Da Vinci goes to One Bonifacio High Street
BONIFACIO High Street (BHS), in collaboration with award-winning, Istanbul-based creative new media studio Ouchhh, is putting the “art” in artificial intelligence (AI) with a sensorial showcase — Wisdom of Da Vinci: An Immersive AI Experience — running from August to October, at the 3rd Level of One Bonifacio High Street, 5th Ave., BGC, Taguig. Ticket reservations are currently being accepted, with tickets priced at P975 for adults, and P780 for students. The exhibition space will be filled with large-scale data paintings made up of vivid audio and visual projections. Visithttps://bgcimmersive.com for tickets, and Bonifacio High Street’s official Facebook page www.facebook.com/BoniHighStreet for updates.
Arts-related workshops open to the public
CHILDREN and teens can explore their passions and talents in music, theater, dance, and design through the STAR Workshops. The six-week intensive training program aims to hone the creative skills of young artists in diverse fields. Organized by the Culture and Arts Unit (CAU) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), the activities will be facilitated by a roster of certified trainers and homegrown talents from the school’s clubs including Coro San Benildo, Saint Benilde Romançon Dance Company Hip Hop and Contemporary, and Dulaang Filipino. Also participating are senior student-artists from the Karilyo Shadowplay Collective, Stage Production Operations Team, and Cultural Promotions Team. Music by the Youth will tackle singing, both in solo and group settings. Guitar lessons are likewise available for beginners. Basic Acting for Teens and Kids covers character-building exercises and acting activities. Creative Movement for Kids and Movement Exploration for Teens guides participants with the basics of ballet and contemporary dance as training on coordination and balance. Introduction to Hip Hop provides a comprehensive overview of the art and essence of the street-style genre. Bituin the Lines: The Fundamentals of Visual Arts focuses on drawing and coloring; while Attract, Don’t Chase tackles the basic concepts of graphic design, photography, and video production, as well as the current trends of modern media production. Introduction to Costume Design highlights the significant roles of color and fabric, as well as the meanings they convey in a production. The STAR Workshops will commence on June 10 at the Benilde Design + Art and Taft Campuses. The season will conclude with a concert on July 29. The module is P4,000 per workshop and is inclusive of the recital fee. To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/STARWorkshops2023. Learn more about the program on https://www.facebook.com/cultureandarts.benilde.
Septuagenarian artist shows at ARTablado
WHEN it comes to a person’s creativity, age is seldom a hurdle to be overcome. In fact, the maturity the years bring can lend a sense of nostalgia to one’s work that can resonate with viewers. That is what artist Rolando Delos Santos brings to his paintings that evoke a more genteel time, one less frenetic, more subdued. The septuagenarian is the featured artist in a two-week exhibit at ARTablado in Robinsons Galleria from June 1 to 15. His body of work includes idyllic pastoral scenes, armfuls of flowers arranged in vases, and still lifes that incorporate detailed items like Chinese blue and white porcelain and white, perforated tablecloths. Studying Fine Arts at Feati University, Mr. Delos Santos has been featured in several solo exhibits through the years, participating in a number of group shows, most notably one at the Cultural Center of the Philippines — 100 Years, 100 Artists. For his ARTablado exhibit, Delos Santos chose the theme “Vision of Reality” because he said an artist’s vision is of utmost importance.
Virgin Labfest 18 kicks off
THE 18th EDITION of Virgin Labfest (VLF) — an annual festival of untried, untested, and unstaged works — is being led by festival directors Tess Jamias and Marco Viaña, with the theme “Hitik.” VLF 18 opens the curtains with four thematic sets of new one-act plays — Adulting 101 (Set A), REBELasyon (Set B), Y.O.LO. (Set C) and Muwang (Set D). There will also be one set of revisited plays (Hinog / Set E), and two sets of staged readings. The festival opens on June 7 and runs until June 25, with performances at 2 and 8 p.m. at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (Black Box Theater) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Tickets are P500.
Exhibit on National Artist Abdulmari Imao
“A LIFE Without Borders,” an exhibition on the life and works of the late Philippine National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Asia Imao, opens to the public at the 12F Main Gallery of the Design and Arts Campus, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) on June 9. The exhibition provides a comprehensive introduction to the artistry of the renowned painter, sculptor, photographer, ceramist, documentary filmmaker, cultural researcher, and writer. He is known to have popularized Philippine Muslim art and culture as original Filipino art. The collection, on loan from his son visual artist Toym Imao, features 28 paintings that champion the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok, and naga designs — decorative motifs commonly used in Mindanao by the Tausūg and Maranao. There is also an assemblage of 38 sculptures that demonstrate Mr. Imao’s intricate wood carving and signature brass casting techniques. Also displayed are his sketches that walk the spectators into his creative genius. Scale models of high-rise buildings for Bonifacio Global City (BGC) are likewise on view, designed by the budding student-artists under the college’s Architecture Program, conceptualized and created under the mentorship of award-winning architect Jim Caumeron. “A Life Without Borders: Abdulmari Imao, National Artist for Visual Arts” is produced by the Center for Campus Art (CCA) and is curated by CCA Director Gerry Torres. It will be on view until Sept. 8, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the 12F Main Gallery of the Design and Arts Campus, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, 950 Pablo Ocampo St., Malate, Manila. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/BenildeCampusArt.