RM Ph 08/2014

THE ART ISSUE

FILIPINO MASTERS IN THE AGE OF INSTAGRAM THE SECRET CULT OF VICENTE MANANSALA ROGUE MAGAZINE / 220 PESOS

VICIOUS GOSSIP ON THEÂ VENICE BIENNALE IMPOSSIBLE SYMMETRY A PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLAGE BY STEVE TIRONA & JESSE DRAXLER

CALIBRE DE CARTIER DIVER MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT 1904 MC WATER RESISTANT TO 300 METRES, THE CALIBRE DE CARTIER DIVER WATCH IS AN AUTHENTIC DIVING WATCH. FITTED WITH THE 1904 MC MOVEMENT, IT COMBINES THE HIGH TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE ISO 6425: 1996 STANDARD WITH THE ASSERTIVE AESTHETICS OF THE CALIBRE DE CARTIER WATCH. ESTABLISHED IN 1847, CARTIER CREATES EXCEPTIONAL WATCHES THAT COMBINE DARING DESIGN AND WATCHMAKING SAVOIR AIRE.

Rustan Makati • Rustan Shangri-La • Newport Resorts World

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COVER STORY

124 IMPOSSIBLE SYMMETRY Maverick photographer Steve Tirona and Minneapolis-based collage artist Jesse Draxler break tradition through a blind collaboration. In the ensuing union, Nicola Sebastian manages to dig into matters of creativity, and the question of originality’s existence.

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY STEVE TIRONA / ART BY JESSE DRAXLER; MODEL WEARS A JUNJUN ABLAZA LAUREL HEADPIECE, MELVILLE SY COVER-UP, AND LOUIS VUITTON SHOES

CALIBRE 1904 MC

WITH ITS POWERFUL LINES, RUGGED CASE AND ORIGINAL ARCHITECTURE, THE CALIBRE DE CARTIER WATCH, LAUNCHED IN IS THE NEW SYMBOL OF CONFIDENT MASCULINITY. ITS DIAL BOLDLY REINTERPRETS THE MAISON’S DESIGN CODES, SUCH AS ROMAN NUMERALS AND A FLANGED BEZEL, THAT CLEARLY IDENTIFY IT AS A CARTIER MODEL. IN 2014, THIS MANUFACTURE WATCH OPENS A NEW CHAPTER WITH A DIVING VERSION: THE CALIBRE DE CARTIER DIVER. AN UNMISTAKEABLY MASCULINE WATCH FOR BOTH EVERYDAY WEAR AND EXTREME CONDITIONS, IT MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF COMBINING CARTIER STYLE WITH THE TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF ISO 6425. THIS NORM, WHICH CONTROLS THE “DIVER’S WATCH” LABEL, LAYS DOWN EIGHT CRITERIA OF RELIABILITY AND IMPOSES A SERIES OF EXTREMELY RIGOROUS TESTS. 2010,

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Vicente Manansala during his student days at the École des Beaux Arts de Banff in Canada, 1949.

FEATURES 100 MODERNIZING THE MASTERS The local art industry is in a constant state of evolution and modification, yet little stands to rival the legacy of the Philippine Masters. For Rogue’s annual Art Portfolio, six artists pay tribute to Amorsolo, Joya, Kiukok, Luz, Manansala, and Ocampo in their own modern methods.

114 THE WINTER OF THE MAESTRO On the 33rd anniversary of Vicente Manansala’s death, art collector Cora Lopa shares a privileged view into the life of the mercurial genius, from the beginning of their friendship until the day he drew his final breath.

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Vedute, a 2010 hyperphoto of Venice by photographer Jean-Francois Rauzier.

THE SLANT 93 Tony Godfrey walks us through the Philippines’ rumor-laden inclusion in the 2015 Venice Biennale. Eva McGovern gives the lowdown on the who’s who of the art industry. Manuel L. Quezon III discusses the importance of succession plans in business and politics. Manuel Ocampo talks of the evolution of his craft and his contentious views on the local art world.

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CONTENTS Au g u s t 2 0 1 4

27 THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING Artists Vic Balanon, Zean Cabangis, and Cian Dayrit discuss their individual exhibits at the Artinformal Gallery.

32 FEAST ON THIS The best of Vikings' cuisines, without the hassle of buffet strategizing.

34 THE PRODIGAL SONS They may be of legendary Philippine music lineage, but the members of Generation have a sound that’s distinctly their own.

36 THERE WILL BE BLOOD Steven Soderbergh brings history to the small screen with the period medical drama The Knick.

38 BACK TO THE KITCHEN Kitchen 1B is put in the spotlight; a spin-off from Apartment 1B that’s already managed to set itself apart.

AGENDA

40 INDIE ANALYTICS A closer look at the Cinemalaya stats in time for the indie film festival’s 10th birthday this month.

42 TOUCHING THE VOID Artist Alexander Charriol discusses his Human Flow project, and the importance of authentic human connection.

44 THE CUTTING EDGE Filmmaker Jun Lana takes a hard look at Philippine provincial life in Barber’s Tales.

46 PORK BARREL PERILS Play your hand at Snakes and Ladders: Embezzling Senator Edition.

A piece from Victor Balanon's solo exhibit, Waking Babylon, at Artinformal this month (page 27).

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Ingrid Donat's Homage a Groult from the Organic show at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris (page 66).

SPACE 57 VISIBLE SPECTRUM Give your space a contemporary touch with pieces from design icons the likes of Nendo and Tom Dixon.

62 LICENSE TO KILL The 23 James Bond films have seen 007 in many great rides, but there’s no question that his Aston Martin DB5 is the undisputed king of cool.

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64 SELF SERVICE Phone photography has been slammed many times over, and the iPhone Photography Awards are out to prove that genuine creative chops can transcend medium.

66 UNDER THE SKIN Twelve designers use nature’s rawest elements as their medium and inspiration in Organic, the Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s latest group show.

68 OBJECTIFIED Take a page from the book of legendary designer Deiter Rams via his recently reissued Less but Better.

70 A FABRICATED STORY Combine the work of Dior creative director Raf Simons and Danish textile company Kvadrat, and the result is an unprecedented but brilliant meeting of the minds.

72 BACK IN A FLASH The hatchback is currently enjoying its place in the motoring world’s spotlight. We point you in the direction of the best in the market.

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THE EYE 75 OUT OF PRINT Give the monochrome a rest and dare to dress in vivid colors and brazen patterns.

82 A NEW NAME IN AN OLD HOUSE Loewe gets a makeover at the hands of its new creative director Jonathan William Anderson.

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84 WHEN IN FLORENCE Pitti Uomo may be one of today’s most important menswear fairs, but you need not look further than its attendees to get a lesson in style.

89 OUT OF THE BAG In an exclusive interview, Tumi’s new creative director, George Esquivel, talks shoes, travel, and risk-taking.

134 THE LAST OF US The vagabond comes into vogue in this month’s fashion editorial.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARK NICDAO / ON ADRIEL: GAP STRIPED SCARF, VINTAGE BLACK AND LEATHER MILITARY JACKET, VIVIENNE WESTWOOD PLAID SCARF, TOPMAN TARTAN SHIRT; ON ELENA: RAJO LAUREL RED CAPE; ON ITALO: TOPMAN SUSPENDERS, TM LEWIN PINSTRIPE TROUSERS; ON TIAGO: LORD VIKTOR LEATHER JACKET, ZARA TROUSERS; ON UGNE: BURBERRY TRENCH COAT, CELINE PEPLUM BELT, ACNE DRAWSTRING PANTS.

EDITOR IN CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR ST YLE DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE EDITORS

PAOLO R. REYES MIGUEL MARI CARMEL A A. LOPA ANNA C. REYES MARA S. COSON MICHELLE V. AYUYAO

ASSISTANT EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CONTRIBUTING FEATURES EDITOR CONTRIBUTING ST YLE EDITOR EDITOR AT L ARGE

DON JAUCIAN ARIANNA LIM RAYMOND ANG MANO LOTHO TEODORO LOCSIN, JR.

ART ART DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNER

MIGUEL LUGTU PATRICK DIOKNO

PHOTOGRAPHER AT L ARGE

MARK NICDAO

PHOTOGRAPHER

STEVE TIRONA

ILLUSTRATOR

MENEER MARCELO

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

CLINTON PAL ANCA, JAMES GABRILLO, TRICKIE LOPA, L.A. CONSING LOPEZ, TATS MANAHAN, TEDDY MONTELIBANO, NEAL OSHIMA, NICOL A M. SEBASTIAN, GUTSY TUASON, MARTIN VALDES, MARITES VITUG, JJ YULO

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

GIAN CRUZ, FRANCIS JOSEPH A. CRUZ, KRISTINE DABBAY, GINO DE L A PAZ, TONY GODFREY, CORA LOPA, PETRA MAGNO, VICTORIA MARQUEZ, EVA MCGOVERN, JANSEN MUSICO, MANUEL OCAMPO, MIGUEL ORTEGA, MANUEL QUEZON III, MIXKAEL A VILL ALON, MIKKA WEE

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & ARTISTS

ANNAMEE GUTIERREZ, MONICA ESQUIVEL, DEX FERNANDEZ, DINA GADIA, ENRICO L ABRIOL A, DAN MATUTINA, MIGUEL NACIANCENO, PAULINA ORTEGA, CARINA SANTOS, TIM SERRANO

FASHION ASSISTANT INTERNS

ISABEL BINAMIRA KATRINA CHUA, DANIELL A DE LOS REYES, MARTIN DIEGOR, MARIKA MANGL APUS, FELICIA MARIE RECTO, ALBERT SASPA

ROGUE MEDIA, INCORPORATED PUBLISHER HEAD OF DIGITAL STRATEGY ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER ACCOUNT MANAGERS

FELIPE P. CRUZ III NARCISO M. REYES III CHRIS TAN PAM PL ANTA-YAP THUNDER ILUSTRE CATHERINE F. RAYMUNDO

ADVERTISING TRAFFIC OFFICER

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NIKKI ARRIOL A

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LOUIE YSMAEL

DISPATCH SUPERVISOR

Photographed by Steve Tirona Art by Jesse Draxler Styled by Pam Quiñones Makeup by Jen Delica Hair by Lio Javier Modeled by Yana from Elite Stylist assisted by Katrina Aquino and Melville Sy Special thanks to Xbesitzer and Antonio Garcia of Mabolo Model wears a Louis Vuitton dress

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THE EDITOR’S NOTE Au g u s t 2 0 1 4

ny magazine of consequence must be able to wield some influence, however subtle or slight, with its readers. And a feather-ruffling rag like Rogue, through our provoking covers and controversial exposés, has been fortunate enough to become part of the national discussion, in one way or another, these last seven years.

This has been true in the realm of Philippine art as well. Our page-turning profile on Alfonso Ossorio (“The King of the Creeks,” March 2014 issue) has ignited a maelstrom of interest in the late Filipino-American artist and Jackson Pollock patron. Plans for a retrospective exhibit in 2015 are now underway, Floy Quintos has expressed interest in penning a biographical play, and the much-needed restorations at Ossorio’s Church of the Angry Christ in Negros have finally begun. The same can be said of our hardhitting story, “Catch Me If You Can: The Dirty Business of Art Forgery” (November 2012 issue), which has spurred debate on this dangerous web of deceit in the underbelly of the art world.

But there have also been instances when our stories have inadvertently influenced art in a more personal, indirect, and roundabout way.

Last February, I attended a dinner party for Pio Abad, the London-based artist whose politically charged artworks I have always admired for the way it poked fun at imperialists, despots, and the powers-that-were. It was a small affair held at the home of Johnny Montinola, who had chosen Pio as the first recipient of the Karen H. Montinola Selection, a special exhibition at Art Fair Philippines named in honor of Johnny’s late wife.

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Pio and his sister, Julia (the Presidential Management Staff chief at Malacañang), were my schoolmates nearly 30 years ago. Julia and I had crossed paths again when she reluctantly accepted my offer to write a column about her boss, President Aquino, for Rogue’s 2010 State of the Nation Issue. But I had not seen or heard from her brother since the early 90s, save for the time I had Pio photographed at the Burlington House in Piccadilly for our 2011 London Art Portfolio.

Thus Johnny’s invitation for “some drinks” with Pio—who is the son of Budget Secretary Butch Abad and the nephew of the painter Pacita Abad—was difficult to turn down, especially since he was flying back to England the following day. The party was an informal send-off for Pio and his wife, British jewelry designer Frances Wadsworth-Jones, attended by Rhona Lopa-Macasaet, Noel Bautista, Johnny’s children, and a few other family friends.

Earlier that week, on the final day of the Art Fair, I found myself magnetically drawn to Pio’s installation for the Montinola Selection, entitled Designs for a New Society (Ali). Set against an abstract wallpaper of his own design, it featured four silk-screened scarves that took inspiration from “Thrilla in Manila,” the electrifying finale of the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight trilogy, held at the Araneta Coliseum in October 1975.

Apart from being one of the greatest boxing matches of the 20th century, it also went down in history as a massive public relations coup by the Marcoses, who were keen on winning the favor of the Filipino people and the world as Martial Law insurgencies tore the nation apart.

Pio, a master of political mythology,

acid-dyed the four scarves with a posterized image of Ali, fists raised and in fighting stance, surrounded by various found objects and Imelda Marcos iconography.

During the dinner, I mentioned to Pio how drawn I was to his pieces, perhaps because I had been quite obsessed with “Thrilla” at one point in my life, and even went so far as to pen a 5,000-word investigative piece, “When We Were Kings” ( June 2013 issue), about the political conspiracies that swirled around the legendary clash of titans.

To my surprise, Pio revealed that the Rogue issue containing my rather self-indulgent “Thrilla” story was mailed to him in London in the fall of 2013, as he was mulling over possible themes for the exhibit.

“When We Were Kings,” it turned out, served as a kind of creative stimulus for Designs for a New Society (Ali).

After nearly choking on my white wine, I joked that this unexpected revelation had “made my day” and promised, in turn, to write about this rare and remarkable coincidence in “one of my editor’s letters, one of these days”—if only to brag to my readers in this modest 9 x 12 space how art not only imitates life, it can also imitate Rogue.

Paolo R. Reyes Editor in Chief

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK NICDAO

A

When Art Imitates Rogue

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THE GUEST LIST Au g u s t 2 0 1 4

Tony Godfrey, the former Director of Research at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, has written several books on contemporary art, including Painting Today and Contemporary Art, both published by Phaidon. He has visited the last 14 Venice Biennales. He is based in Singapore but is a frequent visitor of the Philippines.

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Eva McGovern is a freelance curator with over 10 years experience. Most recently she was the manager of Manila Contemporary and has been working across the Southeast Asian art world for the past six years. Prior to that, Eva was a curatorial fellow at the Serpentine Gallery in London.

She is now based in Manila.

Cora Lopa began collecting the paintings of Vicente Manansala in the early 1970s and developed a strong friendship with the National Artist.

After his death on August 22, 1981, she and fellow patrons formed the Friends of Manansala Foundation (FMF). Today, Lopa serves as Trustee and Treasurer of the FMF.

Steve Tirona was born in Manila and raised in Southern California. He’s always had an interest in the arts but didn’t seem to find his calling until he picked up a camera. This month, his photographs for Rogue’s cover shoot were transformed at the hands of US-based artist Jesse Draxler.

Manuel Ocampo is a Filipino artist whose works have been exhibited at galleries and institutions throughout the world.

He owns Manila’s first gallery dedicated to the culture of prints, aptly named “The Department of Avant- Garde Clichés” following his penchant for aesthetic irony.

Jesse Draxler is an illustrator, designer, and collage artist who works out of Minneapolis. He received his BFA from Minnesota’s College of Visual Arts before going on to do work for the likes of The New York Times and Elle. Though he lives in the Photoshop era, all his collages are done by hand.

Pam Quiñones is the former Fashion Editor of Marie Claire Philippines and is one of the most soughtafter commercial and fashion stylists in the country today.

For this issue, she styles the cover shoot with longstanding photographer Steve Tirona, as well as the fashion editorial with photographer (and long-time partner-incrime) Mark Nicdao.

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E DI T E D BY

M I CH ELLE V. AYUYAO

AGENDA

F O O D + E N T E R TA I N M E N T + C U L T U R E + T R AV E L

Aggressively gaining traction among the city’s art collectors, Vic Balanon, Zean Cabangis, and Cian Dayrit launch their solo exhibits this month at the Artinformal gallery WORDS BY TRICKIE C. LOPA / PHOTOS BY TIM SERRANO

ISSUE NO.

79

AGENDA ART

VICTOR BALANON

SHADOWS AND FOG

Above, left to right: A self-taught artist, Balanon has dabbled in art for film and comics; curator Louis Ho described Balanon’s work as “cerebral, citational, and almost cryptic.” Below right: Zean Cabangis has exhibited at international art fairs such as Art Fair Singapore.

Previous page: Cabangis’s unfinished work for Reclaim.

