To complement the traveling show New Olds: Design between Tradition and Innovation presented by Goethe-Institut Manila, the Yuchengco Museum stages its own exhibit shedding insights into Philippine design. Entitled Design Insights Philippines, the exhibit presents local examples of excellence in design as art.
The exhibit, which is on view until June 28, 2014, features the works of artists and designers Ambie Abaño, Olivia d’Aboville, Anton del Castillo, Daniel Latorre Cruz, Wataru Sakuma, and Michelline Syjuco.
Ambie Abaño is an architect turned visual artist and printmaker. She considers her chosen practice as an inherent responsiveness to what she regards as a calling. From being a painter, her shifting to printmaking brought her to a passionate encounter with and exploration of the medium which led to the creation of portraits and figures in various mixed media print works, sculptures, and installations, always originating from traditional printmaking techniques. Abaño is a faculty member at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts. Apart from these she devotes time in being involved various art related projects.
Olivia d’Aboville is a French-Filipino artist and designer who graduated with honors from Duperré, a prestigious textile design school in Paris in 2009. From plastic spoons to pins and water bottles, d’Aboville is fascinated by ordinary mass-produced objects. She manipulates and recycles materials to create new work. Her works range from textile jewelry and sculptures to lighting designs and installation art.
Anton Del Castillo is not only an artist and designer; he is also an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Integrated School. He received his BFA and MFA degree from the University of the Philippines and has undertaken training in the restoration department of the National Museum of the Philippines. His paintings are composed of oil with metallic leaf, rendered in the style of Byzantine icons, portraying strong allusions on contemporary issues.
Daniel Latorre Cruz is a London-based furniture and lighting designer, balancing between the traditions of the past and dreams of the future. His furniture pieces speak on many levels, often enhanced by the meditation of day light and the appreciation of darkness, creating a distinctive mood of spirituality and nostalgia.
Wataru Sakuma is a Philippine-based Japanese designer with a strong background in fine arts. Famous for his creativity and ingenuity, Wataru uses even the most basic of materials, like paper, to create functional yet artistic pieces for urban living. His respect for nature and his ability to see something beautiful in discarded or overlooked materials gives his work conscience.
Michelline Syjuco is a sculptor and accessories designer. Michelline graduated magna cum laude with a BS degree in Business Management, major in Entrepreneurship from San Beda College Alabang. As the eldest daughter of experimental artists Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco, Michelline has been creating art since early childhood. She boldly fuses the art of sculpture with that of jewelry in order to create what she calls “sculptural jewelry.”
Design Insights Philippines is on view at Yuchengco Museum from May 9 to June 28, 2014. The museum is located at RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala and Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues, Makati. Museum hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (632) 889-1234 or visit the Yuchengco Museum website.
