Alab Art Space bares digital arts exhibit
Three national artists grace opening night
     
4 April 2008, Makati City – The old and the new converge as the Alab Art Space of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines) bares today an art exhibition billed “A World of Pun”. The exhibit serves as a prelude to the 8th World Intellectual Property Day celebration on April 26.  
Advocates of intellectual property. IP Philippines Director General Atty. Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr. (extreme right) teams up with National Artists (from left) Prof. Napoleon V. Abueva, Virgilio S. Almario, and Dr. Abdulmari Asia Imao to assert the rights of young creators

The exhibit features the works of young multimedia artists John Ryo Manaluz, Jerold Manalili, and Cris Dumlao, senior students at the Asia Pacific College. Featured works, rendered in both traditional and digital media, juxtapose signs and symbols with imagery to decode meaning in word play.

Guests of honor are Prof. Napoleon Abueva, National Artist for Sculpture; Mr. Virgilio Almario, National Artist for Literature; and Dr. Abdulmari Asia Imao, National Artist for Visual Arts.

Atty. Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr., IP Philippines Director General, said since the launch of Alab Art Space in early 2007, it has opened its doors to both seasoned and budding creators. The art space not only provides a venue for showcasing original works, but also aims to cut across age groups and sectors in stressing the importance of copyright protection to national development. Copyright, a branch of intellectual property, pertains to the rights of creators over their literary and artistic works.

“We strongly support both established and up-and-coming artists because our goal is to foster a vibrant IP culture,” Cristobal explained. “Further, we have a wealth of talent in our current generation of creators. They are our future national artists.”

Exhibit designer is noted filmmaker and multimedia artist Elvert dela Cruz Bañares. Bañares won second honors in the annual Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) tilt in the 1980s. His work “Gemini” was the only Filipino film to be included in the 2004 Antimatter Underground Film Festival in Canada, and was presented as an installation at the Daejon Museum of Art in South Korea in 2005.
 

Karnebal (acrylic on canvas) showcases the craftsmanship of young, award-winning artist John Ryo Manaluz.
 

Multimedia artist Jerold Manalili poses with his artwork, Kalye Krayola (mixed media).

 

Paper Cut (acrylic on canvas) is a creation of Asia Pacific College multimedia arts student Cris Dumlao.
 

Of creators and protectors. IP Philippines Director General Atty. Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr. (extreme left) and National Artists Dr. Abdulmari Asia Imao, Virgilio S. Almario, and Prof. Napoleon V. Abueva (third, fourth and fifth from left, respectively) are joined by “A World of Pun” exhibitors (beginning second from left) Cris Dumlao, John Ryo Manaluz, and Jerold Manalili.
 

Featured artworks utilize traditional and digital media to translate popular puns.
 

“A World of Pun” is on exhibit at the Alab Art Space until April 25, 2008.

 

 

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