And In Local Art News...

You still have a a few more days to catch Cinemalaya at UP...



And you may have heard that Malacanang announced the latest batch of National Artists. As usual, delicadeza-wise, they appear to have bungled it big-time. So what else is new?

Reflections on Two Women

Cory is fighting for her life. Yellow ribbons are everywhere - even at the UAAP Basketball Tournament last night where coaches and players sported them in tribute to a revered former leader.

Meanwhile, Gloria will give her valedictory later today. People are being called upon to wear black as political rallies and impassioned calls for her to categorically indicate that she is stepping down next year - most likely to face charges of corruption - abound.

Ironically, one could argue that Gloria was the better president - even those most opposed to her must give her credit for improvements in agriculture, education, and yes, even steering the country through a historic economic crisis. To be sure, hunger and poverty still exists - indeed at unacceptable levels - but who, honestly, would have done better?

In contrast, Cory - as president - failed to take advantage of a historical opportunity to address agrarian reform, and presided over the enactment of what - in hindsight - is a terribly flawed Constitution that allowed political dynasties to re-emerge... ultimately leading to the the corruption and inefficiencies that continue to hound us today.

Simply put, the accomplishments (or lack thereof) of both women are overshadowed by, and indeed are being judged in the context of public perceptions of their personal integrity and moral fortitude.

Who knows how history will eventually judge both? For now, the question - taken to the extreme - is this: would you rather have a corrupt president who is nonetheless able to deliver the goods for his/her constituency; or would you rather have an incorruptible president who leads by example, and yet is terribly ineffective with the job?

It would, of course, be ideal if we could have a morally upright president equally skilled to take on the responsibilities of the highest leadership position in the land... but given a choice, it would appear that the collective Filipino answer is not really that difficult.

The fact is that Cory is beloved and Gloria is reviled tells a lot about what is really important for all of us - as a people.

CHARITY AUCTION OF NEW BORLONGAN WORKS!!!

The Center for Art, New Ventures and Sustainable Development (CANVAS) is pleased to offer, on auction, two new artworks (shown above) by Elmer Borlongan, both of which have been selected to be on display at the Chianciano Bienalle in Tuscany, Italy this coming August. Rules for participating in the auction are provided below.

The artworks, both 36"x36" and rendered in oil on canvas, will be on display and may be viewed at 1/of Gallery in Serendra from August 1 through 5, 2009. Registration and bidding forms to participate in the auction may also be obtained at 1/of Gallery.

Proceeds from the sale of the artworks will benefit CANVAS efforts to promote Philippine art, culture and the environment; Fernando Sena’s Art Discovery & Learning Center; Casa San Miguel Foundation; and the Silangan Foundation for the Arts, Culture and Ecology.


AUCTION RULES

1. The auction is a silent auction and shall involve two new 3’x3’ oil on canvas artworks by Elmer Borlongan.

2. The artworks on auction may be viewed at 1/of Gallery, 2nd Level Shops at Serendra from August 1 to August 5, 2009. 1/of Gallery is open from 1pm-9pm.

3. Interested bidders may obtain a bidding form from 1/of Gallery.

4. The artworks shall be bidded out separately. Bidders may enter separate bids for each artwork. To discourage non-serious offers, bidders shall be required to pay a non-refundable token fee of P300.00 (cash only) for each bid.

5. Bidders may revise their bids before the deadline only two times. If they wish to change their bid a third time, they would have to obtain a new bidding form and shall be charged the corresponding P300.00 token fee.

6. The deadline for submission of bids shall be 5pm of Wednesday, August 5, 2009.

7. The minimum bid for each piece shall be P100,000.00.

8. The paintings shall be awarded to the persons who respectively submitted the highest bids for each work. All bidders shall be notified whether their respective bids were successful or not, by phone, email and/or fax on or before 8 August 2009.

9. In the event that a single person submits the highest bids for both artworks, he/she shall be given the option to purchase only one or both of the artworks at their respective bid prices. Should the winning bidder choose to purchase only one of the artworks, the remaining artwork shall then be awarded to the next highest bidder for that artwork.

10. The identities of the winning bidders and the amount of their respective bids shall be kept private.

11. Upon notification, the winning bidders shall be given three (3) days to make a non-refundable deposit which shall be 25% of the winning bid. In the event that such deposit is not received by CANVAS, the painting shall then be awarded to the next highest bidder.

12. The remaining balance of 75% shall be due immediately upon delivery of the artwork, which shall be made after the artwork has been exhibited at the Chianciano Bienalle in Tuscany, Italy in August 2009 and returned to the Philippines. Delivery is expected in the first half of October 2009. Check payments will be subject to clearing prior to release of the artwork to the winning bidder.

13. CANVAS and Elmer Borlongan fully expect, and shall exert all best efforts to ensure that the artworks are in the Philippines and ready for delivery by the first half of October 2009. Nonetheless, in the unlikely event that the artworks are misplaced, damaged or lost in transit, the winning bidders’ deposit shall be refunded in full, and neither CANVAS nor Elmer Borlongan shall have any further liability or responsibility to the winning bidders.

14. Inquiries may be directed to CANVAS by emailing info@canvas.ph.

15. All bidders shall be deemed to have read and understood the above guidelines, and agree to abide by them.

Mismo!

Finally, a Filipino-themed and Filipino-made board game that's all very Filipino. Why do we say that? For one, just like us, it's very hard to describe what this is all about... except that it's fun, it's very social (pambarkada, pampamilya!), and like most of our jokes, you probably have to be Filipino to get it.

Ano ang malalim na mababaw?

Ano ang malabo na malinaw?

Ano ang magulo na demokratiko?

Nakakaaliw na nakakabaliw?

You get the picture. Or maybe you don't. But you can get the game - for yourselves or your friends.

It's available at 1/of Gallery, Hobbes & Landes, MagNet Cafe, Papemelroti, and a few other places.

Learn more about Mismo! here.