Excerpt from ART SG. Read more here. The Drawing Room recently opened two solo exhibitions reflecting on aspects of Filipino existence: Mark Salvatus’s ‘Crackling for a Piece of the Moon’ and Christina Lopez’s ‘Pro Forma’. Salvatus uses a topographical point of view to survey land and space, from his early life in the province to... Continue Reading →
ArtSpeak Online: The Creative Process and Collaborations (Through Ateneo Art Gallery)
I moderated an artist talk by Nice Buenaventura and Jo Tanierla last February 23, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/embed/9kYw_70WEYw Note lifted from Ateneo Art Gallery: We continue with the last of our Ateneo Art Awards 2021 lecture series by inviting Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Arts winners, Nice Buenaventura and Jo Tanierla. In this session moderated by Portia... Continue Reading →
Kidlat Tahimik: History Through the Bamboo Camera (Published in ArtAsiaPacific)
Excerpt from AAP Issue 127. Read more here. Conversing with Kidlat Tahimik was as surreal as watching his movies. His narratives unfold in different layers, steadily unraveling stories and perspectives, giving insight into his practice and the world he examines. He described his film practice and aversion to scripts, shared his life story and how... Continue Reading →
Manila: Cast But One Shadow (Published in ArtAsiaPacific)
Excerpt from AAP Issue 127. Read more here. “Cast But One Shadow: Afro-Southeast Asian Affinities” was a densely researched exhibition. It was the Manila iteration of curators Carlos Quijon Jr. and Kathleen Ditzig’s ongoing project reviewing global solidarities from a Southeast Asian positionality, which began in Singapore with the show “In Our Best Interests: Afro-Southeast... Continue Reading →
Leslie de Chavez: Legacies of Dissent (Published in ArtAsiaPacific)
Excerpt from AAP Issue 126. Read more here. “Considering the long history of these seemingly chronic conditions that we are in, it is of utmost importance that we create art that exemplifies sensitivity to the struggles, heartaches, aspiration, and dreams of our fellowmen.” Conversations like these with Leslie de Chavez are often enlightening. He navigates... Continue Reading →
Remembering l’Orangerie
**More drabble from the anthropology class. Professor asked us to visit a virtual museum. So I did. In memory. Musee du Louvre is by far the most popular museum in Paris. Museum-lovers, myself included would fly to Paris for the sole purpose of visiting the Louvre. Much of what we study in art history is... Continue Reading →
Surviving a Pandemic
**Drabble I wrote for a penalty graduate class in anthropology last year. I haven't posted here in a very long time, maybe I'll write about it, maybe I won't. But life changes. How do we survive a pandemic? I do not really have an answer for that, I only have a story of my own... Continue Reading →
A good night, listening to The Smiths
Tonight, I wrote a long entry in my journal. My first since the Faculty Center Fire of April 1, when I lost most of my books and catalogs and objects that I cherish. I also watched the finale episode of Gilmore Girls. I missed the before, as life got in the way. I am sitting... Continue Reading →
Day 20, Beyond Productivity
I signed up to Writing 101 with a vision that I would complete every assignment thrown my way. It worked out that way the first two weeks but life seem to catch on the last two weeks and I ended up completing 3/4 of the writing assignments. I want to go back and complete everything.... Continue Reading →
Portia Placino 