ZEAN CABANGIS Zean Cabangis, 29, can’t quite remember if Reclaim counts as his seventh solo outing.

Naturally low-key, and even diffident about his practice, it is art that runs naturally through his veins. His father, Benjie, still teaches at UP’s College of Fine Arts. He has known fellow Quezon native, Leslie de Chavez, since childhood. Growing up, Cabangis remained ambivalent about his talent until his impending high school graduation forced him to confront

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Slight and wiry, with a mop of prematurely greying hair, Vic Balanon, 42, still seems bemused at the attention he now commands.

“I really wanted to write fiction. Then, gusto ko naman maging filmmaker; nag-aral pa ako sa Mowelfund. That didn’t work out, but I guess this culminated into why I work with film stills,” he speaks intensely.

In an article published by online journal Art Radar Asia, Singaporean curator Louis Ho named Balanon as one of 2014’s Southeast Asian artists to watch. Earlier this year, his Orpheus Reversed featured at both Art Stage Singapore and Art Fair Philippines. In the five-minute, two-channel video loop, alternating images of a man, then a woman, flee from the viewer, a desperate dash through a never-ending tunnel.

The graphic renditions have been animated from the artist’s ink drawings. Drawings form the core of Balanon’s body of work; black and white images based on photographs and movie stills.

Executed with Chinese calligraphy brushes, he enjoys the contradiction of an ancient Eastern

technique used to render decidedly Western images. His drawings evoke a retro vibe, harking back to Hollywood’s Golden Age, to the postwar noir flicks. An ongoing project, the Nameless Hundred, takes off from Max Ernst’s The Hundred Headless Woman, a novel compiled from the German artist’s black and white surrealist collages. Balanon’s one hundred drawings play up his fascination with sci-fi, the future as imagined by classic cinema. Some drawings morph into moving images. He is loath to label them videos, “more like glorified, repeating GIFs, na may quality na iba!”

For a time, Balanon’s day job with Toei Animation enabled him to work with Japanese manga, the likes of the hit series One Piece.

That came after he quit his Dental Medicine studies at University of the East; filling cavities did not have a place in his future. He has paid his dues: it’s been a long road from hanging around the fringes of Surrounded By Water (the artist collective from the late 1990s made up of superstars Geraldine Javier, Louie Cordero, Yasmin Sison, among others) to mounting soldout shows in Manila and Taiwan.

AGENDA ART

THE DEFIANT ONE

Right: Cian Dayrit’s Polycephalous is a continuation of his fascination for folklore.

Below: Dayrit’s fake ceramic tribal masks.

university admission forms. “I took the test for UP Fine Arts because I knew I needed to go to college. And then I thought, I better pass this or mapapahiya ang tatay ko!” That certainly did not happen: in his senior year, his professors cited his dissertation as the Most Outstanding Thesis.

With characteristic self-effacement, he attributes this to luck. A surfeit of good fortune continued to shine on Cabangis’s career. Another kababayan, Geraldine Javier, took an interest in his work, paving the way for his debut at Silverlens in 2010.

“She sat me down and talked to me about life as an artist, what I had to do, what I had to watch out for.” Since then, he has been shortlisted for the Ateneo Art Awards for three years running; a growing list of collectors awaits his works.

Reclaim is his ode to the vanishing open spaces in Metro Manila. Photographs taken on his frequent bike trips serve as the base for his multi-media, wall-bound pieces. He transfers his images onto canvas and finishes them with painted acrylic patterns, imbuing layers that gel with the nostalgic feel of his altered photos.

CIAN DAYRIT Walk past UP’s Vargas Museum and you can’t miss the concrete pair of gigantic chicken feet mounted on equally sizeable plinths across the museum’s main entrance. Cian Dayrit, 25, a recent alum of UP’s College of Fine Arts, installed the monument late last year for his critically lauded show, The Bla Bla Archeological Complex. Also a finalist for this year’s Ateneo Art Awards, Dayrit simulated an archeological exhibition of a fictional civilization, a tongue-incheek exploration of how we are conditioned to believe what has been presented to us as fact.

Despite his serious mien, one senses that with Dayrit the humor that underlines his work easily brims to the surface. He relishes ferreting out the absurd, but backs up his concepts with rigorous research. He admits a fascination for anthropology, describing his art as feeble 30 AU GU S T 2014

Dayrit relishes ferreting out the absurd. He admits a fascination for anthropology, mythology, and folklore. “I attempt to create my own.” attempts at the subject. “I’m a fan boy of anthropology textbooks. I collect images from different mythologies and folklore, I mix them all up and attempt to create my own.”

In Polycephalous, Dayrit revels in an implausible pairing. He presents a video where viewers look upon a lady bank clerk—the quintessential drone who has probably spent the better part of two decades in her job—go through a thick ream of bank receipts one by one, only to realize at the end that she’s made a mistake.

So she does her work all over again, with nary a change in her facial expression. “I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and caught this lady in her task. I didn’t make this up! I don’t know if she knew I was filming her.”

He has juxtaposed the video with a display of fake tribal masks, ceramic pieces that he fired himself. They appear suitably primitive, raw.

“Natatawa ako, I thought it was funny to install the video with the masks and make the whole show look like an ethnographic display.”

WAKING BABYLON/ BABYLON WAKING, RECLAIM, AND POLYCEPHALOUS RUN AT ARTINFORMAL (277 CONNECTICU T ST., GREENHILLS) FROM AUG. 13 TO SEP T. 1.

A FR F R ES E H LOC LO O C AL ALE A T TH THE HE E A RT R OF OR ORTI TIG G ASS At one address: a mellow mix of everyday essentials, artisanal specialties, and relaxing homes in a charming district.

The city doesn’t feel close by, but there it is, next door. So linger. Listen.

Let the district weave its magic.

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AGENDAA FOOD

Galbijjim

Taro bun

Salmon sashimi Vikings special sushi

EAN

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KO R

CHIN ES E

PA JA Ebi tempura

Hakao

GRI LL

Chicken bulgogi

O N

PI

TH E

Oysters Rockefeller

Patatim

IN

FIL I

M FRO

Pinakbet with bagnet

TIONAL NA R TE

Taal rice with salted egg and green mango Pork chop

ITA LI

AN

Yakiniku beef

Roasted chicken in creamy mushroom sauce Bacon and pesto cream pasta

Sirloin steak Lasagna Bolognese Arabic pilaf rice with minced beef Vikings treat pizza

As Manila’s largest buffet, Vikings has a lot on its plate. We round up some of the best in their spread WORDS BY ARIANNA LIM ILLUSTRATIONS BY MONICA ESQUIVEL

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IN THEIR HEYDAY, the Vikings made a name for themselves by raiding and trading their way across the open seas. Unfortunately, being brutal slavers and unforgiving colonizers has tended to obscure one of the more favorable aspects of the Viking way of life: their feasts, even the shortest of which could go on for days on end. Today, crossing oceans to explore foreign cultures is a luxury rather than a lifestyle. But we can still share in the Norse adventures by way of the Vikings Luxury Buffet (SM MOA, Bldg. B, Seaside Blvd., Pasay; 846-3888; vikings.ph). The largest in Manila, it serves up over 400 dishes taken from some of the world’s most celebrated cuisines—possibly the closest we can come to eating our way across the globe.

AGENDA MUSIC

No, this isn’t “Christmas In Our Hearts.” Their music doesn’t even sound like anything anyone has heard from the radio waves lately.

Taking their cue from the guitar-dominated With some of the country’s biggest rock music of the 70s and 80s, Generation calls their music “new classic rock,” drawing recording artists as parents, and influences from the likes of Eric Clapton, Eddie a new album out in record bars, van Halen, and The Beatles. “People will hear music comes easy to the men a lot of our influence in our songs, and we’ll of Generation happily acknowledge it. It’s like we’re bringing back that era, for a new generation,” says pianist WORDS BY VICTORIA MARQUEZ Mike Chan. With Joe on bass, Kowboy on lead guitars, and Ige on rhythm guitars, the four share PHOTO BY PATRICK DIOKNO vocal duties, rotating every song, harmonizing every time.

THE MEMBERS OF Generation—made up of “Love Is Killing Me,” Generation’s first brothers Mike and Joe Chan, Kowboy Santos, single, has a catchy hook straight out of the 70s, sparkling piano riffs in tow. “We also and Ige Gallardo—may be the sons of some of Philippine music’s luminaries ( Jose Mari Chan, recorded with different drummers,” Joe says, “In different studios, for every song.” This playful Sampaguita, and Celeste Legaspi, respectively), but their music sounds nothing like their parents’. experimentation has resulted in an album that’s

their own, completely devoid of trends. “It wasn’t really even a conscious effort to avoid trends,” says Kowboy. “We really wanted it to be more organic,” adds Ige. Perhaps it is this honesty—with their influences, with their approach, with their abundant harmonizing—that lends a new flavor to the band’s classic roots. It’s definitely the sound that classic rock fans have been looking for in decades.

Their name might be a reference to the musical legacy that they want to continue, but hearing their sound makes one think of a seed growing in a bed of fertile ground. Generation, after all, doesn’t just mean a group of people born at a certain time. It also means the process of coming into being. And for this band that began in 2008—but has been in love with music since the day they were born—it’s been a long time coming. Even Star Records, the last record label you’d expect to sign a classic rock band, agrees.

JOE CHAN MIKE CHAN

IGE GALLARDO

KOWBOY SANTOS

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AGENDA TELEVISION

Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh sets out to conquer television with The Knick, a new medical drama that’s not for the squeamish WORDS BY MIGUEL ORTEGA

BLOODSTAINED MEDICAL contraptions and white coats coupled with the haunting emptiness of period piece hospitals—similar to American Horror Story’s second season—sets the tone for Cinemax’s new medical drama, The Knick, slated for release this month.

The series explores the professional and personal lives of the doctors, nurses, and staff of the Knickerbocker Hospital in Manhattan at the start of the 20th century as they pave the way for modern medicine. “Surgery wasn’t always science” blinks the show’s 30-seconder promo, amid a dollied-in shot of the hospital’s operating room. The teaser videos reveal as little as possible, just an eerie, gritty, and graphic glimpse of health care during a time when a splinter wound

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could go downhill quite drastically. Set at a time when antibiotics were yet to be invented, high mortality rates were the norm, and doctors tried to make do with what they knew—not much to begin with, really—medical practices bordered on the lines of experimentation.

As Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh takes the helm on all 10 episodes of the first season, there are high expectations to be met by The Knick.

With hours of storytelling at his disposal, Soderbergh’s love for dialog and visual storytelling is practically necessary to see in this mini-series. The cast is headed by Academy and Emmy Award nominated actor Clive Owen, who stars as central character Doctor John Thackery, the Knick’s cocaine addict resident surgeon.

Owen and Soderbergh also serve as executive producers together with the writers of the series, Jack Amiel and Michael Begler (both screenplay writers for Raising Helen and Big Miracle).

Cinemax has always been known for creating action shows but Knick serves as their ticket to enter the prestigious circle of provocative television—the kind their big, bad-ass brother HBO has been making this past decade. Surprisingly, Soderbergh requested for Cinemax airtime specifically, confessing “I wanted to be the big kid at a small school.”

The Knick is definitely a medical drama that’s not meant for the squeamish, but with more and more graphic television shows around, there are high hopes for this one.

AGENDA FOOD

HOT SHOTS

From left to right: 1B’s steak frites uses Australian grassfed rib-eye; basmati rice, tomato salsa, fried plantains, and papadam are served with the lamb curry.

A frontrunner of Manila’s gourmet comfort food scene, the group behind Apartment 1B now welcomes you into their kitchen, taking the high and healthy road with Kitchen 1B WORDS BY MIKKA WEE / PHOTOS BY MIGUEL NACIANCENO

APARTMENT 1B HAS always been regarded as one of the finer dining destinations in Salcedo Village, spoiling us silly with some of the best crab cakes and gourmet comfort food in town.

It has experienced its prime, sure, as well as its share of many proud moments with the front of the house staff apologizing to eager diners that they’re already fully booked for the night, and might they want to make a reservation the following evening?

But times have definitely changed for Apartment 1B, with a swarm of newcomers creating the loudest buzz in social media. A new concept was in order.

On the other side of Salcedo—Legaspi Village, stands the newly opened Kitchen 1B (KL Tower, Gamboa St., Legaspi Village, Makati; 403-5405). A sign on the door beckons to

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diners that they are still on soft opening—so please manage your expectations. The interiors are consistent to Apartment 1B’s meticulous furnishings, with the place being an intersection of spacious and cozy. While Apartment 1B lends the feel of a downtown city loft, Kitchen 1B is that picture-perfect kitchen you can never have that’s always taunted you on TV shows and movies; it’s almost too easy to conjure up that imagery of freshly baked apple pie cooling on a windowsill, or a sunny pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade waiting on the tabletop. Sunlight leaks through the glass windows and is balanced out by the halogen lamps that provide a warm contrast against the white subway tiles on the walls. Then, of course, there is the open kitchen, from which Kitchen 1B’s pride—their organic and wholesome line of dishes that set them apart

from Apartment 1B—is churned out.

Their breakfast and main menus are straddled with words such as “free-range,” and “hormonefree”—easing the guilt of hungry customers keen on hitting both healthy and satisfied birds with one stone. But, while some may instantly shy away from the idea of organic anything, Kitchen 1B’s lineup isn’t bunny food. Smoked bacon strips and buttermilk waffles still banner the breakfast menu, while their mains host steak frites, lamb curry, and Alaskan black cod. Save for a few missteps and little too much of this here and there, Kitchen 1B has already managed to gather a good and steady lunch crowd despite its birthing stages.

Kitchen 1B has succeeded in creating an identity for itself that’s independent from Apartment 1B’s. It’s a place that successfully appeals to the laid-back crowd—an atmosphere catering to ladies who lunch (or brunch), gents who like to wine and dine, or those simply looking for a simple, straightforward meal that’s good for the soul.

AGENDA FILM

A RT AC U ÑA

M E RY L L S OR I A NO

Best Supporting Actor, Nino, 2010; Posas, 2012

As the Cinemalaya Film Festival turns 10 this month, we crunch the numbers to see just how influential the indie movie machine has been

EDDIE G A RC I A

Best Actor, ICU Bed #7, 2005; Bwakaw; 2012

Best Actress, Room Boy, 2005; Donor, 2010 I NA FELEO

Best Actress, Endo, 2009; Sanglaan, 2010

WORDS BY JANSEN MUSICO

B A RON GEISLER

Best Actor, Jay, 2008; Donor, 2010

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Best Supporting Actress, 100, 2008; Best Actress, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, 2011

CASTING CALL Since 2004, the Cinemalaya Awards have become status symbols for local independent movies.

Above are the film festival’s most decorated actors and actresses in the last decade

CINEMALAYA PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOSEPH PASCUAL

BEFORE CINEMALAYA, one had to seek out independent films in the wild, sniffing out holein-the-wall joints to catch films by the likes of Raymond Red or Kidlat Tahimik. For decades, Philippine independent cinema flourished in silence. It was only a matter of time before enterprising groups spotted this untapped resource and got the cogs turning. From a distance, bystanders watched as this machine grew from the bottom up. No one was aware of the full extent of its impact on Philippine cinema.

For 10 years now, Cinemalaya has not only managed to churn out hundreds of independent films, but it has also introduced us to the talents behind them. From these minds and those like them, came stories that were too off-kilter to fit mainstream conventions. I revisited Cinemalaya’s first nine years to see just how much they’ve birthed and bred, through independent films.

EUGENE D O M I NG O

5

HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS

Actress with Most Number of Films (11):

T O TA L C I N E M A L AYA A U D I E N C E C O U N T ( 2 0 0 5 -2 0 1 3 ) The first Cinemalaya was attended by 8,440 people and grew to 82,322 by 2013

SHAMAINE BUENCAMINO

THEMES & KEYWORDS

Actor with Most Number 0ff Films (12):

The most common themes in Cinemalaya full length films

Family 60 films

ALCHRIS GALURA

Politics 24 films

Director with Most Number 0f Films (6):

EKSTRA

Faith 18 films

Women/Motherho d 42 films Power 9 films

Death/Mortality 44 films Sex 24 films

MILO TOLENTINO

Culture/Tradition 5 films

Poverty 34 films Children/Youth 23 films Crime/Corruption 31 films

ANG NAWAWALA

Director with Most Number 0f Awards (2):

MAXIMO OLIVEROS

T R I P L E T H R E AT S !

