicat, Jet Camay, Leo Abaya, filmmaker Kiri Dalena, dancer Myra Beltran, and the Syjuco performance divas Jean Marie and daughters Trix and Maxine.

Some of the selected artists were requested to react to any piece of their choice from the museum’s art collection. Thus Jet Camay’s performance art piece was inspired by Danny Dalena’s oil painting titled “Talo.” Leo Abaya came up with a motorized video installation, while Kiri presented one of her hundreds of collected “clichés” — “Watch History Repeat Itself” — engraved on a marble slab as an installation with video projection. Myra danced as only she can, nothing but elegant tempest.

Ann Pamintuan welded distinctive wire furniture. Chitz Ramirez showcased “Totems” — a large-scale (approximately 12 feet) assemblage of sculpture pieces composed of scrap metal and wooden crates, with TV monitors cached inside the eye-catching convolution.

Ann Wizer came up with colorful tapestries made of recycled waste, inclusive of CDs and disposable lighters. The clothes she whipped up totally from recycled plastic bags were worn in a fashion mini-rampa exercise by Yael Buencamino, Trix and Maxine Syjuco, Cedie, and the creator-designer herself. Other super-funky clothes were made by the “Invisible Sisters” — 150 urban poor women trained by Ann to crochet recycled plastic bags into clothes, hats and other accessories.

The grand finale of a performance work was conceived and essayed by the grande dame Jean Marie Syjuco, as inspired by Juan Luna’s classic 1886 painting “España y Filipinas.”

After her daughters were “unveiled” — primping and writhing, respectively, with Maxine vertiginous on a tall pedestal in a flowing España gown with a 20-foot train, and Trix clad as Filipinas, in recycled plastic cape and little garbage bags — lights descended on the apex of the tableau: JM all wrapped up in hypermodern regal attire made entirely of bubblepack sheets. Entirely luminous as a mother spaceship on touchdown, she was perched on a two-meter-high armchair with footstool provided by Wizer, again composed of recycled plastic. 

 Enhancing the performance was improvisational music and soundworks by Orville Tiamzon, the Angono painter/composer who has collaborated with Jean Marie since the 1980s, as well as large wall projections of better-half Cesare A.X. Syjuco’s literary hybrids, specifically his works titled “Chanel according to Matel,” “Inhale/Exhume,” and “All Things Go Where They Must Go.”

Wielding a scepter, Jean Marie was barely recognizable on her throne, what with aviator’s goggles nearly masking her face, plus a neck brace featuring advertising slogans with superficial messages.

Quite a sight, quite a spectacle, quite an environment — as magically improvised and brought together by energetic, collaborative artists unfolding a paean to a thriving repository of dynamic Philippine art.

Somehow, the irony of paying tribute to vintage works with an ephemeral procession of delirious concepts and ultra-now motifs was not lost among the jawdrops. Threading through Philippine art, after all, is that special quality of sheer exhilaration. 

Earlier that same day, formally launched at The Atrium on the second level of The Podium in Ortigas Center was an art exhibit billed as “Yellow Paintings,” featuring 40 works by 15 artists.

Presented by Philip Stein and organized by Galerie Joaquin, the exhibit culled distinctive works that highlight the color yellow, “the symbolic color that rallied a nation and enabled Cory Aquino to restore democracy and establish her legacy.”

Art historian and professor Dr. Reuben Canete served as curator by selecting the artworks thematically converging on “The Color of Courage” — which has also been Philip Stein’s tagline for the commemorative limited edition of Cory Aquino watches. 

Among the works were several portraits by the romantic surrealist Jerry Morada, representing Tita Cory during various stages of her presidency, thus including a take on the Time magazine “Woman of the Year” cover.

Then there was Amador Barquilla’s poignant 48”-by-60” oil on canvas depicting the departed icon’s funeral cortege amidst a horde of Filipinos. The same sea of people is featured in his other masterworks of infinite if folksy detail, all of these large canvases.

Major works were Dominic Rubio’s “Happy Family I” and “Happy Family II” — showing the Aquinos in the artist’s signature long-necked line-up of curious elegance, in traditional Filipiniana. One may regard both works as a distinctive makeover of both Noynoy and Kris, for which unique facet alone these large horizontal works should become collectibles.

Three of the works on display were auctioned off during the evening program, with noted art critic and painter Cid Reyes serving as auctioneer.

Also represented were masters Arturo Luz and Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, National Artists, plus Juvenal Sanso, Lydia Velasco and Mario Parial. Younger artists included in the tribute were Richard Arimado, Jovan Benito, Joman Delluba, Carlo Magno, Ramon Ordona, Aljo Pingol and Edwin Tres Reyes. 

The selected artworks were on display only until Feb. 21, after which they were transferred to Galerie Joaquin Podium at the mall’s lower ground floor of the mall. For more info, call 634-7945 or 723-9418 or visit www.galeriejoaquin.com