An intimate dinner for Art Detour artists
Some moons ago, shipping heiress Helen Ho-Delgado hosted an intimate dinner to honor the artist-members of Art Detour, which was conceptualized by art impresario Derek Flores of DF Art Agency, and auction king Jaime Ponce de Leon of Leon Gallery.
The indefatigable hostess, herself the daughter of the venerable Anita Magsaysay-Ho, was joined by her son Rashid, who, by the way, is in town to launch The Weltmeister W5, a fully electric SUV crossover vehicle that he is so excited about, available at the local EV market, WM Motor Philippines (WMPH). Rashid is joined by his wife Wonhee “Whee” Cha Delgado, also a renowned artist, and one of the stalwarts of Art Detour. Whee earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and Sculpture at the Prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, and her master’s degree at the Seoul National University.
The magical evening was held at the former Manila home of the wealthy Lopez-Jisons of Iloilo, which has been so carefully restored, expanded and decorated, palanggas.
For people in the know, it is a mini-Nelly Gardens, the palatial home of Vicente Lopez and Elena Hofileña.
First to arrive was the smart Bambina Olivares, straight from her UK curatorial training in preparation for her stint at the new M. Then came the legal luminary and art guru Tonico Manahan, followed by Derek Flores, who organizes the best shows in town, and his beauty-and-brains lover Melot Sunga.
The conversation started to flow on the trends of art and the roles of art fairs in the art market, dahlings. Auctioneer Jaime was optimistic about the current environment, especially since the administration is putting emphasis on culture. Educator-turned-designer Robbie Santos was chatting with trailblazer architect Carlo Calma, and premier photographer Jay Yao, who are both part of Art Detour, as well as Ciane Xavier, who explained why the Philippine art scene is more vibrant than our South American counterparts. Artist Kim Lim was missed by the group.
The evening went well and for those familiar with the terrific tandem of Robbie and Helen Delgado, as guests enjoyed the Q&A portion over a sumptuous dinner prepared by chef/restaurateur Margarita Fores. And that was a wrap, palanggas.