AURAEUS SOLITO

ANG BABAE SA SEPTIC TANK (P491,730)

Jerrold Tarog and Lawrence Fajardo are the only two filmmakers who have directed at least one Cinemalaya short, one New Breed feature, and one Director’s Showcase entry PORNO – P440,117

Geography g p Lessons

OSCAR

The most common locations in Cinemalaya full-length films

ENTRIES* 2006

2011

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros

2012

z Metro Manila z Luzon z Visayas z Mindanao z Overseas z Undisclosed

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank Bwakaw

2007

2013

Donsol

Transit

2% 3%

6%

11%

29%

51%

EKSTRA (P324,545)

*Half of the films submitted from the last decade came from Cinemalaya

Battle of the Sexes

WORLD CINEMA WINNERS

Male Leads Female Leads Mixed Ensemble

80

60

40

FILMS THAT HAVE PULLED OUT OF COMPETITION SINCE 2005 (INCLUDING THE CONTROVERSIAL MNL 143 IN 2012)

BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (2006 Crystal Bear – Special Mention, Best Feature, and Teddy Award, Best Feature) Halaw (2011 NETPAC Award, Special Mention)

VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

20

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

0

AUTEUR COMPLEX

Engkwentro (2010 Luigi De Laurentis Award and Venice Horizons Award)

LIGO NA U, LAPIT NA ME (P296,790) SAYAW NG DALAWANG KALIWANG PAA

Alvin Yapan is the only Cinemalaya filmmaker with the distinction of directing 4 full-length features in the New Breed category (filmmakers can only be in the New Breed category if they’ve made less than 3 full-length features) since his Huling Pasada was a collaborative effort ff with Paul Sta. Ana.

BABAGWA (P285,465)

AU GU S T 2014 41

AGENDA ART

What began as visual representations of his West Coast isolation turned Alexander Charriol’s work into a roving exhibition. The artists discusses the thought behind the Human Flow INTERVIEW BY ARIANNA LIM

How differently ff would this project have turned out if you had made it 10 or 15 years ago?

I did do a show exactly 10 years ago in the Philippines, actually. It was nice to do another show there since I had already set the foundation.

And I was happy to show the continuation of my work.

What message are you trying to get across?

That we cannot live alone and that we need the human touch to survive. The human flow is directly connected to the energy we give off. ff Human Flow w explores the concept of human connectivity. How would you qualify human 42 AU GU S T 2014

interaction as organic at a time when few people can imagine being without constant technological connectivity?

That’s exactly the point! We need to go back to our roots. We cannot solely survive on technology. We need actual human interaction— the human touch. We need the exchange of energy to feel alive.

Are you yourself immersed in the “constant connectivity” that technology has allowed for, or do you keep it organic as much as possible?

Well, I take my organic food very seriously! And I use technology when it makes life easier. That’s how I keep my balance.

Which of the pieces from Human Flow do you resonate with the most?

Each painting I paint resonates to me in different ff ways at diff fferent times. But if I had to really choose today I would choose Together at Once. I love the scale, the color, and the movement. It really resonates with me today with its fluidity and its energy.

Are there new themes in this series that you

haven’t explored in your art before?

This time I would say I really explored with size.

I have never really painted so many big ones at one time. I also wanted to strengthen the depth of my color to give more life to the paintings, so I applied many, many more layers in my process.

You went through a party stage—alcohol, drugs. In what ways, if at all, has that informed your art?

Yes, I did have a party stage. I have painted it in Love His Bloodd and Stop the Madness.

I have analyzed those days and have grown past it, and now I’m looking for new material to paint.

In the past, you’ve been labeled (and have admitted to being) rather defiant and rebellious by nature. Has this influenced your art in any way?

I hope by following my own rules and being my own person, my art can stand on its own and inspire people to create their own interpretation.

What’s next for you?

The last leg of the Human Flow w project, set for London next year!

AGENDA FILM

Following the success of Bwakaw, w Jun Lana’s Barber’s Tales makes its rounds at international film festivals before finding a place in Manila cinemas this August WORDS BY FRANCIS JOSEPH A. CRUZ

JUN R. LANA’S JOURNEY from local literary legend to internationally-awarded filmmaker is not one that is paved with ease. A multiple Palanca winner, Lana got initiated into the world of movies when he wrote the screenplay of Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s Sa Pusod ng Dagat in 1998. It took Lana eight years to be entrusted by Regal Films with his first directorial work: a sexy comedy entitled Gigil, which had Katrina Halili flirting with various men in Boracay, and had

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none of the promise Lana displayed as a writer.

His next films, from Roxxxanne to My Neighbor’s Wife, were hardly better. It was only in 2012 when Lana released Bwakaw, his entry to that year’s Cinemalaya’s Director’s Showcase category, that he gained the director’s renown that eluded him for years.

Bwakaw, the first of a planned trilogy about rural life in the Philippines, has a cranky gay pensioner, played by Eddie Garcia who won the much coveted Best Actor prize from the Asian Film Awards, rediscovering life with the help of his only friend, the titular dog. The film, loved by loyal patrons of Cinemalaya, went places, stirring audiences from New York to Tokyo. With so many laurels, Lana could only go up—and it was there he went with Barber’s Tales, the middle entry to his still unfinished trilogy.

When Lana won the grant from the 2013 Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum for Barber’s Tales, he immediately began production.

The film needed a courageous lead actress willing to inhabit the challenging role. For a time, Kris Aquino, who desperately needed affirmation as an actress, was attached. For one reason or another—perhaps because she was required to kiss another woman or to shave her head— Aquino let go of the lead. The role then went

to Eugene Domingo, who was endeavoring to break away from being labeled as just another comedy actress.

The film, much like Bwakaw before it, dissects rural life by detailing the story of the widow Marilou, who ignites her fellow villagers’ ire when she befriends the neighborhood whore who, in gratitude for the friendship, starts to support the barbershop by bringing her male clients there for their trims. Barber’s Tales, by making use of the common trope of depicting provincial areas as capitals of prejudice and intolerance, tackles themes that still feel fresh and pertinent today.

It seems that the stars have once again aligned for the director. Barber’s Tales premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where Domingo won for Best Actress in her performance as Marilou. From there, it went on to be screened in Hong Kong and Udine, where it continued reaping prizes and positive reviews.

It appears that Lana has finally found his stride.

He is now not only a prized writer, but also a world-class director—receiving the Best Director award at the recent Madrid International Film Festival as proof. When it comes down to it, the story of Jun Lana is anything but a barber’s tale.

AGENDA POLITICS

In a political climate like the Philippines, where chaos is the order of the day, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Bong Revilla have claimed top ranks as senatorial superstars.

Play their hand, through highs and lows, and see where the Pork Barrel trail takes you WORDS BY MIXKAELA VILLALON / ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARTIN DIEGOR

In a senatorial privilege speech, Bong claims there is a truckload of evidence against him—proceeds to wheel out a literal toy truck carrying a lot of documents.

42

Erap defends his grandchildren’s Instagram photos.

“They’re just shoes,” he says of Jolo’s P25,000 Monte Carlo moccasins.

The last to surrender and with no fanfare, Enrile keeps his lips tight and requests the PNP to not release his mugshot.

Bong delivers another senatorial privilege speech through song “Salamat, Kaibigan.”

39 Jinggoy surrenders and is detained next door to Senator Bong Revilla, both of who are held without bail.

Erap is ousted from presidency, replaced by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Jinggoy vows never to star in any movie with Mikey Arroyo.

Enrile is accused of pocketing P174 million from public funds.

While in office, Bong continues his acting career, starring in GMA7’s successful sitcom Idol ko si Kap where he earns the moniker “Kap” in real life.

22

18 Governor Jinggoy is the first incumbent official, charged with plunder. His father is accused of amassing P4 billion from jueteng payoffs and misappropriated tobacco tax funds.

Bong joins the calls for ousting Erap.

S

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COUP D’ETAT! Enrile reveals details of Marcos’s public deception: the rigged presidential election and the fake attempt on Enrile’s life that justified martial law.

Senator Ninoy Aquino is assassinated.

Enrile distances himself from Marcos’s unpopularity.

T R TA

Bong is accused of embezzling P224 million.

Photos of him partying with Napoles surface.

2 Born Juanito Farugganan, the bastard of a fisherwoman and married regional politician in Cagayan. It will be years before he is acknowledged a Ponce Enrile.

Wife Cristina goes on TV to air dirty laundry about Enrile’s extramarital affairs with co-accused Gigi Reyes, who is now also behind bars.

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Despite the political scandals, Jinggoy finds the time to star in movies such as Katas ng Saudi.

Enrile is the presiding officer at the Impeachment Trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Jinggoy is acquitted of plunder. Erap is found guilty but is given a presidential pardon.

24

Johnny’s son Jack allegedly shoots the son of a Navy officer at a party.

GMA appoints Bong as the chairperson of the Videogram Regulatory Board (now the Optical Media Board). He will use this as a platform to run for Senate and win.

Bong runs for Vice Governor of Cavite, beating the Remulla political dynasty that held power since the 1980s.

4 Jose Pimentel Ejercito is the eldest of three children born to movie star Erap Estrada and Loi Ejercito, not counting his nine more illegitimate half-siblings.

Jose Maria Mortel Bautista is one of the 38 officially acknowledged children of legendary action star Ramon Revilla Sr. Unofficially, he has 34 more illegitimate siblings.

16

5 War! Young Juanito allegedly joins the guerilla resistance but is found serving in the U.S. Quartermaster depot in Cagayan come peacetime.

THE PLAYERS MANONG JOHNNNY

JINGGOY

With a last name that carries weight in both show business and politics, Jinggoy Estrada is accused of embezzling from the PDAF.

The oldest and most experienced in this game of politics, Juan Ponce Enrile, and 26 others, are accused of embezzling P10 billion from the Philippine Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from 2003 to 2013.

46

The first of the three Pork suspects to surrender, Bong complains of rats and roaches in his jail cell, while rumors of his death spread through the Internet. But Bong is still determined to run for president in 2016.

KAP BONG

An action star in both his personal and political life, Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. is accused of embezzling from the PDAF.

Despite being detained on plunder charges, Jinggoy plans to run for vice president alongside current VP Jejomar Binay.

With all the money and power he amassed, 90-year old Manong Johnny gets put on hospital arrest.

IL JA

Radio DJ Mo Twister starts a Twitter feud with Jinggoy’s sons regarding their lifestyle.

INSTRUCTION S

The aim of the ga m the end first. Ro e is to reach ll some dice to see how many sp aces you should move. If you lan d with a coin, follow on a space the money trail up! Should you land on a box with a pipe, fol tube down. First low the sewer one to cellblock wins (or reach the not).

!

While a senator, Bong plans several film projects, all of which are scrapped because of his political controversies.

PEOPLE POWER!

Photos of Jinggoy with businesswoman and alleged mastermind of the Pork Barrel Scam, Janet Lim-Napoles, make its rounds on the Internet.

Cory Aquino is declared president.

Enrile serves as secretary of National Defense.

27

33 Enrile runs for president in 1998, loses by a landslide to Erap. He runs for Senate in the next term and wins.

On Election Day, PNP SWAT teams raid Bong’s ancestral home and find four high-powered firearms allegedly owned

by Bong’s private army.

The Pork Barrel Scam erupts. Jinggoy Estrada is accused of embezzling P183 million from public funds.

28

29

Jinggoy runs for senator in 2010, wins with the second highest number of votes.

In his consecutive terms as senator and congressman, Enrile works closely with his chief of staff, lawyer Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, whom his wife Cristina dislikes.

Bong’s wife Lani Mercado runs for Congress, son Jose Lorenzo Bautista runs for Cavite vice governor.

Marcos is elected president.

Johnny Enrile joins his inner circle. Soon after, Martial Law is declared and Enrile is appointed Defense Minister.

Bong is named “Box Office King” for three consecutive years by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

Jinggoy’s father, Joseph “Erap” Estrada, is elected president.

6 Jinggoy stars in action movies such as Manila Gang War and Markang Rehas

Jose Maria becomes Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. in action movies, like Dugong Buhay, where he stars alongside his father.

Johnny, as he comes to be called, marries Cristina Castañer who he will have two children with.

Jinggoy is elected vice mayor of San Juan City at 25 years old. This is the start of his prolific political career alongside his bourgeoning movie career.

Jinggoy meets 14-year-old Ma. Presentacion “Percy” Vitug in Baguio City. Five years later, they marry and have four children.

12

9

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Johnny works in his father’s law firm and handles the affairs of Senator Ferdinand Marcos.

Bong marries fellow movie actress Lani Mercado who he will have six children with.

11

10

AU GU S T 2014 47

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PARTNER PROMOTION

Keeping Time In celebration of the 20th year since A.Lange & Söhne launched its first collection of watches, Walter Lange opens up about the line’s public unveiling in 1994

Can you describe the atmosphere at the event?

What did the journalists expect? How did you prepare for the presentation?

In the weeks and months during which we worked on the new models in Glasscutter, we distributed absolutely no advance information, neither to the press nor to the retail community – the only exception being the price segment, which we

CLOCKWATCHING

Twenty years ago, A. Lange & Söhne introduced its first collection, featuring these four timepieces.

envisaged to be at the pinnacle of the luxury watch market. Obviously, a few pieces of information had leaked to the press, but this merely fuelled speculation that unique timepieces would soon be crafted again by Lange in Glashütte. So the suspense was formidable, not only on our side, but among the journalists as well. We had enormous media exposure. Ultimately, it wasn’t just about our watches. The re-establishment of our company was a clear signal that the Free State of Saxony with its economy was in the process of regaining its former momentum. From the beginning of the 19th century well into the 20th century, small and mediumsized enterprises were the backbone of the Saxon economy, the front runner in Germany. My speech touched upon this theme. I also mentioned that we not only intended to build the world’s finest watches again but that we were also the largest investor in Glashütte. It was important to me to stress just how much we benefited from the artisanal skills and the great dedication of our staff members.

Can you give us a brief description of the first collection?

There was of course the LANGE 1, our journeyman’s piece, so to speak. As far as quality and its mechanical elements were concerned, the LANGE 1 truly manifested the high standard of our watches. It was a men’s wristwatch that had never been built this way before, in gold or platinum, with an off-center dial for the hours and minutes, subsidiary seconds, a power-reserve indicator and the globally unique outsize-date display, which meanwhile, has been imitated over and over again. The second model was the ARKADE ladies’ wristwatch, also endowed with the Lange outsize date. Number here, the SAXONIA, was a sleek, mid-sized gold watch that displayed hours and minutes with subsidiary seconds and had an outsize date. We deliberately chose the proud name of Saxony for this model, the state that was already mentioned on the dial of all former A. Lange & Söhne watches with the well-known abbreviation “i/SA” – in Saxony. And finally, we showed the jewellers the TOURBILLON “Pour le Mérite”, the superlative model of the collection: this masterpiece had a fusée-and-chain transmission, never previously implemented in a wristwatch.

AU GU S T 2014 53

Au g u s t 2 0 14

ISSUE NO.

79

E DI T E D BY

DON JAU CI AN

DE

+ INTERIORS + ARCHITECTURE + TECHNOLOGY

From Nendo’s snowflake-inspired room divider to Tom Dixon’s geometric pepper shakers, play tricks on your space with pieces that make room for creativity and imagination

V I S I B L E

PHOTOS BY PATRICK DIOKNO

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1. Fruit Lamp by Daphna Laurens for Cappellini (P54,000) 2. Duii by Diesel with Foscarini (P48,000) 3. Doll by Ionna Vautrin for Foscarini (P15,000) 4. Binic by Ionna Vautrin for Foscarini (P14,000) 5. Table Lamp by House Doctor (P12,298) 6. Oak Table Modules

by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini (Big, P136,000; Medium, P116,000; Small, P91,000)

PREVIOUS PAGE:

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AU GU S T 2014 59

SPACE FURNITURE

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SPACE MOTORING

LICENSE TO KILL Get up close and personal with 007’s Aston Martin DB5, dubbed “the most famous car in the world” WORDS BY ARIANNA LIM ILLUSTRATED BY MONICA ESQUIVEL

WHEN IAN FLEMING released the first James Bond novel in 1953, he launched what has become one of the most enduring pop culture icons of the last half-century. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the British author’s death, we take a look at a classic James Bond commodity: the Aston Martin DB5, which—after appearances in six Bond films over the course of 50 years—has become nearly as iconic as 007 himself.

2 DRINKS COOLER In GoldenEye, the DB5 was stripped of all its previous state-of-the-art gadgets. Here, the most notable feature was the suave, built-in champagne cooler that ended the car chase scene in signature Bond style.

1 PRICE TAG Getting your own piece of the action isn’t cheap. The original model used in Goldfinger and Thunderball was sold at an auction for $4.6 million. The existing Skyfall model costs about $450,000.

3 WATER CANNONS In Thunderball, the second film to feature the DB5, the already gadget-laden car was upgraded to include two rear-firing, highpressure water cannons.

7 MACHINE GUNS Two .30-caliber Browning machine guns were hidden behind the car’s front signal lights, which swung open at the push of a button.

4 SMOKE SCREEN The car’s exhaust held canisters that could create a smokescreen meant to evade and confuse pursuers.

6 RETRACTABLE TIRE SLASHERS Three-pronged spinning scythes extended from the car’s rear hubcaps to slit the tires of neighboring vehicles, as seen in Goldfinger when 007 destroyed the Mustang of Bond girl Tilly Masterson.

