Astig-Mata,” an exhibit by Ronald Ventura, was the first art series at The Goldenberg Mansion.
Ventura graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Painting degree from the University of Santo Tomas and worked there as a university instructor at College of Fine Arts & Design. The internationally renowned artist was awarded the Thirteen Artists award by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2003 and won the prestigious Ateneo Art Awards in 2005 and received an Ateneo Art Gallery Studio Residency Grant in Sydney, Australia, in 2005.
The one-day exhibition featured 10 paintings, two sculptures and two signed and numbered limited-edition prints of 20 pieces each.
Ventura meditated on what it is to be truly Filipino. Bamboo figured prominently in this exhibition, since bamboo is often compared to Filipinos for being resilient and adaptable. He also wanted to explore how we Filipinos look at things, so the bahay-kubo, baro’t-saya, pagsasaka, pag-aani sa bukid, and other things Filipiniana were present in his art.
Twenty-five percent of sales from the exhibit will be donated to Fashion Aid Philippines (FAP) to help and sustain the country’s fashion and creative industry.
FAP is a duly registered non-profit organization that aims to promote the cultural, social and economic consciousness of the public and to assist the new generation of Filipino fashion designers and its applied arts, from craftsmen, shoemakers and makeup artists to hairstylists and other artistic producers. FAP seeks to infuse culture into art by engaging in worthwhile activities that will expand the Filipino artists’ knowledge in their fields.
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