Now Gallery - New Works

This was something new. Last Friday, I dedicated my evening not with loud beats in a club, or looking at fabrics and cuts in a fashion show, but on visions of abstract art. Since I had no in-depth knowledge on paintings - or modern and contemporary art for that matter - my initial concern was that I might get lost in a sea of artwork and enthusiasts. My hesitations backfired and I enjoyed the entire night. It was a great experience for me to understand different aspects of art, other than fashion. :)

Now Gallery opened its doors to showcase top Filipino artists, and their masterpieces, with the keen intent to exhibit the beauty of art. The opening featured various abstract paintings. The new works were done by three artists who studied in the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, under the guidance of Mr. Jose Joya - one of the Philippines' National Artists known for his pioneering work on abstract expressionism.

Mr. Norberto Carating 

This award winning artist had his first solo exhibit at the Galerie Bleue. Since then, he participated in international exhibitions such as Havana Biennale, Museo de Universidad de Valencia, Museo de Antropologica. He recently had solo exhibitions in the Art Forum Singapore and at the Karen Weber Gallery in Hong Kong.

Mr. Rock Drilon

Drilon was part of the board and managed the Brix Gallery and the Art Association of the Philippines' Kanlungan ng Sining. He also won numerous prizes from the Art Association of the Philippines, eventually leading him to be one of the Board of Directors. He is the owner of Magnet Gallery in Quezon City.

Mr. Nestor Vinluan

As an educator, Vinluan was a faculty at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts and served as the Dean of the college from 1989 to 1998. Adding to this, he has also offered talks and workshops to a number of academic institutions. He was awarded the Fernando Amorsolo Professional Chair in 2004.

I had to take one photo with Mr. Patrick Reyno, President and Founder of Now Gallery. I got hold of their gallery's brochure and I found what Mr. Reyno stated about modern and contemporary art interesting. I hope that with reading this, people may have a better insight on what sets these two apart.

Quoting directly from the brochure, Reyno mentioned that, "Modern art seeks to re-interpret aesthetic conventions and depictions of reality but ultimately still strives to create art that is objectively beautiful, even purely on a visual level, espousing different principles and styles or "isms". Contemporary art is more sociological than aesthetic. It tries to comment on contemporary issues in society, which in our view, should be done in an inventive, clever, and original way. It should be technically difficult to produce, or superior in its execution, whatever the medium may be. It can refer to previous artists and appropriate them in a dialogue with the past, but at the same time, good contemporary art should push the envelope further, and not just mimic what has come before it."



Special thanks to Mr. Robert Young and my friend Gordon Lee for bringing me to the event.
Now Gallery is located at the Ecoplaza Building, 2305 Chino Roces St., Makati City.