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5 EJECTOR SEAT In the beginning of Goldfinger, Bond is specifically told not to touch a little red button. This made the passenger ejector seat— the corresponding car feature—an audience favorite, mainly because of the anticipation attached to it.

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

SELF SERVICE Camera phone photography has been the self-reflexive medium of the wired generation. But is there more to it than taking selfies? The 2014 iPhone Photography Awards furthers this Me-centered nature into stunning images

SHUTTER STOCK

Top to bottom: Winners of this year’s iPhone Photography Awards: Yilang Peng, 1st Prize in Architecture; Juana Chaves, 2nd Prize in News/Events; Chun Wai To, 2nd Prize in Architecture; Olga Otchenasheva, 2nd Prize in Children; Tracey Renehan, 3rd Place in Others Category; Julio Lucas, 1st Prize in Photographer of the Year; and Alexis Chartrand, 3rd Prize in Seasons.

WORDS BY KRISTINE DABBAY

is that you don’t take a picture because you have the iPhone, you feel the moment and it happens to be with you,” iPhone Photography Awards (IPPA) founder Kenan Aktulun tells Rogue. Since 2007, Aktulun has been championing the iPhone as a weapon of creativity where competition tactics are not predated by gadgetry and industry standards.

“The selection criteria are based on the creativity of the photographs taken. We are not judging the cameras or the technology,” he says.

This year alone, IPPA announced 54 winners from 17 countries including France, Germany, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United

“THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE

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States. Reigning among them is Photographer of the Year Julio Lucas’s depiction of a solitary man on an icy terrain. With 17 categories, 2014’s roster boasts Sofija Strindlund’s (Still Life) painterly side-lit juxtaposition of empty bottles and plates. Meanwhile, Gerard Collett (News/Events) strikes at a moment of police seizure in grayscale; law literally is enforced in black and white. The jury verifies each entry’s EXIF data to make sure it didn’t undergo any desktop image-processing.

In most novel cases such as Marc Jacobs’s recent stunt of casting campaign models through an Instagram photo tagged as

CAMERA ROLL

The touch screen’s instant output channels more realness than the manufactured glamour of extreme airbrushing and awkward compositing.

From top to bottom: Athena Tan, 2nd Place in People; Cocu Liu, 2nd Place in Trees; Sofija Strindlund, 3rd Place in Food; Melissa Barilli, 3rd Place in Children; Cocu Liu, 1st Place in Seasons and 3rd Place in Architecture.

#CastMeMarc, iPhone photography is often doubted for its legitimacy. On the other hand, IPPA snubs naysayers. After all, touch screen’s instant output channels more realness than the manufactured glamour of extreme airbrushing and awkward compositing.

Photographer Ryan McGinley touches on the subject in his recent commencement speech at Parsons School of Design, “If you only like shooting cellphone photos, then do that. . . . Use the camera to take what you know that others don’t, what you can access that others can’t, and the people or things you connect with, to construct your own world.”

That said, iPhone is the gadget version of today’s young generation—creative, entitled, multitasking, and often questioned for its purpose, but no one can deny their relevance and clout. By arresting moments at par with SLR quality, not only do iPhones refine the eye but also the “I” of the beholder. Suddenly, being creative has become easier that being off-the-grid isn’t an option. After all, the camera roll is not a room for squares.

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SPACE DESIGN

UNDER THE SKIN Featuring furniture from Rick Owens to Brazil’s Campana Brothers, the group show Organic draws inspiration from nature’s rawest elements—ox bones, Amazonian fish leather, and even dandelion seeds WORDS BY PETRA MAGNO

TO BE THE OPPOSITE of industrial is to admit nature as the origin of all things.

Organic, which will run in the Le Marais arm of the Carpenters Workshop Gallery (54 Rue De La Verrerie, Paris) until August 23, features 12 different designers capturing nature’s complex aesthetics in functional sculpture. The challenge comes easy to some of the designers’ innate employment of material or form—such as Dutch designer Joris Laarman whose tables and chairs simulate polygonal branches, or Italian architect Andrea Branzi’s use of pure wood logs.

British artist Marc Quinn draws from colder climates with a pure white marble block carved into an iceberg table, while American furniture

BRICK AND MORTAR

Above, left to right: Wendell Castle’s concrete chair; Rick Owens’s Onedent ox bone chair. Left: Humberto and Fernando Campana’s Pirarucu buffet, made from the skin of a large Amazonian fish.

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artist Wendell Castle’s concrete chairs—sinuous and curved—are pockmarked in the manner of deep-sea coral. The Brazilian duo Campana Brothers opt for all-out texture by upholstering a large buffet in skin from the Pirarucu, a giant Amazonian fish.

Functional sculpture extends beyond furniture with designers such as Frederik Molenschot, who specializes in cast bronze lighting fixtures that evoke chains of glowing mushrooms, or Vincent Dubourg’s objects frozen in the moment of shatter. A notable inclusion in the roster is fashion designer Rick Owens, whose predilection for puffy silhouettes and black leather made avant-garde wearable. Here, he employs the stark nakedness of ox bones to create a minimalist throne.

Other designers work with more delicate materials: Gordijn and Nauta’s dandelion seeds float suspended within a wire frame of lights, despite being the heaviest reference to what exactly these designers are working with, as the work is named Fragile Future.

The exhibit can be read as an attempt to bring nature into the shelter of the home, yet it also stands as a reminder that it is unsettling to see nature this close. In the era of 3D printing, Organic is a struggle to embrace what was already perfectly made, a humble admission that we can only ever skin and reskin, imitate and evoke, and that we have a long history of long bending nature to our will.

SPACE DESIGN

OBJECTIFIED Dieter Rams’s Less but Better reminds us why the industrial designer’s 10 commandments have been the paradigm of good and lasting design WORDS BY GIAN CRUZ

THERE’S THAT AGE-OLD saying that less is always more—something that is reflected in what industrial designer Dieter Rams refers to as his “Ten Principles of Good Design.” In these tenets, he asserts ideals that have guided designers for years, such as “Good design is as little design as possible” or “Less, but better . . . because it concentrates on the essential aspects and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.”

With just a slight mention of Rams, it would be impossible to snub or just bat an eye at his enormous contribution to the world of industrial design—from domestic electrical products to furniture from the 20th century. The book Less but Better, recently reissued by Gestalten (gestalten.com), may not be an integral documentation of Rams’s tenure at Braun but rather his astounding legacy in the domain of design. What this book does is that it goes to the heart

of the matter with Rams—the crucial framework upon which his process rests, his aesthetics and his ideas and particular philosophies working alongside social contexts across time. In other words, this book won’t be of lesser importance as it goes down to the core of Rams unveiling the very essence of him. And something like this will always be a crucial reference point to continue the enthusiasm of a greater public with design either both in reference to the past and into the future.

At the end of the day, “Design should not dominate people. It should help people,” says Rams. And a designer who has stayed true to himself and lived by that honesty throughout his career will always guide us back to what we really need. As it is so convenient to get lost in the confusion of speedy exchanges these days, it’s always good to have yourself grounded in the essential and this book has that in its veins.

BRAINS AND BRAUN

The Dieter Rams-designed Braun Atelier audio-visual system from 1986, which was operated with a remote control.

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SPACE HOME FURNISHINGS

A FABRICATED STORY Raf Simons collaborates with Kvadrat, the Danish textile company that has dressed the halls of the Guggenheim, to create a capsule collection of soft furnishings for the home WORDS BY GINO DE LA PAZ

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IT WAS WHILE researching his autumn-winter 2011-12 collection for Jil Sander that Raf Simons first encountered the Danish textile company Kvadrat. To realize his vision, one that melded the volumes of Cristobal Balenciaga with the body consciousness of downhill racers, the Belgian designer required fabric more akin to upholstery material, which his supplier could not provide. “The women’s collection of that season was linked to mid-century modernism, when fabrics were much heavier and rougher because that was still in the period after the Second World War,” says Simons.

After a visit to the Kvadrat showroom, Simons made the unprecedented decision to use these rigid coverings for the season’s core men’s and women’s garments, such as suits and coats. According to Simons, “I think this authenticity was a combination of the fact that they are developed for furniture and that they were grounded in the North—they had this very specific Northern quality to them.”

At some point Kvadrat (kvadrat. dk) contacted Simons through creative consultant Peter Saville, who rose to fame for the sleeves he designed for Manchester’s Factory Records. “We talked about the idea of doing a kind of capsule collection. Bingo! I loved the idea,” Simons told Wallpaper.

CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH Kvadrat’s collaborations with renowned designers

PAUL SMITH

“We’re making fabrics that are like a blank canvas for designers,” says Simons, creative director of Dior.

“It’s going to be an evolution—this is the start of things!”

PHOTOS BY SILVIA RIVOLTELLA

BOUND TO THE CLOTH

Top: Cassina’s Refolo sofa in Sonar 1, the cushions in Pilot, and the room divider in Haakon fabrics.

Bottom: Room dividers in Haakon fabrics. Previous page: The Swan chair by Fritz Hansen in Vidar, and room dividers in Sonar and Astor fabrics.

Textiles from throughout the partnership— created purely by Kvadrat developers and designers in communication with Simons and his Antwerp team—made their debut in the autumn-winter 2014 menswear show. Done over nine years with his friend, the American artist Sterling Ruby, the collection featured a clutch of collaged overcoats, some displaying striped patches of his flecked Kvadrat fabrics. It was more a meeting of the minds than a typical collaboration: the silhouettes and proportions, signature Simons, came together with the organic chaos of Ruby’s art, which, along with works by George Condo and Olafur Eliasson, happens to hang in Simons’ Hausmann-style apartment in Paris’s Eighth.

After graduating from industrial design school in Genk in 1991, Simons crafted a selection of furniture that nodded to fashion. This first Kvadrat/Raf Simons collection (kvadratrafsimons.com) is similarly interdisciplinary in that he translates the visual sensibility of the fabrics he has used on the runway for the home. The intensely pigmented gradations of the Tronic throws, the short pile fur of Astor, and the jewel-box sparkle of Pilot extend the vocabulary of the bouclés and tweeds in his latter Jil Sander presentations.

Simons, who also straddles Paris ancien and nouveau as Dior’s creative director, is thrilled at his initial contribution to the world of soft furnishings. “We are making fabrics that are like a blank canvas for designers,” he says. “It’s going to be an evolution—this is the start of things!”

Paul Smith worked with Kvadrat to produce uniformly playful prints the British designer is famously known for. The output textile is a combination of linear colors contrasting brightly against the background, from traditional to modern, running from selvedge to selvedge.

PATRICIA URQUIOL A For her collaboration with Kvadrat, where she used architectural but irregularly patterned textiles, Urquiola won the Milano Design Award for the best installation shown by international design brands at the Salone del Mobile 2013.

RONAN & ERWAN BOUROULLEC Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec collaborated with Kvadrat to produce a series of irregularly-patterned textiles, the Cloud fabric wall hangings, and the Ready Made Curtain—a simple system for every window.

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SPACE MOTORING

BACK IN A FLASH The perfect hatchback combines lightweight handling and the hyperkinetic thrills of a sports car. Here, five handsome models that do the job in high style and mighty finish WORDS BY DON JAUCIAN

n PEUGEOT 308 The new 308 has been having a great year, with its European Car of the Year award and the 2014 Fleet Honours “Best New Car” citation.

FULL M ETAL JACKET

The new Peugeot 308 (peugeot. ph) is 140kg lighter than its previous incarnation. It sports a more simplified design that’s built on a new high-strength steel platform that’s been proven strong by 400,000 endurance tests.

CRUISE CON T ROL

The 1.6 diesel HDi’s 120 bhp and 82g/ km is something new to its segment.

Enhancing the driving experience is the i-Cockpit that has a high-center console, a 9.7 inch-touchscreen that lets you control multi-media features.

FORM FACTOR

The Peugeot 308 is a handsome feat of engineering and craftsmanship; certainly worth the millions of investments and 116 patents flushed in its making.

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WONT BACK DOWN

Above: The Peugeot 308 boasts a streamlined bodywork that has a lower center of gravity and newly developed electric power steering.

Right: The Golf’s active cylinder technology intelligently detects the car’s current load to shut down surplus engine cylinders for efficiency.

r FORD FOCUS “Fun” is generally the term used to describe the Focus. It’s sprightly and efficient enough for its price tag.

FULL M ETAL JACKET

The standard Focus (ford.com.ph) with a direct-injection 2.0L engine but a more eco-conscious variant has 25 percent better fuel economy and 22 percent lower CO2 emissions.

CRUISE CON T ROL

The Active Park Assist detects which space is big enough for you to park in. It can reach top speeds from 119-121 mph and, with the driver-oriented cockpit controls, you’ll feel more at ease with your vehicle.

n LEXUS CT200H Labeled as the world’s first full hybrid hatchback, the CT200H glides with an elegant finish, showcasing the signature Lexus spindle grille that underscores its stylish profile.

FULL M ETAL JACKET

The CT200h (34th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig; lexus.com.ph) gears up with an improved body rigidity and aerodynamics for a quieter drive. It also features a distinct shark-fin roof antenna and haunches that accentuate its lowered center of gravity.

CRUISE CON T ROL

Inside, the CT200h is quite stunning. The sand gold and topaz brown trim colors add a visual flair that flaunt its meticulous craftsmanship. As for the acoustics, it has the world’s first bamboo loudspeakers that pumpup the vehicle’s flashy qualities.

FORM FACTOR REAR VIEW

Top to bottom: The CT200h offers a combined 42-MPG rating, which provides for a more enhanced driving; the new Ford Focus’ Titanium Handling Package adds a unique sports-tuned suspension with 18-inch wheels that will make you want to drive it every day; one of the Mazda3’s highlights is the Radar Cruise Control, which controls the engine and breaks to maintain a set speed and distance between you and the preceeding vehicle.

Nifty safety features, such as the Driver Alert (which detects the driver’s drop in alertness), and the Active City Stop that recognizes slow-moving or unexpectedly stopped cars, only make the Focus a more addictive car to drive.

FORM FACTOR

While the 9.8 second-finish at 60mph might not be extremely impressive, the CT200h scores points with its low running costs, with only 82g/km CO2 emissions and fuel economy of 42 mpg.

j VOLKSWAGEN GOLF It’s been 40 years since the Golf first made its appearance in American shores, and its seventh iteration is a pleasurable drive that comes with several tweaks that top the bar Golf has set upon itself.

FULL M ETAL JACKET

The new Golf (938 28th Street City Center, Bonifacio Global City Taguig; volkswagen. com.ph) comes in two engine variants: a turbocharged 1.8-liter inline-4 or a torquefilled 2.0-liter TDI turbo-diesel, clocking in a top speed of 113 mph.

CRUISE CON T ROL

A host of advanced safety features, such as the crash-optimized front end and post-collision braking, ensure a secure trip. The optional Adaptive Chassis control adjusts to the road surface and driving conditions.

j MAZDA3 This multi-awarded hatchback—which has snagged Car and Driver’s “10 Best” 2014 citation—gets you impressive mileage that ably competes with pricier vehicles.

FULL M ETAL JACKET

The Mazda3 (mazda.ph) is often lauded for its Italianate make that echoes the grand speedmasters, such as the Alfa Romeos of yore. Inside, the SKYACTIV 16-valve 2.0-liter engine furthers its 0-60mph time up to 6.8 to 8.2 seconds, finishing at a top speed of 130 mph.

CRUISE CON T ROL

Along with its active driving display, which lets you in on real-time information sans the distractions, it boasts a bevy of Bluetooth options in its wheel-mounted controls.

Plus, it has a nine-speaker Bose surround sound system.

FORM FACTOR

FORM FACTOR

Doors and windows seals are optimized to reduce outside noise. Its solid build, army of features, and excellent fuel economy (42 mpg) make it an attractive car for its segment.

Mazda3 tops it all up with its i-Stop (an idling stop system that economizes fuel) and i-Eloop (regenerative braking system) technologies that make for a thrilling yet safer ride.

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Au g u s t 2 0 14

E DI T E D BY

ANNA C. REYES

THE EYE

ISSUE NO.

79

FA S H I O N + S T Y L E + G R O O M I N G

One can’t be faulted for trying to keep a timeless look— but every so often it pays to let monochrome take a back seat in the face of bold color and unbridled print

Out of Print P H O T O G R A P H E D B Y PAT R I C K D I O K N O / S T Y L E D B Y M A N O L O T H O

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THH E EYE FASHION

Walk the Line Footwear should never be an afterthought. Call attention to your shoes with colors and prints that pop.

VOLTA SHOES, MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA SHOES, EYTYS SHOES

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SEE SHOPLIST (PAGE 154) FOR STORE INFORMATION

Wild Side Dare to dress things up with the most brazen of patterns. If you work the rest of the outfit right, you’ll come out looking bold rather than boisterous.

