A Good Day to be an Aussie in the Philippines

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It’s a good day to be an Aussie/Filipino, my home country and my adopted country both picked up gongs at Cannes.

First time director Warwick Thornton got the Palme d’Or for best first film for his love story “Samson and Delilah” and Brillante Mendoza picked up the directors Palme d’Or for his crime movie “Kinatay”.

The Filipino’s grisly tale of a kidnap-rape victim who is beaten up before being murdered and hacked to pieces in “Kinatay” nudged out heavy weight directors like Quentin Tarantino and Jane Campion to get the nod from the International Film Festival’s judges. These same judges said that the slow, shy courtship of the young petrol sniffing boy and the girl caring for her aged grandmother in “Samson and Delilah” was the best love story they had seen in many years.

Now the tricky bit will be to find a cinema that will show these films in preference to the standard Hollywood fare.

To find out about all the Cannes winners go here

Manila and Me

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First impressions are not always to be trusted. Such was the case when I first laid eyes upon the the 51 black and white photographs, under glass, at Briccio Santos’ “Inner Spaces” exhibition at the Silverlens Gallery. There were some interesting compositions but the works were mute.

A closer examination, literally with my nose inches from the glass, and I was drawn into the works. These 20 x 24 inch and 16 x 20 inch Manila cityscapes demand this intimacy and the viewer’s reflection in the glass, which is usually an annoyance, becomes an integral part of the experience. The viewer becomes a part of the scene and as their focus shifts so too does the relationship with the scene presented.

This idea of reflection is carried over to Santos’ installation, the 52nd work in the exhibition, “Tunnel of knowledge”. A circular library with a mirrored ceiling and a mirrored floor. This hall of mirrors extends above and below to become a book lovers wishing well. Constructed to exclude the casual viewer's reflection the more intrepid can become involved at the risk of suffering from vertigo.

The majority of the books in this library are stacked upon the shelves with their spines hidden from prying eyes. And those with their titles on view are, for the most part, technical manuals and self help tombs. A couple of fiction titles make the cut but the only literary title on show is Mark Twain’s, Huckleberry Finn. Interestingly, considering its setting, books about art are conspicuous by their absence along with poetry, but who reads them today?

Inner Spaces continues at Silverlens until 20th June with a talk by Briccio Santos scheduled for Saturday 6th of June.

Great Abstract Photography

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Miu Kiuchi is a Japanese photographer who produces some lovely images. Can't tell you a lot more as my command of the Japanese language is on a par with my Greek. But be that as it may, Kiuchi's photographs speak volumes. You can see more of her work here (it's a bit slow to load but well worth the wait).

And Baby Makes 3

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Back in the days when the world was young I got to motor around in one of these. It was officially “the wife’s car” but it was such fun to drive that I would nick it whenever the opportunity arose.
Now according to the WSJ, Fiat is set to become number 3 in the world car maker stakes. Vai, vai bambino.

"A brush, like a computer, is merely a tool."

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So says one of England’s most influential artists, David Hockney . For his latest exhibition “DAVID HOCKNEY: DRAWING IN A PRINTING MACHINE” at Annely Juda Fine Art, London, Hockney has abandoned his brushes in favor of Photoshop and a Graphics Tablet.

Paul Hockney I

Wednesday 25 February 2009
inkjet printed computer drawing on paper,
edition of 12, 140 x 95 cm

In a Sunday Times article he was quick to ridicule the misconception that this work was some sort of computer art, in which the computer rather than the artist dominates. “Most people thought they knew what ‘computer art’ looked like, but of course that is like saying they know what ‘brush art’ looks like. It is daft.”

You can see a selection of Hockney’s latest work here.

A Stay of Execution

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Today was scheduled as the last day of my current exhibition at Sining Kamalig. But gallerist Simoun Balboa, in his wisdom, has given the works a reprieve and they will remain on show until Thursday the 24th of May.

So if you haven't got to see "Pixel Perfect - The Exhibition" yet, or are desirous of a second look you have another 12 days to satisfy your curiosity. I shall be popping in from time to time as I continue working on my new project based on the Gateway Mall, which is home to the Gallery.

On You Tube

A reworked version of this video.

A selection of triptychs created this year.

A Week and 2 Days

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My exhibition at Sining Kamalig (Art Granary) Gallery is on until 12 May. Below are some shots from the gallery.

We Shoot Bottles

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A pretty boring subject but a great web site, simple, clean and tells you what you need to know. Interested in web site design, this is a must see. Click here to go there.