Philippines – Manila Davao Borocay – Travel Food Entertainment

Above: Inside Cubao X

Malate, Manila is the first place that comes to mind when one talks of an art space in the Philippines. Little is known about a little place called Cubao Expo or just Cubao X, which was formerly known as Marikina Shoe Expo, but this should not be the case. It has a vintage feel to it but it’s definitely not outdated. It’s not mainstream but definitely not obscure. It’s new but definitely not amateurish. It’s cosmopolitan but definitely not a fadmonger. Call it the local Greenwich Village if you must, but its character makes it uniquely Filipino.

The first stalls you see when you get there are stores of local shoe brands, such as Janylyn, Centropell, and Rusty Lopez, selling at factory prices. Next to these are thrift shops selling used clothes or what is commonly known as ukay-ukay. There are also shops selling cheap yet “hard to find” second-hand books, old coins and jewelry, old vinyl records, framed local movie posters, antiques like old lamps, chairs, tables, china, and other kitsch. If you have a deeper pocket, however, feel free to visit the showrooms of artists where paintings, sculptures, photographs, and mixed media installations are displayed. Nearby is the store Sputnik, painted in all white with installations of human figure that remind you of the bar in A Clockwork Orange, that sells good quality comic books and collectibles.

Should you want to grab a bite or down a drink after shopping or window shopping, you can choose from Bellini’s that serves authentic Italian cuisine, Happy Turtle that serves the most sinful desserts, Al’s Grill that offers local grilled food with a twist, or Mogwai that has generous servings of flavorful meals. Their sole fillet is a must try. Owned by filmmakers Lyle Sacris and Erik Matti, Mogwai’s second floor has a cozy screening area where art films are shown at night or during film club sponsored events. In December 2007, the first Mogwai Film Festival was held where award-winning films of world class Filipino filmmakers. This was done as an alternative to the formula movies of the Metro Manila Film Festival. Cubao X, in this sense, represents the new hub of counterculture in the Philippines.

A good time to visit is on Friday or Saturday where artists are everywhere. And if you’re lucky, you might even chance upon performance art or concerts. During the height of antigovernment protests, performance artists with left wing sentiments staged short plays using well-made effigy. Lomomanila, a Philippine club of lomo enthusiasts, held a major event there sometime last year. They held an exhibit of their pictures, invited bands to perform, and turned their event into one street party of sorts. The International Academy of Film and Television or IAFT, a film school based in Cebu in the Visayas, also screened their students’ short films as their way of promoting their school. It’s also not unusual to see local bands shooting their music video in the area and watch the video on MTV or MYX weeks later. In this art space, any person or any organization has a venue to showcase their art, air their grievances, promote their advocacies and business interests. If there’s any rule at all, it is that it should be staged in a manner that has creative value and artistry. Because in Cubao X, art is the only thing that has real power over individuals.

Above: Napoleon V. Abueva on work

Napoleon V. Abueva was the youngest Filipino to become a National Artist at the age of 46, in 1976. Abueva is known to be a master in both academic representational style and in modern abstract. He is established as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture.

His masterpieces had him implement the use of different types of materials such as hard wood (eg. molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood, bamboo, etc.).

Furthermore, he has executed his works using adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marbol, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral and brass.

The genius that he is, he was able to bring together various materials such as wood with metal and stone.

In 1953, Abueva graduated from the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture. He was able to do this with the aid of a “Pura Villanueva-Kalaw Scholarship”.

His mentor, Guillermo Tolentino was the first National Artist for Sculpture and is the creator of the UP Oblation. Under Tolentino’s supervision, he was able to gain a great deal of recognition during his early years in college.

During the annual competition of the Art Association of the Philippines, Abueva won three years in a row; from 1951-1953. He garnered first prize and the best entry awards in sculpture.

During this period, one of his creations was thought of as the most symbolic of his works; the “Kagampan” or “Kaganapan”. His work for “The Unknown Political Prisoner” gave him an honorable recognition in the Institute of Contemporary Arts’ International Sculpture Competition in London, England.

At the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, Abueva was able to complete his “Master of Fine Arts” in 1955 as a Fulbright/Smith-Mundt Scholar. He continued his graduate units by taking up Art History at Harvard University and obtaining graduate units in Ceramics at the University of Kansas. He then decided to be a part of UP as an Assistant Instructor.

Abueva was chosen to be the Dean of the College of Fine Arts in 1978 till 1989. In 1993, he was promoted to University Professor and was given an honorary doctorate in humanities. He eventually retired in 1995 and was awarded the “Status of Professor Emeritus” on April 2003.

Abueva’s awards, accomplishments and merits are not restricted to the academe. From 1960 till the ‘80s, he had the honor to represent the Philippines in symposiums. He was also sent as an ambassador or delegate and on countless occasions, was a special guest in a variety of art exhibits and functions overseas.

To top if off, his main contribution to Philippine art lies in his desire to break away from the stiffness of formal structure, stressing instead on the element of function.

An innovator at best, he is a genuine artist who succeeded in liberating the art of sculptor from the tapered confines of conservatism to a broader range of panorama of a present-day modernism.

Below are a rundown of Abueva’s works and achievements.

List of Abueva’s Major works:

• 1955 – Kiss of Judas
• 1979 – The Transfiguration, at the Eternal Garden Memorial Park
• 1994 – Nine Muses, at the UP Faculty Center
• 1994 – Sunburst, at the Peninsula Manila hotel

* Several of Abueva’s public art can be seen at UP Diliman:

• 1957 – Crucifix with Two Corpora, at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice
• 1962 – University Gateway (also UP Gates)
• 1967 – Tribute to Higher Education, at the entrance of University Avenue
• 1979 – The Spirit of Business, in front of the College of Business Administration
• 1992 – Diwata, at the Faculty Center
• 1996 – Alma Mater, at the lobby of Ang Bahay ng Alumni
• 1996 – Three Women Sewing the First Philippine Flag, also known as Tres Marias Plaza, at the UP Donors’ Garden, as part of the centennial celebration of the 1896 Philippine Revolution

Abueva’s Acheivements:

• 1959 – Ten Outstanding Young Men in the Philippines (Sculpture)
• 1966 – Cultural Heritage Award
• 1976 – Gawad CCP para sa Sining
• 1987 – Asean Awards for the Visual Arts in Bangkok
• 1995 – Fourth Asean Achievement Award for Visual Arts in Singapore