MARC BY MARC JACOBS SCARF, APC SHIRT

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THE EYE FASHION

Spots & Stripes Classy need not translate to drab. Embellish your black and white ensemble with contemporary touches to keep it up to date.

JASPAL SHIRTS

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SEE SHOPLIST (PAGE 154) FOR STORE INFORMATION

Animal House Behind every smart ensemble is a well-curated conversation piece. Dress up an otherwise square look with shoes in uninhibited animal print.

STEVE MADDEN SHOES, PIERRE HARDY SHOES

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THE EYE FASHION

Retro Active Fashion works in cycles. While there’s no shame in trying to keep things classic, every once in a while it pays to dress nostalgic.

AMI PANTS, LAZY OAF SHIRTS

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SEE SHOPLIST (PAGE 154) FOR STORE INFORMATION

THE EYE FASHION

1

WHEN IN FLORENCE

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At Pitti Uomo, style is as prominent among spectators as it is in the shows. Take a page from the lookbooks of the Italian menswear fair’s best-dressed attendees WORDS BY JAMES GABRILLO PHOTOS BY ENRICO LABRIOLA / PITTI IMMAGINE

AT PITTI UOMO IN FLORENCE, what the attendees wear has become as important as the clothes presented at the shows. From designers and retailers to editors and plain enthusiasts—you’d be out of place if you weren’t dressed to the nines at the world’s most important menswear fair. Here are five of our top street-style snaps—and what to learn from their reinvention of a noted Italian trait.

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Big and bold checks are on trend—they’re vivid and punchy, but never excessive. Just make sure to pair them with solid blocks of color.

The paisley, the shades, the beard, the polka pocket square, and that gold collar pin—it could’ve easily gone overboard.

Thankfully, at the base of all the flourishes is impeccable tailoring. And speaking of ’stache: fuller facial hair—royal in its lavishness, as opposed to the hipster trim—seems to be on the trend ascent. All the better to catch the humidity?

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After years of seeing a push in vibrant prints, monochromatic combinations feel so fresh—as exhibited by these dudes decked in head-to-toe pastel pink and royal blue. Too much for you?

Start out with navy. Baby steps.

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3

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He embodies Italy’s famed sprezzatura—studied nonchalance— with a relaxed hyper-preppy look that looks damn good. A good advert urging guys to inject more color to their wardrobe.

Three ways to wear a pocket square—and a reminder that earth tones will never go out of style. These are looks that could be recreated by any guy, of any age.

EVERYBODY'S FINE

While people flock to see Florence's menswear tradeshow, the real fashion of Pitti Uomo isn't just on the runway, but out on the city's streets.

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5

MADE IN ITALY It’s a new day in Italy, with the ousting of Silvio Berlusconi and the appointment of Matteo Renzi as prime minister. The shift isn’t just political, but cultural: the young, dynamic Renzi has strong ties to the fashion industry—and he’s supporting a resurgence of the Italian traditions of heritage and craftsmanship. Indeed, a runway renaissance was at play at the spring/summer 2015 shows in Florence and Milan, where designers fused their signature styles with throwbacks to iconic silhouettes.

Tod’s

Gucci

Zegna

Dolce & Gabbana

There’s a high degree of accessibility in new creative director Andrea Incontri’s first collection, which was clearly made for jet-setting gents. The multi-layered show featured easy coats, light shirts, and pleated trousers. It was all, quite simply, what a man of the world would pack in his overnight bag. “I don’t buy many things myself,” Incontri, a trained architect from Milan, told reporters before the show. “It’s like with chairs or tables. I want a few good things and I want them to last.”

Stripes, golden buttons, and nautical insignias—the Gucci man (or, more aptly, mariner) projects luxury, but also a free spirit. Creative director Frida Giannini sent out dignified suits of a disciplined silhouette, from blazers and blousons, to pea coats and double-breasted jackets.

But there were also Nehru jackets paired with bold striped trousers—a striking combination. The eyepopping stripe also appeared on bag straps, lapels, and scarves tucked inside jackets.

Are we seeing the beginning of the end for neckties?

Stefano Pilati’s delivered the best show of the season.

His generous cuts were challenging, but wearable: jackets were roomier, trousers were fuller. One outstanding navy-and-white striped cardigan—long and loose—seemed to be inspired not just by the Italian Riviera, but also by kimonos and karate uniforms. While the pieces had freedom of movement, they had a lot of technical firepower behind them. Say goodbye to your super slim and short-cropped suiting; it’s all about ease and breeze.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana offered a serious collection of urban suiting. There was a lot of stiffness, but also whimsy, like in one black suit that featured delightfully ostentatious floral ribboning. The shiny three-piece combinations featured exceptionally tailored proportions, but the true standout was a polka dot suit, which managed to be both playful and handsome. The finale–a parade of models in crimson red suits–created a tension between edge and elegance.

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THE EYE FASHION

A NEW NAME IN AN OLD HOUSE Since taking his seat at Loewe, Jonathan William Anderson has been shaking things up at Spain’s storied leather goods house WORDS BY GINO DE LA PAZ

SINCE JONATHAN WILLIAM ANDERSON’S

appointment in September 2013 as creative director of Loewe—the storied Spanish luxury leather goods house owned by LVMH—he has been busy engineering its renaissance. “Past, Present and Future” is the maxim that guides this rebrand, and the changes, while thoughtful and considerate, appear set to shake up the somewhat sleepy label, one of the oldest in the French

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conglomerate’s portfolio.

Eagle-eyed fashion people may have noticed a refreshed logo for Loewe (Rustan’s, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Edsa cor. Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City), courtesy of Michaël Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak of M/M (Paris). The art and design duo replaced the familiar Bembo font with a logotype in the spirit of German-born calligrapher Berthold Wolpe, a nod to Enrique

Loewe Roessberg, the German craftsman whose name came to identify a cooperative of leather artisans in mid-19th century Madrid.

The monogram’s swirly Ls, conceived in 1970 by Spanish painter Vicente Vela, have likewise been pared down to underline its origins as a branding iron. “I wanted to reduce the logo and just clean it off. It was just a redrafting, really. We wanted to keep it similar but make a subtle shift for the

next phase,” Anderson told British Vogue.

The reinvention of venerable names can sometimes result in public outcry, as with Hedi Slimane’s conversion of Yves Saint Laurent’s ready-to-wear to Saint Laurent Paris. While the tweaks that brought about this less formal Loewe logo have been restrained, the 29-year-old’s designs for the hitherto conservative brand— think of the company as the Hermès of Spain— are not quite so.

Unveiled at Loewe’s new headquarters opposite Saint-Sulpice, one of the most magnificent Baroque churches in Paris, Anderson’s debut S/S 2015 menswear offering drew upon myriad influences. The Northern Irish designer, who grew up in a family of farmers in County Derry, abstracted the Meccano toys of his childhood. Those building blocks inspired the removable parts that adorned traditional Oxford shoes and informed the collection’s primary colors.

Anderson once said that Polish film director Roman Polanski is the person he would most like to see in menswear by J.W. Anderson, his ownname label that also received a major injection of funding from the LVMH group. Transposing this unlikely muse to Loewe and fusing the idea with altogether different allusions resulted in pieces with vintage Balearic flair: turned-up jeans, rough linen t-shirts and green python espadrilles invoke the utilitarian ease of fishermen wading in the western Mediterranean. “There’s a visual history of legendary Ibizan nightclub Pacha, which includes a photo of Roman Polanski in a cotton shirt and neon Speedo,” notes Style.com’s Tim Blanks.

Of course, it is the luxury leather that will most likely seduce shoppers unfamiliar with Anderson’s avant-garde bent and gender-fluid style. “Loewe has, since its origins, been defined by unrivalled expertise with a noble and warm material: leather,” states LVMH. It adds that the chromatic range, including the Oro Suede Flamenco bag, Marine Calf Leather Duffle and the Origami bag, a tribute to Japanese craftsmanship and expertise, “revolves around earthy tones in brown, taupe or beige, set off with touches of red.”

The season’s multi-layered visual campaign was shot in studio and on location in Càdiz, southern Spain. Anderson and London photographer Jamie Hawkesworth, a longtime collaborator, reprised images, unchanged from a 1997 Steven Meisel editorial in Vogue Italia of beachside boys and girls inspired by the work of the American figurative artist Alex Katz. “We superimposed both and used the idea of the fashion reference. There was no point in asking Meisel to recreate the image. It was more exciting to show his work now as art,” said Anderson.

“Instead of hiding the inspiration, we just showed it.”

The provocative ready-to-wear designer,

THE MONOGRAM’S SWIRLY L’S, CONCEIVED IN 1970 BY SPANISH PAINTER VICENTE VELA, HAVE BEEN PARED DOWN TO UNDERLINE ITS ORIGINS AS A BRANDING IRON. celebrated for his androgynous aesthetic, studied menswear at the London College of Fashion.

He bravely launched his label J.W. Anderson, with its Anglo-nostalgic elements, in 2008, with an off-schedule menswear collection followed by a capsule collection for women in early 2010. Anderson also worked once as assistant to stylist Manuela Pavesi at Prada, which perhaps explains his commercial acumen.

HIGH AND LOEWE

Opposite page: A photograph from the SS15 campaign, which was shot near Cadiz, southern Spain. Above: Loewe's rethought logo by M/M (Paris). Top: SS15 collection on display at the Loewe showroom in Paris.

And following Christopher Kane’s departure from Versus, Donatella Versace recruited him to head the secondary line for a single season in 2012, the year of his well-received collaboration with Topshop.

Jonathan Anderson’s installation at Loewe, one of fashion’s less obvious marriages, is but the latest in the luxury carousel. Anderson, who succeeds Stuart Vevers after he resigned to take the top job at Coach, follows Nicholas Kirkwood and Joseph Altuzzara, who both joined the LVMH stable in 2013.

It seems that the new generation of leaders at LVMH is determined to give the French multinational, often depicted as predatory and calculating, a more nurturing image, at least to the rising crop of designers and consumers.

“When Delphine Arnault and I first met Jonathan, we immediately felt that we could help him express the full potential of his innovative, fast emerging and already influential brand,” announced LVMH Fashion Group chairman and CEO Pierre-Yves Roussel. “As we got to know him better, it became clear that his capacity to transform tradition into an exciting vision for the present would make him also the perfect Creative Director for Loewe.”

One can always count on a new name to generate new energy in an old house.

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PARTNER PROMOTION

NOW, VOYAGER Never one to turn down a high-flying adventure, these 10 men and women share TUMI's unquenchable thirst for wanderlust—global citizens for whom travel is a way of life WORDS BY DON JAUCIAN / PHOTOGRAPHED BY STEVE TIRONA / STYLED BY ISABEL BINAMIRA

Rosanna OCAMPO-RODRIGUEZ Fashion designer Rosanna Ocampo-Rodriguez, a former resident of Milan, travels out of the country several times each year, both for work and play. “I have very itchy feet, so I can’t stay in one place too long. Since I’m a designer, that’s really when my mind works, obviously—you widen your horizons, you absorb the things that you see, taste, and hear; it’s all senses put together. When I come home, I really want to work,” she says. She has since traveled around with her TUMI bag to Istanbul and the beaches of the Costa Brava, Côte d'Azur, and Costiera Amalfitana.

Georgia SCHULZE-DEL ROSARIO Despite her work as a wedding planner, food blogger, and magazine editor, Georgia Schulze-Del Rosario sees to it that she finds time to travel. Just recently, she’s been to Germany, France, and Spain where she was accompanied by her TUMI Tegra-Lite medium packing case—a lightweight luggage made of lifesaving armor used in NFL players’ protective gears and NASCAR race cars. “The bag is actually black cherry. If you look at it really well, there is a tinge of red or purple, which I love because it has that little pop of excitement that is similar to my personality,” she says.

Marco LOBREGAT Having lived in different countries such as the Czech Republic, Japan, and even Ukraine for his former job, entrepreneur and Ministry of Mushrooms president Marco Lobregat is no stranger to folding contents of his life in a single bag.

“I’m a free and independent traveler—but usually I like my travel ware to be versatile, so I can just have it as a backpack or I can roll it around where I put everything and still feel assured that it’s sturdy enough to go everywhere.”

AIRPORT SEATING PROVIDED BY VITRA. ON ROSANNA: ELLESSE WHITE SHIRT. ON GEORGIA: G-STAR RAW DRESS.

Angel JACOB For model and actress Angel Jacob, enjoying the journey is a state of mind. As a traveler, she’s one who settles for a no-frills, practical approach in everything she does.

She recently spent one month in Egypt with her family, a trip that she’s been dreaming of since she was a child. “I saw the Pyramids, the Sphinx, and walked around Cairo,” she shares. “Every time I travel, I want to make it fun and exciting.

I don’t really have a schedule, as much as possible, unless it’s for work, so that’s what makes it fun as well. I’m not running after time.”

Mars MIRANDA

Gutsy TUASON

It’s pretty unusual for a DJ to carry around a tote; the standard is a snazzy backpack that makes you look like a renegade music man. But for Mars Miranda, one of the country’s most soughtafter DJs, his TUMI tote liberates him from the inconveniences of carrying around a ratty backpack.

“I can’t count the number of times someone has spilled a drink on it or smudged it with cigarette ash,” he says. “I actually feel bad for the bag when I see it happen. But I can say it’s pretty durable and, since it’s leather, it looks nicer when it’s a bit worn-in. I think it’s awesome.”

Wildlife photographer and Rogue contributing editor Gutsy Tuason often travels with about 50 to 60 kilos worth of gear for his underwater shoots, something that requires luggage that he can carry around as he goes from one place to another. His TUMI Vapor packing case—constructed from a super-light, triple-layer, high-performance alloy of ABS and polycarbonate— meets such a hefty criteria, a trusty travel companion that he’s brought on his trips to Singapore, Cebu, and Palawan. “My equipment is so heavy that I can’t afford to be giving up kilos to the airline just on the weight of the bag alone,” he says.

ON ANGEL: G-STAR RAW JACKET, DENIM SHIRT, JEANS. ON MARS: LYLE & SCOTT JACKET, G-STAR RAW JEANS

PARTNER PROMOTION

Ace RAMOS

Karen PAMINTUAN As the host of the TV show Listed, Karen Pamintuan's job entails discovering new food haunts, fashion trends, or unique finds.

Her journeys have enabled her to grow more familiar with the demands of life on the road. “MyTUMI bags have already been through hell and back with me—so I kind of have this kinship with them. I have funny memories attached to them. I’m one of those people that really takes things to heart and they become a part of my life. These bags are like my best friends,” she shares.

Mike CONCEPCION Fresh from a 45-day family trip around Europe, Ronnie & Joe co-founder and director Mike Concepcion has definitely roughed up his Santa Monica leather duffel from TUMI. Thrown on vehicles and subjected to different types of weather, it still looks spanking new. “From traveling so much, I’ve learned to pack efficiently and really find the key items to bring. With a bag like this, I tend not to overpack anymore. It restrains me and forces me to just pack what I need.”

ON ACE: G-STAR RAW JACKET. ON KAREN: G-STAR RAW DRESS. ON ROVILSON: IZOD SHIRT, PANTS, JACKET.

DJ Ace Ramos likes a well-planned journey: an itinerary laid out with research done weeks prior to the trip. He even watches YouTube videos on how to pack efficiently. Since he received his TUMI Alpha Bravo backpack, he’s been to 36 cities around Asia and the US. “It’s lightweight compared to the other bags that I have. The ballistic nylon material is very tough. It’s made for rough conditions. Even if beer spills on it, it will still be good,” he says.

Rovilson FERNANDEZ Convenience is of the utmost importance for host Rovilson Fernandez, especially when he travels around the country for his show Ang Pinaka (they went to the Bicol region recently), and having reliable travel luggage from TUMI makes all the difference.

“When you start noticing how inconvenient it is to reach for things, you know you have a horrible bag,” he says. “So the fact that I don’t even think about it means I have an effortless bag. I know exactly where things are, and I can reach for stuff easily.”

THE EYE ACCESSORIES

A RO G U E

EXCLUSIVE

OUT OF THE BAG Having made it big with bespoke footwear worn by Taylor Swift and Kevin Costner, craftsman George Esquivel has a good thing going. This year, he fills in some bigger shoes as TUMI’s new creative director INTERVIEW BY MICHELLE V. AYUYAO

You’re a shoe designer, to say the least. Was there any formal training to that?

I learned how to do shoes from just being an apprentice. If you understand the craft of something, design is easy. It's been 20 years since I designed my first shoe and, over time, I’ve experimented with different things. You’d go to school, sure, but it also takes working with people.

Did working with those people lead you to TUMI? Well, yes, it was Jerome [Griffith; TUMI CEO]!

Jerome had just spoken to Vogue, asking if they knew anyone that could come in as Tumi’s creative director, and Vogue recommended me.

What’s on the agenda as creative director?

Right now, for Jerome and I, it’s been to evolve the brand, and figure out how it should be evolving. What I am trying to do is I am trying to catch the next generation of travelers and consumers. For a long time, TUMI has been capturing a certain market, and they were all very serious. It was the businessman and the businesswoman. Now, travel is not just only business.

I understand that. Traveling is such a priority now.

Yes! It’s such a lifestyle. People love to travel, and so we come in by making travel pieces that fit within that lifestyle.

No way.

Cool, right? She’s one of our Global Citizens now—a second generation TUMI user in fact!

She used to play dress-up with her dolls, and lug around her mother’s bags.

You’ve collaborated with a lot of brands in the past—how does that factor in with your work for TUMI? I think part of the reason why TUMI brought me on is because of my experience of dealing with a lot of different people. There are also a lot of people I’ve had ties with that didn’t know TUMI, but I’m introducing it to them now and it’s totally helping. One of them is this Korean girl, married to a Taiwanese man, based in Southern California. She has 350,000 followers on Instagram! I’m lucky I have cool friends.

How do you think this Global Citizens campaign establishes TUMI’s reach as an innovative brand?

Well I think the people we’ve reached out to as our global citizens are very innovative on their own. We hope that possible TUMI users look at them and say, I’d like to do what he’s doing, or I’d like to do what she’s doing. It’s not just whoa!

He’s really good-looking or she’s pretty. To me, it’s about what they do.

I’d want cool friends.

I want to BE a cool friend. I look at my friends whether it’s Janelle Monae or some of the other musicians, and the risks that they’re taking are really impressive. There’s also Amanda Sudano, daughter of Donna Summers.

TUMI IS LOCATED AT THE GROUND FLOOR, GREENBELT 5, MAKATI CITY; 728-0117.

And how they inspire people?

Yeah! That is, I think, what’s innovative about this. They’re real people using real bags. We’re not saying, hey, here’s a million dollars, and you’re going to be a model on my billboard. They’re a bunch of people with different lifestyles, and we really just want to embrace that diversity.

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PARTNER PROMOTION

THE TIME KEEPER Bulgari pushes the boundaries of its Octo watch line with the unconventional design and highly advanced movement mechanism of the new Octo Chronograph

TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT well acquainted with the intricacies of watch production, there seems to be little wiggle room when it comes to design innovation. There is, after all, only so much that can be done to make a wristwatch unequivocally stand out from all the rest.

Bulgari (G/F, Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati; 2/F, Rustan’s, Ayala Center, Makati; G/F, Alabang Town Center, Alabang) belies this notion with the introduction of the Octo Chronograph automatic wristwatch, the latest from its Octo line.

Bulgari’s Octo collection has always been firmly dedicated to strong personality, and the Octo Chronograph is no different. The attention to detail and commitment to innovation that the Italian luxury goods company put into this model is obvious from the get-go. Its octagonal case reflects Bulgari’s willingness to venture into atypical design, while the restrained crown that tops the case keeps the overall look of the watch clean and classic. Past just simple aesthetic value, the design is meant to be emblematic of the concepts of balance, harmony, power and, eternity that often go hand in hand with the

figure of the octagon.

With no less than 110 alternately polished and satin-brushed surfaces on the case, there is also a complexity to the Octo Chronograph that gives it a more modern feel than the average sports watch. However, it cannot be said that the design is boastful: it’s a rather compact piece, measuring in at 41.5 millimeters in width and just 13 millimeters in height. It comes in three versions, an 18-carat pink gold case with a black alligator strap, or a stainless steel case with strap options of either the alligator leather or a steel bracelet—all of which are in line with the robust and powerful character that Bulgari intends for all its Octo timepieces.

The watch’s strong personality is further carried out by its face display, where three sub-dials come together to form a distinctive V-formation. The seconds dial is placed at 3 o’clock, the hours at 6 o’clock, and the minutes at 9 o’clock, while the date window is placed between 4 and 5 o’clock. All these come together seamlessly with the multi-layered black lacquered dial on the watch’s right-hand side, coated in either pink gold or rhodium. It

would be easy for such a design to come off as overcrowded and showy, and it is testament to Bulgari’s achievement in watchmaking that the display instead remains elegant and tasteful.

More than outward appearance, however, what truly sets the Octo Chronograph apart is its machinery. Unlike a few of their earlier releases, the Bulgari Octo Chronograph operates on a much more sophisticated mechanism: BVL Calibre 328, a powerful integrated-type, high frequency, self-winding column-wheel chronograph movement. It is also equipped with power reserve of up to 50 hours.

It doesn’t require a watch enthusiast to see that the Bulgari Octo Chronograph pushes the limits of conventional watch design. Its refined style—at once unusual and elegant— coupled with its highly advanced movement mechanism result in a powerful timepiece fit for both the casual admirer of attractive wristwatches and the aficionado concerned with the finer technical details. Simply put, the Octo Chronograph is the embodiment of the perfect balance between style and substance.

Au g u s t 2 0 14

E DI T E D BY

M ARA CO SO N

THE SLANT

ISSUE NO.

79

OPINIONS + IDEAS + PERSPECTIVES

PHOTO BY MARCO SECCHI/GETTY IMAGES

The Garbage Patch State, an installation by Italian artist Maria Cristina Finucci, at the 2013 Venice Biennale.

What’s the Big Deal?

Beyond the Invisible

Crown and Country

Great Expectations

Eva McGovern

Manuel Ocampo

Manuel L. Quezon 111

Tony Godfrey

An artist does what? For those still confused about the art world’s who’s who and what’s what, one curator offers a quick and easy primer on the quickly booming industry.

The iconoclastic artist and curator, who recently mounted Brave New Worlds at the Met, gives us an inside look at his process and what is—in his opinion—the very flawed nature of the Philippine art industry.

Leaders both in politics and commerce often stumble at the face of succession plans. As our government mainstays are nearing their end, how will their legacies survive?

To the surprise of many, the Philippines will be having its very own pavilion in the 2015 Venice Biennale. As gossip, rumors, and speculations abound, what should we really expect?

AU GU S T 2014 93

Eva McGovern ON HOW THE ART WORLD REALLY WORKS

What’s the Big Deal?

The art industry is a venerable one, but few understand how it really operates. One curator provides a breakdown of its key players and throws out the misconceptions

I

t often comes as a surprise to people outside of the creative scene to hear that the Philippines is experiencing a market boom in contemporary art. Local artists are in demand not only on a domestic level but increasingly courted on an international scale via collectors, auction houses, commercial galleries, and museums, as well as citybased art festivals known as biennials and triennials. In fact, the Philippines, along with Indonesia, is one of the biggest art markets in Southeast Asia today. But promotional rhetoric aside, it’s also a bit of a mystery, because many outside of the industry have no idea what goes on in the art world or even why contemporary art matters so much these days.

The only validating (but problematic) force seems to be the numbers involved, namely the possibility of huge secondary market returns through auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s. But rather than get into the riveting and terrifying economics of it all, perhaps some clarity is needed on the mechanics? Or, an initial stocktaking exercise to find out a bit more about the business of art and its mysterious professions? Therefore as a curator, or member of that so-called “glamorous” clique called the art world, let me try and clear up a few things for you.

Artists undeniably form the center of the art universe. Simply put, without them, museums, galleries, auctions, curators and many more, would all be out of a job. Their professional path—usually, but not always—begins at art school. After gaining undergraduate and postgraduate degrees anywhere from Manila to London to New York, young artists need to show their work in galleries. First in group exhibitions, then in a solo show which hopefully leads to some type of gallery representation as well as more shows, increased sales, and the holy grail of financial security. Later or concurrently they gain a more academic profile through non-profit museum shows and biennials that help validate their contributions to contemporary culture.

Artists have to manage their profession through self-promotion and financing as well as networking with key galleries, residencies, and

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It’s not all champagne and canapés. Unless you’re a gallery mogul like Larry Gagosian or David Zwirner, your space is more of a money drainer than maker. curators. And let’s face it, although some artists are very successful, a lot struggle to get their foot in the door and have to take on extra jobs (as lecturers, graphic designers, and gallery staff ) to continue their practice and pay the bills. It can take years to gain any type of recognition, which can also be fleeting. Hence artist communities and alternative spaces are so important in order to provide a platform for work that is not necessarily commercially viable at the time. Many fantastic artists are, therefore, rendered invisible simply because they choose not to or are unable to enter the mainstream mode of exhibiting.

Racked with fears of being unoriginal in a highly competitive industry, artists are constantly trying to figure out what is new and meaningful.

These personal thoughts and insights must then be developed and perfected in order to successfully survive the nerve-wracking experience of exhibitions. Hermetic days and weeks are spent in the studio sketching, painting, photographing, crafting, making, experimenting, failing, and waiting for inspiration. And just because you can’t/don’t draw, doesn’t mean you are not an artist—an idea that some people find highly offensive, because artists should know how to draw right? But in today’s world, anything goes, from painting, to assembled objects, video, performance, photography, and other things that curiously, look easy to do (but trust me, your three-year-old really couldn’t do it), which is why Realist painting and beautiful images are still so popular, because of their acknowledged skill and decorative quality.

One of the main champions of Art’s higher purpose is arguably the most misunderstood: the mythical curator. He or she, along with the artist and the gallerist are the epitome of the peculiar belief that art can be profound and important.

Because to a lot of people Art is simply a decorative luxury. It doesn’t change or save the world and is generally elitist and intimidating. But then again if images and creative expression do seduce you, it can be a hugely rewarding way to learn about the world since Art brings ideas, aesthetics, and limitless subjects into focus. Curating is, therefore, the intuitive and academic editing of these ideas in order to present them as a rewarding visual experience. It is the mediation of the artist’s intentions by writing the exhibition notes, producing catalogues, designing shows, project managing, as well as giving educational talks because sometimes art’s meaning is not

immediately clear, and artists are not always the best at describing their work. So by opening the door, curators help in the enjoyment of art itself.

Traditionally they are found in museums where they work with collections as well as develop academic ideas for shows, but increasingly curators are being employed to provide a more thoughtful framework for commercial exhibitions. It can be an in-house role, where curators and the gallery director select the program of shows, but usually they work on a contracted project-to-project basis across multiple spaces.

However, a very important part of curating is working closely with the artist as a creative sparring partner. Although artists function just fine without curators, some benefit from having a different and more critical perspective on their work. Curators ask questions, challenge ideas, and sometimes are the behind-the-scenes collaborators who push things in new directions. The relationship between artist and curator therefore becomes a very personal one, built on trust from conversation and exchange, so that the curator understands the artist’s work and by extension, who they are as people. And when two likeminded souls meet, curatorial conversations can span decades and provide an invaluable support system that enriches both careers. But it’s also a precarious existence, especially in Southeast Asia where curators are few and far between, and most function as freelance professionals constantly juggling a variety of projects to meet financial and personal needs.

Finally, it might be disappointing to discover that the art world is not one big glamorous party of champagne and canapés. Contrary to popular belief, dealers don’t make exorbitant amounts of money. So unless you are gallery moguls like Larry Gagosian or David Zwirner your space is more of a money drainer than maker. Which means that even though it’s supposed to be a business, and of course money does get made, galleries are really driven by passion. Therefore, dealers have to work very hard to cover their operational overheads as well pay the exorbitant costs involved to promote their artists in international fairs where booth prices can start at $10,000. In fact most commercial galleries are made up of precisely three to five full-time staff who work around the clock to produce shows, promote artists, and push sales. Gallery teams therefore, wear many hats from sales expert to operations manager, catalogue editor,

personal confidant, and drinking buddy. And yes, exhibition openings are an important part of the process, but the behind-the-scenes hustle is the vital backbone of the industry.

What galleries actually do is provide the space, support team, and financial resources to build artist careers. They normally have a stable of five to 15 artists they personally represent, as well as a rotating roster of non-represented artists they show for various strategic reasons. A good gallerist will also price work responsibly to make sure things don’t go too high too soon to avoid alienating an artist’s majority market. They must be able to build a strong sustainable client base as well as grow the cultural value of artists, by providing the right museums and galleries to work with, both at home and abroad. Money is made from sales commissions that can range from 40%-60% of the gallery price with the rest going to the artist.

But dealers on the whole, don’t take huge salaries from their companies and often spend their own personal resources to make things happen, especially during lean months when sales are slow. So if you want to be a gallerist, it’s crucial to have an inbuilt client network from a previous life as well as some sort of financial independence because you have so many other things to pay for before you pay yourself.

So why are so many people attracted to the art world if it’s such a financially volatile and unpredictable place? Because art-making is food for the soul, the business of art is a wild (and sometimes profitable) ride, and the production of exhibitions a rewarding philosophical learning curve. And simply put, art can change the way we think about ourselves and the world around us. Even if these revelations are fleeting, somehow, we are enriched by these beautiful, ugly, political, shocking, funny, weird, and spectacular visual creations. But this also makes the art world a very complex place to inhabit, because it’s a combination of friendship and business across the numerous people that cover the academic, commercial, and logistical side of things, not to mention a crucial network of private and institutional collectors. Rules can change quickly as well, since professional practices depend on context and timing. But despite these shifting goal posts and emotional rollercoasters, it is a fascinating, inspiring, juicy, cutthroat place to be in and somehow we are all the better for it.

Manuel Ocampo ON HIS PROCESS AND EVOLUTION

Beyond the Invisible Having recently curated Brave New Worlds: Utopia in Dystopia at the Metropolitan Museum, the controversial artist leads us behind the scenes by way of sex, blasphemy, and bad intentions

I

think a viewer needs to realize that my painting contains a lot of simultaneous information. I see the painting I make as an accumulator of thought and of ideas which scatter and overlap as form, color, matter, proportion, meaning. In other words, it is precisely what cannot be thought; it is that which goes beyond thought. I can describe my art as painting that is pathological, something that is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Painting that is a constant irritant for the viewer is my preference. Breaking down established ways of thinking and seeing is my goal as an artist.

Dark and disturbing things fascinate me, although my work is usually more about sex. The fascination with those things comes from the fact that these subjects are hidden and usually stems from a repressed desire or trauma, and nothing is more fascinating than that because it is something that is still veiled in mystery. But, you know, the reality of it is that dark and disturbing things usually come from something so ordinary, like call centers, Starbucks, Diet Coke, or McDonald’s.

made back then, which we remember now as the time culture was made politically correct—with the ensuing backlash of course. So, with all these differing voices, who knows if what was said was true? Meanwhile, the work is left standing on its own. It continues while history remains stuck. I find post-modern pluralism boring and this very American thing to lump every “other’s” (i.e. nonwesterner) work as talking about identity politics.

Thank god that discourse does not belong in the art scene here in Manila.

I plan to open up a space where you don’t need money to operate it, and where ideas can be freely My controversial work in the 1991 Documenta expressed and exchanged without the fear of being IX exhibition was censored for bearing images Like most other artists, what inspires me to ridiculed. Right now this just exists in my head, of swastikas, which is a blasphemy in Germany, make art is my dissatisfaction with the world and a Filipino critic once called my work “blasaround me, my desire to question the status quo, phemous.” How can one personally define blasto render visible that which is invisible. To search phemy? Can art still be truly blasphemous or even for the mind numbing atmosphere of a space and shocking today? One person’s blasphemy could time whose existence has been rejected and be another person’s form of spiritual expression. which can only be grasped through half-diBlasphemy comes close to the idea of a protest. gested vestiges of a bloody history—which If a work offends someone else’s taste and valthen can be reduced in all its solemnity ues then perhaps the work has already sucand pathos to the level of the banal obceeded in staking a claim of its meaning in ject with the cheap coat of paint, letting the world, as a statement of existence. That meaning destroy significance. type of work therefore has ceded from being a mere representation of life, and has My art has evolved into a question broached reality as an event. Perhaps blasmark without a point, in which the phemy is the cry of the real, when stripped tapering line of that punctuation flows bare of its many illusions. Nothing is more continuously and broadens into a widshocking than the real. ening sweep that is taken up and pursued by a piece of prefabricated geometry (like I like the work of Maria Jeona Zoleta. Her the ones we see in stock market charts) in work deals with a lot of taboo subjects. She rewhich traces of a meaningful sign become veals bestiality and child pornography that have links in a chain of reversals, only to reconnect always been present in our consciousness yet reor slip into some other miniature structure just as main hidden or veiled in our visual culture. In they seemed to be coming to an end, but we realshort, Disney is really a perverted industry. And ize that even the devaluation of signs has played its also she’s a genius of a painter. part in my career, allowing myself to be guided by misunderstandings so that I can illuminate soci- but seriously I’d like to open an art school that uses I did not choose to be a curator—it chose me. No ety’s reservoir of bad examples. one is really promoting the type of artists I see as the city of Manila as its classroom. important in the local art scene. Everyone is preThe art industry in the Philippines is being fu- I look at other artists’ work and figure out how occupied with these auction artists whose works eled with wrong intentions, bad faith, and a taint- I can correct the mistakes they have done and are decorative, empty and devoid of any real stateed understanding of how culture works. The cur- make them my own mistakes. That is my work- ment, so I took matters into my own hands and rent growth is sadly just a bubble and only benefits ing process. started a grassroots artist-initiated program of orthose who hardly have a stake in the arts. Sadly, it ganizing shows at home and abroad. So far I have will be us artists that will be left with the shit end I hate being called a poster child for identity organized five shows in Europe, Asia, and the US; of the stick. politics and multiculturalism. What multicul- and have produced three catalogs in a span of only turalism did was make the public aware that his- three years.

