EXHIBITIONS,

FESTIVALS AND
DOCUMENTARIES
STREET ARTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Goodfriend Bridge, Marikina

 This long wall stretching off Mayor Gil Fernando

Avenue in Marikina has been agreed upon by all street
art and graffiti collectives as a sort of ‘freedom wall,’
where anyone can come practice and paint. As a result,
nothing stays long here, so come back often and see
what’s new and what’s been painted over. The wall runs
to a dead end that doubles as a jeepney bay, where
many drivers and fare-takers take a break and have
lunch, so you won’t be alone in your gawking. When we
were last here, a jeep driver even let us stand on his
roof to snap the perfect photograph.
Fort Bonifacio
 This former army camp is now the happening arts and
commerce district of the uber-wealthy Ayala family.
There’s always something for the art lover, whether it’s
new commissions from Filipino street artists like Jood
Clarino and Dee Jae Pa’este, or the occasional
interactive art installation for kids. They are not afraid
to splash the cash on good art. Last year, BGC brought
in internationally-renowned street artist DOPPEL from
Japan to paint a portrait of Bonifacio himself, causing a
bit of a stir amongst those purists who feel that painting
pinoy heroes should be a Filipino’s job.
Nagtahan Bridge
 The City of Manila has been changing its tune on public art recently,
taking on a number of beautification projects, and its big showpiece
of 2013 was the Urban Artscape Project. Headed by University of
the Philippines professors, these 20-meter high underpass columns
are all painted by five different art groups from the university.

 Each of the ten columns is inspired by traditional Filipino historical

an culturalnarratives, including past revolutionary heroes and
regional artistic styles. A portrait of Rajah Sulayman, the pre-
Hispanic King of Manila, looks all the more impressive at this height,
and the vibrant murals stand out starkly against the dreary grayness
of the bridge’s underside. Look for them out the window of LRT 2
between Pureza and Legarda stations.
UP Diliman

 Many of Manila’s street artists are alumni of UP

Diliman’s College of Fine Arts, and they’ve returned to
beautify the campus. Take the ‘Ikot’ jeepney and look
out the window to see historical and political murals by
the art collective Gerilya. This group of four CFA grads
continue to set the standard for socially relevant
commentary in their work. Appropriately, their murals at
UP feature representations of youth and education. The
big draw is their ‘2013 recap mural’ which is
segmented into a timeline of the year’s biggest events,
such as Typhoon Yolanda and Supreme Court rulings on
land reform.
MacArthur Highway, Valenzuela
 MacArthur Highway’s walls will inevitably show off
their characteristic styles. So look for lots of graphic
and outspoken protest art from Barrios, a leading
artist for the student political organization
Anakbayan. His simple, black and brown wheat
pastes of rural and family scenes emote so
powerfully the heart of the Filipino, and reflect the
humble beginnings of his art career. Bautista is
known for his gorilla character, which he is equally
adept at painting with acrylic or wheatpasting.
EXHIBITIONS
Silid

 People never reveal themselves with as much

unguarded honesty as they do in their personal
spaces. In Silid, artists dwell on the concept of a
room as a place of growth and acceptance, where
one bears witness to the passing of time and
personal growth derived from failures, dreams, and
successes.

The exhibit runs until September 6 at Sining Kamalig,
UG/F Ali Mall, Araneta Center, Quezon City.
In Praise of Vulnerability

 People often associate vulnerability with weakness

without realizing that strength can come from having the
courage to take risks even if one has no control over a
certain outcome. Visual artist Martie Datu shares the
role that vulnerability plays in the new chapter of her
life: Motherhood. Her fourth solo exhibition is a
celebration of how she found beauty in this quality, and
is an invitation to restore the youthful optimism we had
as children, in order to look forward to the promise of a
better tomorrow.
 The exhibit runs until September 16 at ArtistSpace, Ayala
Museum Annex, Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa Street,
Makati City.
How can you jump over your shadow
when you don't have one anymore?
 Norberto "Peewee" Roldan is a multimedia artist and
curator whose work offers commentary on the social,
political, and cultural conditions of the country. In How
can you jump over your shadow when you don't have one
anymore?, he continues to touch on their respective state
and circumstance in a skillfully crafted collage of the
Philippine artistic landscape.

 The exhibit runs from September 15 to October 13 at

Silverlens, 2263 Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension,
Makati City.
Strange Thirst
 a new installation by Lani Maestro, features
hundreds of painted pages in the manner of
drawing in which the artist has engaged as a
meditative gesture. The artist recalls her introduction
to Japanese haiku during her early studies with
conceptual artist Roberto Chabet at art school. This
started Maestro’s fascination with light verse or light
poetry, the relationship with word and image or the
possibilities for words to become image themselves.