by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 4, 2021 | Art and Science
A LEGACY TO HONOR. David Medalla visited the BDO Corporate Center Ortigas during the inauguration of his sculpture, “Cloud Canyons No. 31,” on August 31, 2019
BDO Unibank honors Filipino artist David Medalla, who passed away on 28 December 2020.
It commemorates Medalla’s legacy with the continued display of his sculpture, “Cloud Canyons No. 31,” at the lobby of its Corporate Center in Ortigas (CCO).
“Cloud Canyons No. 31” found its way to CCO for bank employees, clients, and visitors to enjoy in 2019. Before coming home to the Philippines, it was exhibited in the Hepworth Wakefield Art Museum in England when Medalla was one of the shortlisted artists for the inaugural Hepworth Wakefield Prize for Sculpture in 2016. It is made of Plexiglas tubes, wood, fiberglass, water, soap, and oxygenators, and is part of a series often referred to as the “bubble machines.”
Mara Coson, who oversees the BDO Art Collection, said of Medalla’s passing:
“David Medalla was magnetic. He lived a life that drew people in while he himself could not be contained. He left the world with stories so wild and infinite they can never all be told.
Medalla was born in Manila in 1942, with literary and visual genius uniquely attributable only to his bright spirit. His biography is too vast for a short note and is kept alive by the many who encountered him on his life’s adventures, strangers and friends, periods from explorations of kinetic art in the 1960s and beyond to performances anywhere, and travel whether physical or otherwise. He spent his life around the world, at home everywhere, and still home was also the Philippines, where he died peacefully.
More than ever, we must make sure the bubbles of Cloud Canyons No. 31 continue endlessly and fully in our care—and most of all, welcome to the public to experience these clouds for always. We will do Medalla proud.
When you visit the bubble machine, I encourage you take a moment to wish David the best for his next life, as he dances with ease among the brightest galaxies.”
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 27, 2018 | Events
KTM Philippines presented the country’s motorcycle architectural landscape through various art pieces during the recent Art Fair Philippines 2018 at The Link, Ayala Center, Makati City. The maker of the country’s high-performance and ready-to-race motorcycles, KTM stood as one of the prominent exhibitors during the four-day event.
KTM commissioned celebrated sculptor Pete Jimenez, who “transforms a hard intractable material like iron into sculptural statements of wit and whimsy, mirth and merriment” and who has had over 16 solo exhibitions, to use KTM motorcycles as the inspiration for his pieces. Jimenez is among the few Filipino sculptors who have consistently explored the use of scrap iron as a medium.
The KTM inspired collaboration resulted in an iconic orange frame of KTM bikes, pounded to form a heart, with motorcycle parts encased within, which the artist dubbed as “Racing Heart”. The striking artwork is Jimenez’s visual gem of a pun, showcasing wit and artistic skill.
The extraordinary participation of a motorcycle brand in the art fair was described as re-imaginations of contemporary motorcycle architecture by rendering and defining the “melding point” of science, art, machine, humanity, and technology. The platform exhibited the best in modern and contemporary Philippine visual art.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Aug 31, 2017 | Lifestyle
Ina Jardiolin, artist
Among the young, up-and-coming visual artists today, UP Fine Arts graduate Ina Jardiolin stands out among her peers with her powerful artistic voice and her use of a most unusual medium: leather.
A very challenging material on which she expresses herself, Ina — whose family hails from the local footwear industry — utilizes this medium with much dexterity, notably a result of careful experimentation, a singular vision, and an innovative approach to her craft.
In her second solo show, titled “Stretch(ed) Mark(ed)”, Ina harnessed discarded treated leather scraps as her canvas — delving into self-identity and the intangible, fleshing out the beauty in androgyny, while touching on the realities of life.
Ina uses her art as a means to communicate, and to those like her who are introspective, and at times misunderstood, she aims to reach out, to make it known that they are not alone and that they need not feel confused. Ina’s goal is to convey a message of empowerment and of hope.
Way before gender issues became the subject of sometimes-heated exchange of perspectives, Ina has been scrutinizing the controversy in her mind and consequently, in her artwork. “My art is my own reaction to identity and the cultural expectations regarding gender,” Ina explains. “I want the world to be more open to different ideas that veer away from usual norms.”
In “Stretch(ed) Mark(ed),” the young artist probes into the scars that gender roles impose among us, how these obstructive assignments often mark each of us permanently. The intricately cobbled leather scraps signify how these gender norms sometimes leave individuals grasping at pieces of their genuine identity to gain a sense of individuality and acceptance.
The controversial message is consistently conveyed in the androgynous subjects of her paintings, inviting viewers to embrace both male and female energies, to take a genuine look at one’s self and to be true to that vision.
Apart from mounted paintings using leather scraps, Ina will once again display art pieces using wooden shoe lasts (referred to as ‘hulma’ by local shoemakers) in her upcoming exhibit. She is the first artist to make use of this vintage shoe-making implement as a ‘canvas’.
The use of both leather and shoe lasts pays homage to her family’s background as Marikina shoemakers. Transforming the shoe lasts into art pieces is a gesture that honors her ancestors whose labors nurtured both the family and helped build the local shoe industry. Leather, a pliant and resilient material, epitomizes the spirit that her family has stood by for generations.
Utilizing non-conventional medium is her way of stepping outside the lines to convey her message: “Everything—and everyone—should not be restricted by a set of roles made by those who are comfortable staying within the bounds of what is “normal” and acceptable”.
Her art, which includes printmaking, ceramics and illustration, is one that constantly evolves and is in constant flux, much like the fluidity of gender.
Ultimately, Ina Jardiolin sees her art as giving a voice to others who cannot otherwise express themselves, taking up their cudgels and, in the process, gaining a deeper understanding of herself.
Prepare to be enlightened by Ina’s masterpieces at Stretch(ed) Mark(ed), which runs from September 10 to 25, 2017 at Kaida Contemporary, #45 Scout Madrinan, South Triangle, Quezon City.
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