I like Goya and R. Crumb because they use sub- tory can have a different voice other than what was versive humor in their art to resist the system that dominant. And there was indeed a lot of rewriting Traffic preoccupies my mind these days. threatens to render us impotent.

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Manuel L. Quezon III ON HEIRS AND EXIT PLANS

Crown and Country As we say goodbye to our current leaders, we greet their next-in-lines. From Imelda to Bongbong, from JPE to Jackie, can succession plans really go the distance?

ILLUSTRATION BY MENEER MARCELO

A

ugust is a month which reminds us that the problem with revolution (ours began in August, 1896 against Spain), dictatorship (the beginning of the end for Marcos was Ninoy Aquino’s assassination), or unprecedented political leadership (Cory Aquino and Manuel L. Quezon both died on August 1, Quezon and Ramon Magsaysay were born on August 19 and 31 respectively) is, as one lawyer recently told me, “it never has an exit plan.” A revolution, by its very nature, destroys the old and finds it difficult to turn what is new into something permanent: hence a revolution devours its own children. A dictatorship built on the argument that the dictator is the indispensable man considers a succession plan a dangerous sign of weakness—leaving the only possible exit plan, as in a revolutionary situation, a matter of execution or exile.

Marcos had a succession plan, which as one of his advisers put it to me, consisted of a secret decree naming a committee whose members were then expected to fight it out to see who would end up on top. From time to time to stir the pot, Marcos would hint to allies as to who comprised the committee, all the better to see the jockeying unfold. Quezon, Roxas, and Magsaysay all cultivated successors, but only Quezon actually successfully designated his political heir; Roxas and Magsaysay died in their first term, unable to finish their expected tenure and build up a successor.

Cory Aquino during her lifetime got some credit for helping elect Ramos, but was more successful in blunting the ambitions of her successors: a reactive veto.

Then there are those who occupy the intersection of politics and commerce: enjoying political as well as business clout. One wonders what Juan Ponce Enrile felt, as his motorcade wound its way to Camp Crame early in July, about his political and commercial aspirations. Surely all the struggle was about a legacy greater than Delimondo canned goods? Looming over Ayala Avenue remains the stump of his unfinished Jaka Center, started 20 years ago as the tallest building in the country. Back then, it was a symbol of the selfmade man, built on the former lot of the Elizalde Building, a symbol of the old tycoons giving way to the new. Now, Enrile has no building, and too many copies of his autobiography—filled with self-made pride, and meant to boost the prospects of his son—are gathering dust in the bookstores

because the book opened up more questions than it answered. What was meant to be at the very least a political exit plan—his serving out his last years in the senate in the company of his son and heir—has been reduced to the son chatting with ANC as he rode in the convoy to deliver his father to detention.

The exit plans that seem to work are those that involve two things: a conscious decision by the one making the exit to leave the scene, and a plan to make sure the heirs are kept from screwing up.

Frederick Law Olmstead, the landscape designer of Central Park, noticed he was not only going senile but developing dementia. He told his sons to take over and take him out of the business. While Olsmtead ended up dying in an insane asylum, the firm he established lasted a hundred years.

The best-laid plans can go awry even if they start off well. Henry Ford had established the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and by 1918 (then only aged 55), he handed over the presidency of the company to his son, Edsel. But Edsel Ford died in 1943, and Henry made a comeback—senile, paranoid, and altogether incapable of running his great corporation.

John D. Rockefeller, the oil tycoon, had his son, John D., Jr., enter the Standard Oil Company in 1897. He left the company in 1910 to focus on philanthropy; when the Standard Oil monopoly was broken up, it ironically resulted in ballooning Rockefeller’s fortune—which he then systematically transferred to his son. John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s fortune then passed into trusts controlled by his five sons. But these Rockefellers ended up feuding, in large part due to the political career of Nelson Rockefeller who at one point became an appointed, and not elected, Vice President of the United States: the Senate hearings for his appointment led Nelson Rockefeller to disclose the full extent of the family fortune, which revealed it was no longer as vast as popularly believed, a reduction of family prestige his brothers found unforgiveable.

Then the third generation faced a revolt from the fourth generation, which persisted until the 1990s, when the fourth and fifth generation of Rockefellers, plentiful in number, shifted from

“wealth preservation” to expanding to new enterprises to keep their individual and family net worth up.

William Randolph Hearst created a trust for his heirs composed of a board of 13: five family members, and the rest executives from his corporations. The trust in turn invests and then makes annual payments to Hearst’s heirs. The trust has been so successful that it has made the transition from the previous to the current century not only intact, but has greatly expanded its value and clout, with 20 percent of ESPN, and the Hearst publications among its crown jewels.

AU GU S T 2014 97

Manuel L. Quezon III ON HEIRS AND EXIT PLANS

Tony Godfrey ON THE PHILIPPINE PAVILION AT VENICE

One wonders what Juan Ponce Enrile felt, as his motorcade wound its way to Camp Crame early in July, about his aspirations.

Surely all the struggle was about a legacy greater than Delimondo canned goods?

Even a notorious attempt by the ex-wife of John Randolph Hearst Jr. to deprive her husband of his fortune (a long time girlfriend who had married him after he had a stroke allegedly proceeded to transfer his assets to herself ), which resulted in a settlement to prevent the case breaking the seal of secrecy on the details of the Hearst Trust imposed after Patty Hearst was kidnapped in 1974 (secrecy was imposed so that other heirs would not become targets), failed to break up the trust.

Unlike the Rockefellers and the Hearsts, other succession plans fail because of the heirs themselves.

Jay Pritzker, founder of the Hyatt hotels fortune, had placed a trio of heirs—including Penny Pritzker, now President Obama’s Secretary of Commerce—in charge of the family trust. Other Pritzker heirs eventually challenged the trio, arguing they were overcompensating themselves at the expense of the other heirs. The result was that Penny Pritzker and the others in charge of the family trust had to basically liquidate the family fortune, and parcel it out among all the heirs— including Penny’s two brothers with whom she stopped being on speaking terms.

The generation of the first Taipans are now in the departure lounge; now part of the establishment, they will face the same succession problems the old mestizo commercial families faced. And what is true for business applies to politics, as well: the current era of reform ends in 2016.

To the delight of those who find it inconvenient, there is the prospect of a return to the old ways after that (enter Madame Marcos, complete with flower tiara, proclaiming the presidentiability of her son); and to those who feel it’s meant something, there is the horrifying prospect of the reforms being rolled back.

At the back of everyone’s mind, then, is this: is there an exit plan two years hence?

98 AU GU S T 2014

Great Expectations In 2015, the Philippines will be making its first appearance at the Venice Biennale since 1964. As controversy swirls, a former Sotheby’s Institute director asks: is the country ready? What kind of statement will we make?

L

ast year, I wrote a short article on what the Philippine Pavilion at the Venice Biennale might be like for Hong Kong-based art magazine Pipeline. To my considerable surprise a few months later in March, a press release arrived in my email detailing that such a thing was really going to happen in the next year’s Biennale. To be specific, we were informed that “an international contemporary art historian Pearlie Rose S. Baluyut, PhD” (whom none of us had ever heard of ), would be the curator, though the artists would be selected by “a panel of five acclaimed local and international art professionals.”

We were told in the gruesomely constipated language of contemporary academese that “the ex-

hibition entitled ‘Heterot(r)opic’ revolves around the concept of the Philippines as a tropical heterotopia, a real space of crises where utopia—the myth of civilization and the project of progress— is simultaneously represented, negotiated, and/or subverted. Emerging from the desire to explore, problematize, and understand the political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental contexts of the late 20th century up to the 21st century that engendered both the development and devastation of the nation and the gathering and dispersal of its people through contemporary visual practice . . . etc. etc.”

Since then there have been only rumors including, for example, that despite the offer of a

BARBARA ZANON; MARCO SECCHI/GETTY IMAGES

week’s island holiday, the foreign advisors have resigned, that Rosie Baluyut has resigned, that it isn’t happening, that it is happening. As I can get no response from the NCCA who have taken the project over from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Cultural Diplomacy Unit, I can’t give any definite news. Sorry!

However, first things first, why, you may ask, should one enter the Venice Biennale? Because it is the most important venue to show your nation’s art; comparisons with the Olympics or United Nations are often made. There are many good artists in Philippines who deserve exhibitions and sales abroad, so it is an “export industry,” also it is a form of soft power, giving the world a good sense of your skills and culture.

But it is an expensive business. On average, the participation at Venice has cost Singapore about $640,000 with the bulk of the money going toward venue rental (approx. $200,000), artwork production ($160,000+) and logistics: equipment rental, space retrofitting, freight and handling, installation/de-installation, etc. (approximately $120,000). The rest of it goes to a local agent/

handler, marketing and publicity, insurance, travel costs, and the like. So if you are going to do it, better get it right!

I had suggested in my previous article that national pavilions only really worked if the space is given over to one artist: it makes a clear statement, and that is what is needed to get attention. It has to look both good and different, unlike the only previous Philippine Pavilion in 1964 when Purita Kalaw-Ledesma and Amadis Ma. Guerrero, in the book, The Struggle for Philippine Art, lamented that “Our entries did not have originality. . . . Joya, for example, may have been an outstanding painter in this country, but in the Venice Biennale he was just one of many.”

There is pressure to do a show of many artists—it seems more democratic, everyone on the committee has their favored artist, etc. But the Indonesian Pavilion last year was a flop: six disparate artists with the lighting kept very dim to hide their disconnection. China can’t get it right either. You can see why: As a Chinese friend said, “How could one artist represent a country as big as China? The pressure would be too much!”

However, the USA has done just that for the last 14 biennales, and the UK for the last 16. One artist only! Both of them are sticking to one artist in 2015. Smaller countries with focused strategies do the same: Ireland, Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, New Zealand. They have chosen artists generally in late 30s or 40s who have established a voice or profile but are still hungry. Choosing senior artists as rewards for past services is seen as the prerogative of tired oligarchies like Latin American states in the 80s.

How to choose that artist? In UK and Singa-

PAVILIONS OF DREAMS

Left to right: The work of Tino Sehgal at the Central Pavilion during the official opening of 2013 Venice Biennale; the interior of the British Pavillion in 2011.

pore there is a lot of informal polling in advance to see what the consensus amongst the art community is. You choose well in advance so the artists can make something special or else you choose an artist whose recent work is strong and available. And then, for it is time to be real, you look for sponsors. Much of the costs of putting on exhibitions at the Venice Biennale is sponsored or paid for by commercial galleries or other “interested” parties.

It used to be a joke that in the days when the sculptor Henry Moore was the UK’s No. 1 cultural export the British Council would arrive on Tuesday to install the exhibition, Henry Moore himself would arrive on Wednesday to open the show, and the Marlborough gallery would arrive on Thursday to sell the works.

I hope the Philippine Pavilion happens whatever shape it takes, and I hope that the NCCA commits to participating in the Venice Biennale for several years. That way, you build up a profile, and also that way you build up a store of expertise in the administrators, curators, and young artists sent as invigilators to the exhibition.

I hope also they go in search of a historic building as a temporary pavilion: there are lots of them in Venice, and countries such as Mexico, Ireland, and Singapore have used them to make something extra special.

The Philippine art world has changed. Since the golden days of conferred masters like Amorsolo, Luz, and Ocampo, the entrance of new blood has heralded a steady evolution of the themes and mediums of local art. Still, the legacy and inuence of the masters remain wholly unquestioned, their names now used as adjectives to describe pieces that bear likeness to their own. For Rogue’s seventh annual Art Portfolio, we commissioned six young artists to pay tribute to the undisputed luminaries of Philippine art, creating works that evoke their spirit and style while ushering them into the realm of the modern

ROGUE’S 7th ANNUAL ART PORTFOLIO FEATURING HR. OCAMPO by DEX FERNANDEZ, FERNANDO AMORSOLO by DINA GADIA, ARTURO LUZ by PAOLO LIM, VICENTE MANANSALA by DAN MATUTINA, ANG KIUKOK by PAULINA ORTEGA, JOSÉ JOYA by CARINA SANTOS

H.R. OCAMPO

by DEX FERNANDEZ

M

y mixed-media artwork, Formation of the Scattered Islands, revolves around deconstructing and reconstructing. I wanted the piece to convey a sense of infinity, this idea of being open to endless possibilities. Using Ocampo’s abstract style as inspiration, I concealed some shapes, incorporated my drawings of whimsical characters, and scattered the cut-outs to reveal the striking background. His work is very surreal and very personal, parang walang paki sa surroundings niya. After I created the piece, I appreciated the work of H.R. Ocampo even more. It wasn’t only his style that was years ahead of his contemporaries—it was also his way of thinking.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Dex Fernandez graduated in 2005 with a Fine Arts degree (major in Advertising) from the Technical University of the Philippines. Since 2007, he has been mixing different kinds of media, and in 2012, he unveiled the Garapata Toy Launch in Secret Fresh Gallery. He has completed residency programs at theVermont Studio Centre, Ping Pong Art Space Taiwan, and Lir Art Space in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

This year, he is the recipient of the Asian Cultural Council grant in New York.

Formation of the Scattered Islands (2014) Print on archival paper, ink, acrylic, and neon board; 9 x 12 inches

FERNANDO AMORSOLO

by DINA GADIA

A

part from his portrayals of the pastoral countryside, Amorsolo’s usual subjects are women taking a bath in the river or working bare-breasted in the fields—slightly strange and soft porn. I like his rice field paintings more. His carefully crafted artworks border on kitsch. In Klasik Masterpiece No More!, the collaged text serves not as a visual element but as something to read, as Amorsolo’s works are nothing more than a display of a beautiful picture; while the girl from a Grade Z men’s magazine is used to either complement or counter Amorsolo’s ideals of beauty. Maybe this collage says a lot about why he is considered a master. Is it my lack in skill that I had to resort to defacing a digital reproduction of his work?

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Dina Gadia was born in Pangasinan in 1986 and now lives in Manila. Her manner of displaying art, however, has taken her further. She was shortlisted for the Ateneo Art Awards in Manila in 2012, and in 2013, she had her seventh solo exhibit at the Silverlens Gallery in Singapore.

Klasik Masterpiece No More! (2014) Collage and digital print; 9 x 12 inches

ARTURO LUZ

by PAOLO LIM

F

or me, the genius of Arturo Luz is his ability to distill things down to their purest forms, but still fill them with lyricism and a sense of playfulness—in a way that is somehow universal and yet distinctly Filipino. For Strange New Wings, I’ve taken inspiration from his urban landscapes and sculptural murals, using their geometry as the basis for letterforms to transcribe a prayer/poem from a fellow expatriate (obscured by overprinting in the final version), as a message to myself and a friend who recently passed away, which I hope reflects the spirit of Luz’s work.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Paolo Lim is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer from Manila, now living and working in Adelaide, Australia. His work has appeared on t-shirts by Analog Soul, album covers, posters, children’s books, group shows, TimeOut Singapore, Conde Nast Traveler, and the inflight magazines of more small airlines than he knew existed. He is supersteady.org on the web.

Strange New Wings (2014) Two-color screen print on paper; 9 x 12 inches

VICENTE MANANSALA

by DAN MATUTINA

V

icente Manansala and other Filipino National Artists (along with many more awesome creative people) have been sources of inspiration for my illustration work. I like the way he uses shapes, patterns, and colors in his compositions— especially his use of layered transparencies of paint to create lush layers of color. In terms of subject matter, I like how he brings together rural and urban imagery that tell an intriguing story.

For Manansala’s painting, entitled Kalabaw, it is reintroduced as a beast with a burden. Instead of the cityscape passively sitting in the background, it submits its fate on the capacity of the animal to endure. Inspired by Walking City of Archigram’s Ron Herron and the mythic World Turtle, I wanted to show the carabao as a big mass of land carrying a growing city on its back.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Dan Matutina is a designer and illustrator based in the Philippines who loves to mix handmade and digital, clean and dirty, as well as old and modern aesthetics. He combines colors with different textures and shapes to tell a story. In 2013, Matutina was awarded the Art Directors Club Young Guns Award (YG11) and he is also the co-founder of Plus63 Design Co. (plus63. com), a Manila-based design studio. He was born in Tacloban City, Leyte, an island province rich in stories and traditional folklore.

Kalabaw ni Manansala (2014) Digital illustration; 9 x 12 inches

ANG KIUKOK

by PAULINA ORTEGA

I

was first taken by Ang Kiukok in college, while I was studying the works of the great Filipino modernists. What I found most striking was the violence and intensity seen in his work, and the masterful way he manipulated form to draw out these emotions.

