Who is Roberto Chabet? CCP dedicates new gallery to 'Father of Philippine Conceptual Art'
MANILA, Philippines — Cultural Center of the Philippines' Bulwagang Roberto Chabet, also known as CCP TIG Gallery, officially opened to the public last May 16 with an exhibition by the Association of Pinoy printmakers (AP).
The art gallery was named after Roberto Rodriguez Chabet, who, in his lifetime, was acknowledged as the father of Philippine conceptual art. An architecture graduate from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), he was the founding museum director of the CCP, where he also served as curator from 1967 to 1970 and initiated the first 13 Artists Awards. He led the 1970s conceptual art group called Shop 6, taught at the UP College of Fine Arts for more than 30 years, and organized landmark exhibitions of young artists. A multifaceted artist, he ventured into not just architecture but also painting, sculpture, stage designing, photography, writing, and printmaking.
It is Chabet’s affiliation with printmaking that made the CCP Bulwagang Roberto Chabet the perfect venue for the AP’s “Space/Place” exhibition, which is ongoing until June 18, 2023. The exhibit features 37 printmakers who respond to the prompt of space by utilizing a limited printable surface of 20x20 inches with their interpretation of the idea of a place.
The featured artists included Marz Aglipay, Leonardo Aguinaldo, Psalm Astejada, Jose Santos Ardivilla, Melai Arguzon, Diana Aviado, Virgilio “Pandy” Aviado, Luigi Azura, Mars Bugaoan, Elmer Borlongan, Benjamin Torrado Cabrera, Kristen Cain, Jandy Carvajal, Salvador Ching, Joey Cobcobo, Salvador Convocar, Noell El Farol, Jess Flores, Annatha Lilo Gutierrez, Tish Hautea, Eugene Jarque, Villia Jefremovas, Carmel Lim Torres, Little Wing Luna, Angelo Magno, Hershey Malinis, Fara Manuel-Nolasco, Gabi Nazareno, Jamel Obnamia, Samm Occeno, KR Rodgers, Angela Silva, Jone Sibugan, Jun-Jun Sta. Ana, Suchin Teoh, Wesley Valenzuela, and Anton Villaruel.
“Space/Place” takes inspiration from Michel Foucault’s Heterotopia or his musings on the concept of space and how persons best understand them. The common understanding of space is often associated with people, things, and environments, while Foucault argues that our understanding of it has changed or rather, is constantly changing.
Fundamentally, the printmakers’ response to working with a predetermined printing surface puts into play the dynamics of working within a collective.
The exhibition hopes to investigate how printmaking can be utilized to represent our personal narratives and each artist’s process in place-making. Technique-wise, the prints are products of a variety of hand-pull printmaking techniques which include, but are not limited to relief, intaglio, serigraphy, and lithography.
The exhibition highlights how printmaking can be expanded through the exploration of various creative methods and, hopefully, encourages discussions on the significance of the medium in contemporary art practice.
Formerly known as the Philippine Association of Printmakers, AP is the CCP’s artist-in-residence group for the visual arts. The group has been founded in 1968 at their first studio-workshop at the Philippine Women’s University, through the initiative of artist Manuel Rodriguez Sr., along with its first board members Ivi Avellana, Mila Enage, Lamberto Hechanova, Imelda Nakpil, and Adiel Arevalo, who became its first president.
In 1972, the group moved to Jorge Bocobo St., Ermita, after raising funds for the construction of a new studio. Through the years, the printmaker group transferred from studio to studio until they finally found a home at the back of the Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (Folk Arts Theater) in the CCP Complex in 1997. Through the CCP Resident Companies and Associates Program, the studio continues to be AP’s creative space for members and visiting artists.
Through the years, AP has been on top of promoting the art of printmaking in the Philippines, offering workshops on the different techniques of printmaking, not just in their studio, but also in the regions.
Every year, AP holds annual shows at the CCP, as well as exhibitions in different galleries and art spaces here and abroad. The group also organizes “Art by the Bay,” an open house event where visitors can chat with the printmakers, participate in printmaking demos, buy artworks, and join print raffles while enjoying good wine and the excellent view of Manila Bay.
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