Globe Art Gallery features Parial’s ‘Painted Photographs’
MANILA, Philippines - The Globe Art Gallery currently features renowned artist Mario Parial’s “Painted Photographs,” an exhibition that harnessed conventional photography as the artist made use of his collection of vintage cameras.
Parial’s art revolved around photography, printmaking and painting. But when he encountered health problems in early 2000, Parial set aside large-scale painting and rekindled his romance with photography, a passion he had since he was in college. Instead of simply collecting vintage cameras, he used them to advance his art. His exposure to these gadgets immensely expanded his knowledge of photography and its history, as gleaned from the make and capability of the various vintage cameras and lenses that passed through his hands. Some of Parial’s vintage cameras are also displayed at the Globe Art Gallery, located at the basement of the telecommunication provider’s corporate headquarters in Bonifacio Global City.
The exhibition, on view until Aug. 13, features 39 of Parial’s painted photographs, which he developed in the old manner in his darkroom. He scanned the firm to digitize and resize before printing but did not resort to computerized image manipulation. With dashes of acrylic color, pastel and pencil, crosshatches with felt tip markers and paper collages, Parial created a pictographic reality all his own.
In “Mother and Child,” Parial takes two photos of mothers feeding their babies, with Jesus carrying the cross as backdrop. “The Kiss,” shows devotees praying before Christ on the Cross with one devotee kissing the bloodied palm of Jesus while “Secret Text,” shows a young man facing a wall with assorted lines while busily texting.
Parial graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas. He taught printmaking and painting, first in his alma mater in the 1970s and later in the 1990s at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Known for his folk and mythological interest where the woman figure was central to the composition in his art, he garnered top prizes from almost all the leading art competitions in the country. In 1972, the Cultural Center of the Philippines honored him as one of the year’s Thirteen Artist awardees. He exhibited extensively in the Philippines and in other countries following his first solo show in 1965. He died in December of last year.
Parial’s “Painted Photographs” is the third art exhibition to be featured at The Globe Art Gallery since August last year, when the telecommunications provider moved to The Globe Tower, its new corporate headquarters. The gallery initially featured the works of film and television makeup artist Leo Velasco who won the company’s 1st ImaginART competition. Velasco also bagged up to P1 million in prize money and exhibition grant.
Recently, the Globe Art Gallery also showcased “Biag,” an exhibition of artworks made by Cordillera artists from the Tam-Awan Village, a venue for art and cultural activities in Baguio City aiming to increase awareness and appreciation of the Cordillera culture and at the same time preserving the region’s heritage. “Biag” — meaning “life” — features five artists namely Mark Tandoyog, Alfonso Dato, Alfred Dato, Art Lozano and Herwin Buccat.
Globe Telecom’s support for contemporary art and the people in the art community in general speaks of its advocacy for creativity and innovation.