Some of my favorite pieces of his are those that depict couples in very intimate moments. There is a tenderness amidst his rigid shapes, a sense of control seen in the deceptive naiveté of his lines, and an illusion of a private world through his colors that I can only hope to have paid tribute to in my piece.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Paulina Ortega is a Filipino designer, illustrator, and art director based in Singapore. Prior to moving, she worked for the advertising agency TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, where she developed campaigns for brands like Samsung and Bench. In 2010, she was nominated for Best Album Packaging in the NU Rock Awards.

She currently works in a boutique creative shop and spends her spare time eating popsicles and pining for shoes.

The Lovers, In Another World (2014) Watercolor; 9 x 12 inches

JOSÉ JOYA

by CARINA SANTOS

M

y best memory of José Joya is seeing his 1964 painting, Hills of Nikko, at the National Museum for the first time as an adult and being completely enraptured by it. I’d known of Joya as an abstract artist, but I was unfamiliar with the bulk of his work. I just had a faint imprint of his work in my head, but this particular piece left a strong impression on me. I don’t normally paint; I mostly work with collages and images, so it was a challenge to think of how to marry both our styles without my work looking helplessly derivative or completely detached from Joya’s. I began with reckless abandon. Instead of enforcing clean lines that delineate one aspect of my work from another, I allowed them to trip over each other and tell a different story than what they were perhaps intended to tell. Joya’s work may be abstract, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t hold their own stories, too.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Carina Santos is an artist and writer who puttered around the Internet for most of her waking life. Presently, she is a Contributing Editor at The Philippine Star’s Supreme and the Design Director for The Manila Review. She has kept several blogs since 2002, which means that she has been talking about herself for 12 years.

She is the granddaughter of the distinguished painter Mauro “Malang” Santos, one of the most iconic Filipino neo-realists of the 20th century.

Red (After Joya) (2014) Mixed media on paper; 9 x 12 inches

MAESTRO

THE WINTER OF THE

A Vicente Manansala painting commanded a small fortune in the 1970s, when giftbearing patrons from far and wide worshipped at the altar of the aging Maestro. Three decades after his death, collector Cora B. Lopa—who was at the master’s bedside when he drew his final breath—demystifies the mercurial genius that was “Mang Enteng”

IT ALL STARTED WHEN A BLACK-AND-WHITE NUDE CAUGHT MY EYE. It was hanging on the wall of an antique shop I frequented in Mabini Street. I asked the shop owner, Henry Cortes, who the artist was and if the painting was for sale. An emphatic but polite “no” was his answer.

The artist was Vicente Manansala.

In the early 1970s, my interests were in antique ceramics and furniture, but not yet in paintings—except for this artwork on the wall, which was unmistakeably love at first sight. I decided I had to have one.

Thus began my search for the artist. It proved difficult because, to my dismay, the galleries that existed then did not carry his works. Only later did I realize why. Collectors were not parting with Manansala’s paintings.

I asked around—antique dealers, friends of friends, anyone who could lead me to the artist.

Then one fine day, with a mutual friend, we got in touch with Rita Ledesma, a dear friend from our Assumption college days and the daughter of the illustrious art patron Purita Kalaw Ledesma. “Enteng?” Rita asked in a tone at once surprised and delighted.

And just like that, we were soon making our regular visits to the Manansala home, a modest bungalow he shared with his wife, Hilda.

The house stood on the gently rolling hills of Binangonan, Rizal. It was a peaceful and quiet community, even humble by suburban Manila standards. But it soon became a Mecca of sorts for art enthusiasts. Most days expensive luxury vehicles braved the dusty, pot-holed roads of the subdivision. Much perplexed at first, it soon dawned on the residents 116 AU GU S T 2014

that their genial neighbor with a grandfatherly mien must be a very important person.

Visitors came daily, counting among them well-known industrialists, well-heeled matrons, patrons of the art, art lovers, and fellow artists. This was the “pilgrimage” that ardent Manansala collectors facetiously referred to but religiously observed—their visits to the artist’s home in the fervent hope that soon they would be the proud owners of a precious and much coveted Manansala painting.

Not to be intimidated by the heavyweights, I and a group of young housewives with a genuine appreciation for the arts struck a cordial friendship with Mang Enteng and Aling Hilda. It was easy to form a warm and lasting relationship with the couple. They were simple, forthright, and had no pretensions. They held on to old-fashioned values which we also shared. As a couple they were twin souls—always sharing a laugh, or giggling at some private joke. It was refreshing to see them together. They gave life to the notion “growing old together.”

Our visits usually started in the morning and extended to lunch where we partook of Aling Hilda’s delicious home-cooked meals, like her to-diefor tapa. A testimony to her cooking skills is the fact that Mang Enteng would only eat food in the house which she prepared. Further proof of Aling Hilda’s talent as a home maker—she sewed the long-sleeved shirts Mang Enteng always wore. No branded shirts for him.

Conversations with Mang Enteng were always lively, free-flowing,

ANOTHER COUNTRY

COURTESY OF ‘MANANSALA’ BY RODOLFO PARAS-PEREZ

Clockwise, from above: After working as an illustrator and graphic artist for Severino Reyes’s Liwayway and Evening News, a 39-year-old Manansala (left) won a UNESCO grant to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Banff, Canada in 1949; with his wife, Hilda, in London; 1974 postcards that he sent from Bonn and London to collectors Tony and Cora Lopa (in one card, he even painted tulips in watercolor); a portrait session with Paulo Frede, owner of the Montmartre cabaret Lapin Agile, once frequented by Picasso and Matisse. Opposite page: A 1974 charcoal nude from the Tony and Cora Lopa Collection. Previous spread: Painting outside 22 Rue des Saules, Paris, 1951.

DURING ONE NUDE PAINTING SESSION IN 1976, MODELED BY A DIAL SHAMPOO MODEL FROM AUSTRALIA, I STOOD THERE SILENTLY HURTING, WHEN—TO MY UTMOST EMBARRASSMENT— TEARS, UNBIDDEN, STARTED TO ROLL DOWN MY CHEEKS.

IN THE FLESH

Above left: Female nude, front view (1976) from the Tony and Cora Lopa Collection. The subject was an Australian model named Judy, who was in Manila for a Dial shampoo commercial. Above right: Female nude, seated, three-quarters front view (1976), a watercolor from the Ricardo and Terry Lopa Collection. Opposite page: Iba’t Ibang Maskara ni Eva (The Many Masks of Eve), a 1978 oil on canvas from the Ricardo and Terry Lopa Collection. Scholars believe the Janus-faced figure in the painting to be Imelda Marcos.

and punctuated with hearty laughter. He had a great sense of humor and always had a ready joke or two which he cracked with relish, laughing the loudest at his own jokes. A man of many interests, he was a great talker and storyteller too. He enjoyed engaging us, the ladies, in light banter but went into serious discussions on politics with the politically inclined. What animated him though was talking for hours with more knowledgeable art aficionados.

Like a true artist, he was a keen observer of the happenings everywhere, in the country and in the world. He had a deep compassion for the poor, rendering them in his canvasses in their destitution, but always with dignity. Any form of injustice angered him. Passionate and emotional, he was moved when stories about the sufferings Ninoy Aquino endured while incarcerated were recounted to him. His 1977 painting, The Prisoner, was an expression of his sympathy and kinship with the lonely prisoner. In the 70s, the international media exposed the abject poverty in Bangladesh, one of the most impoverished countries in the world then. From this dark reality, 118 AU GU S T 2014

Mang Enteng turned out paintings that chronicled the gut-wrenching conditions of the poor. This, I believe, is partly the reason why a number of these paintings with this subject matter came out in this period.

Mang Enteng was a convivial man who took great pleasure in giving surprises. On his 65th birthday on January 22, 1975, my husband Tony and I, together with my in-laws Baby Lopa, Terry Cojuangco Lopa, and Dr. Pepot San Gabriel, joined him for lunch—lunch which stretched to merienda. As we prepared to leave, he excused himself but soon enough was back with a beautiful watercolor landscape painting in his hand. Eyes crinkling with undisguised mirth and in obvious anticipation of a shriek of unfeigned surprise from me, he said, handing me the painting, “For you!”— for being the first to arrive and greet him “Happy Birthday.”

This became a tradition, but soon enough some smart alecks thought of a way to beat everybody else to the head of the line. They would keep watch outside his house from midnight on the eve of his birthday, and at the first signs of stirrings in the house at early dawn—which meant Mang Enteng was already awake—they would then present themselves forthwith as the first greeters and claim the prize.

I discovered this unfair “scheme” because I had been a “victim” of sorts.

It was the day I took my daughter, Rhona, to meet up with her Assumption highschool classmates on their way to the beach for a class outing. That day happened to be Mang Enteng’s birthday, and since it was still early

MOST DAYS, EXPENSIVE VEHICLES BRAVED THE DUSTY, POT T-HOLED ROADS OF BINANGONAN. IT SOON DAWNED ON THE RESIDENTS THAT THEIR GENIAL NEIGHBOR WITH A GRANDFATHERLY MIEN MUST BE A VERY IMPORTANT PERSON. (6:30 a.m.) after I had dropped off ff Rhona, I proceeded to time informing my brothers-in-law Baby Lopa and Pepot NATIONAL TREASURES Binangonan to be the “early bird” to get the prized giveOpposite page, clockwise from San Gabriel about this. We usually went to Binangonan top left: Woman with Catt (1974), away. But it was not to be. When I arrived at his house, together. When Baby and I got there, only one life-size from the Tony and Cora Lopa Mang Enteng met me with an apologetic “Someone came nude pastel was available. A black-and-white one had Collection; Pila sa Bigas (1975), from the Lourdes Lopa-San Gabriel already been promised to Pepot earlier. It was a dilemma ahead of you!” Of course he also said, laughing, that the Collection; Sabungero (1977) and person had parked outside his house since midnight. But I worthy of King Solomon. I felt Mang Enteng would be Woman Sewingg (1980), both from was not laughing. Noting my disappointment and distress, the Tony and Cora Lopa Collection. more inclined to give that exceptional painting to Baby, a he quickly turned to Aling Hilda in an obvious plea for top-notch art collector. I stood there silently hurting and SOS. Aling Hilda, hoping to console me, gave me a large sure to go home empty-handed, when—to my utmost black-and-white nude from her collection. embarrassment—tears, unbidden, started to roll down my cheeks. Clearly The peers of Mang Enteng saw him as a man full of vitality. He disconcerted, Mang Enteng exclaimed, “Cora, sa iyo ito!” (“Cora, this is for manifested an exuberance and a great curiosity in all aspects of life. At the you!”). Baby followed with, “Yes, it’s rightly yours. You only brought me same time, he was a disciplined, no-nonsense artist when it came to his here.” So all’s well that ends well. craft. He did not mince words when aspiring young artists sought him out One time, after a trip to New York and a visit to the MoMA, I shared to critique their works. He emphasized to them the value of hard work to with Mang Enteng my impressions of Andrew Wyeth’s paintings and hone their skills. But there was a soft side to Mang Enteng which I saw how they appealed to me. Perhaps my narration seemed more enthused on several occasions. He was kind, protective of us, even fatherly in a sense. than intended, so that when I said my goodbye, his parting words to me He was sensitive of our feelings, careful not to hurt or disappoint, and were “Gustong-gusto mo ba sii Andrew Wyeth?” (“Do you really like Andrew was ever solicitous.

Wyeth?”) I answered defensively, “He is OK, ‘di ba?”

I remember the time he invited me to come to his nude painting On my next visit, after the customary greetings to him and Aling Hilda, session one Saturday in 1976. He was doing a blond Australian model he went to his table and pulled out a watercolor painting, enitled Big Bear, L.A., and handed it to me. It was an unusual Manansala piece; it showed named Judy, who was in Manila for a Dial shampoo commercial. I lost no

THE CULT OF MANANSAL A The National Artist’s interconnected web of friends and patrons. After his death on August 22, 1981, these closely-knit collectors became trustees of the Friends of Manansala Foundation (FMF). Six members survive, of which only three remain active.

PRISCILLA L. CHIONGBIAN Former Governor of Sarangani; wife of the late Rep. James Chiongbian

ROMAN “JUN” CRUZ JR. Former PAL president; brother of Ambassador J.V. Cruz; passed away in 2001

PURITA KALAW-LEDESMA Art patroness; daughter of statesman Teodoro M. Kalaw; passed away in 2005

BESSIE B. LEGARDA Mother of Sen. Loren Legarda; sister of Cora Lopa; passed away in 1996

CORA B. LOPA Treasurer, FMF; wife of businessman Antonio “Tony” Lopa; sister of Bessie Legarda

MITA B. RUFINO Vice-president, FMF; wife of businessman Antonio “Tony” Rufino

GRETCHEN O. COJUANGCO Wife of businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr.

RICARDO “BABY” LOPA Businessman; husband of the late Terry Cojuangco Lopa; passed away in 1989

MARITESS M. PINEDA President, FMF; wife of businessman Jesus “Susing” Pineda

JUDY ARANETA-ROXAS Mother of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas; wife of the late Sen. Gerry Roxas

AU GU S T 2014 121

HUNTERS AND GATHERERS

Left: Hilda and Enteng Manansala ((standing, third and fourth from leftt) at their Binangonan home in May 1975. Standing, left to right: Lourdes Lopa-San Gabriel, Dr. Pepot San Gabriel, Judy Araneta-Roxas, Baby Lopa. Seated, left to right: Dr. Simuangco, Cora Lopa, Anita Lopa-Vistan, Bessie Legarda. Above: Hilda (extreme right), t nine months after Enteng’s death, on a London holiday in June 1982 with Rhona Lopa, Cora Lopa, Bessie Legarda, and Lucy Cruz (wife of J.V. Cruz, former Ambassador to the Court of St. James). Top: Manansala at his one-man show in December 1979 with friend and collector Ricardo “Baby” Lopa.

a clapboard cottage in the center with trees clustered behind it, while in the foreground, tall grasses drenched gold in the sunlight seemed to sway.

All I could do was gasp, too stunned and incredulous at my sudden good fortune. With an impish grin and eyes twinkling as he savored the moment, he teased, “O, pwede na bangg Andrew Wyeth ito?” (“Can this pass for an Andrew Wyeth?”) And I thought, uh-oh, I had pricked his artist pride to the quick! I love this painting in a special way. He once said he painted not from the head but from the heart. I believe this is one he painted from the heart.

Yes, Mang Enteng took great pleasure in making us, his friends, happy— an endearing trait that made the bonds of friendship stronger, a friendship that held, grew, and lasted through time. He appreciated the joy we exuded, our squeals of delight when we got hold of his works amused him. Be it a drawing, a watercolor, an old pen-and-ink, a study, he gladly handed them 122 AU GU S T 2014

over to us because he could see how happy it made us. Birthdays were always remembered with a gift of a painting complete with an affectionate ff dedication. On the blank page of a birthday card he sent me from London on November 10, 1974, he drew a bouquet of pink tulips in watercolor.

I cherish this memento, one of the many I had kept lovingly and with meticulous care through the years. Truly, collecting Mang Enteng’s works was not only fun and exciting, it was also an adventure. An experience to gladden the heart.

When Mang Enteng came home after undergoing an angiogram at the Stanford University Medical Center in July 1981, he was visibly weakend.

He had suffered ff a stroke during the procedure. Aling Hilda, with palpable sadness, recalled how excited Mang Enteng had been talking about his plans, new ideas crowding his mind, pushing his creativity to the limit. All for naught because his health had severely deteriorated.

ANNAMEE GUTIERREZ

ON THE DAY HE PASSED AWAY, MY SISTER BESSIE LEGARDA AND I KEPT VIGIL AT HIS DEATHBED. IN RESIGNATION, ALING HILDA WHISPERED TO HIM, “MAGPAHINGA KA NA.” IN A MATTER OF MINUTES, MANG ENTENG WAS GONE. A few weeks after his arrival in Manila, he was hospitalized for recurring kidney failure for which he had to undergo dialysis. I made it a point to be with Aling Hilda in those times, making an extra effort to give moral support as did many others. It was an opportunity to show Mang Enteng how he was loved not only for his art but for himself. On the day he passed away, my sister Bessie Legarda and I kept vigil with Aling Hilda in the ICU of the Makati Medical Center. We watched with inexplicable gloom Mang Enteng’s life slowly ebb away. He had been in semi-coma for days but was hanging on. Doctors wondered why. Then Aling Hilda, in resignation and desirous of seeing her husband’s suffering end, approached his bed. She whispered to him, her voice achingly tender, “Enteng, magpahinga ka na. Huwag kang mag-alala sa akin. Maraming nagmamahal sa iyo, aalagaan nila ako.” (“Enteng, you may rest now. Do not worry about me. There are many who love you, they will take care of me.”) In a matter of minutes, Mang Enteng was gone. