8 artists, 1 Filipino-inspired museum
Ricky Ocampo is an interesting fellow. At 28, with an entrepreneurial spirit nurtured since he was a young boy, he is CEO of a real estate development company that has gone beyond providing orthodox housing. He is also the driving spirit behind Hacienda San Benito, a 22-hectare “residential wellness estate” that is redefining that genre in the Philippine setting.
I currently feature this fascinating development in the current “Sun and Water” issue of BluPrint magazine. The cover, in fact, shows the Terraza de Barako Café of the hacienda, the creation of architect Jason Buensalido, son of PR maven Joy Buensalido (not that she needs to do any PR for her talented son). Jason is a perennial design competition winner who is now reaping the benefits of all his triumphs with actual built work.
His design works because Ricky Ocampo trusts the creative talents of Filipino designers. Although we featured his development in the magazine, I only met the charming Mr. Ocampo recently. He had invited me to the opening of an exhibit featuring half a century of creative landscape designs of National Artist for (Landscape) Architecture Ildefonso P. Santos.
IP Santos’ color perspectives of residential landscapes show modernist influences from the 1960s. I could not refuse the call to help cut the ribbon with Ricky himself and longtime IP Santos friend Edilberto B. Bravo, chairman of the Ubix Corporation. The venue was Ocampo’s own headquarters, on the 23rd floor of the Insular Life complex in Alabang.
Museo Walo: Hanay ng mga Bantog na Artistang Pilipino wraps around Ocampo’s regular offices, a cultural skin that blurs the boundaries between business and artistic aspirations of his company, the Milrose Realty Development Corporation (MRDC).
The museum is, in effect, an art walk that harks back to the original art-gallery typology of over a century ago when the rich opened their collections to public view. The museum exhibits selected works of eight renowned Filipino artists who have taken Filipino culture, materials and themes as the inspiration and resource for their body of work.
The artists include IP Santos for landscape architecture, Bencab for painting, Pitoy Moreno for fashion design, Bobby Mañosa for architecture, Michael Cacnio for sculpture, Budji Layug/Royal Pineda for interior design, Ugu Bigyan for pottery and Kenneth Cobonpue for furniture design.
Santos’ exhibit celebrates his achievement as the Philippines’ “Father of Landscape Architecture.” IP is best known for his remarkable landscape architectural designs for Paco Park, Taikoo Shing in Hong Kong, Rizal Park, Tagaytay Highlands, and Nayong Pilipino, among others. The exhibit features original perspective renderings of his work from the 1960s, when Santos first introduced the new design field to a modern public. Amazing sketches show the creative intent for works like the Loyola Memorial Park, the Makati Commercial Center, the Manila InterContinental Hotel and the Magallanes Commercial Center.
Author Paulo Alcazaren, Ubix chairman Edilberto Bravo, National Artist IP Santos, and Milrose CEO Ricky Ocampo at Museo Walo Along with Santos’ exhibition at Museo Walo is a display of 15 artists whom he has collaborated with in the past. This includes National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva, Antonio Raymundo, Fred Baldemor and Joe Datuin.
Santos, together with the seven world-renowned Filipino artists whose work is highlighted in Museo Walo, will contribute their expertise to a collaborative creation of one environmental masterwork, The Batis Project. Ocampo explained this most daring project as an eco-wellness-destination rising soon — a southern nexus of everything that engenders a healthy mind, body and spirit; this spirit being a true Filipino spirit fuelled by the settings designed by these eight artists, architects and artisans.
Ricky Ocampo’s ideology is based on the acknowledgment that the Philippines has such great wealth of talented and creative individuals, and this creativity and talent is a positive force that will move the country forward.
Ocampo is a forward-thinking fellow, a fellow Filipino and one developer who supports Filipino talent through and through. With his success at an early age, he shows he is one talented fellow, too.
The Ildefonso P. Santos Exhibition, along with the 15 artists’ selling display, will run until April 26. Contact museowalo@milrosedev.com or call 772-4262 or 772-1697.
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IP Santos’ original schemes for the ABS-CBN landscaped grounds, now sadly gone and replaced with large buildings. The Metrobank Foundation Inc., in association with Federal Land, the UAP, PIID, BluPrint and Lifestyle Asia magazines, announces the 2011 Metrobank Art and Design (MADE) competition. The theme is on green and sustainable design in two categories: architecture and interior design. The competition is open to licensed architects 25-50 years old and licensed interior designers 25-45 years old. For more information on the competition, entry forms and prizes, visit www.MBfoundation.org.ph.
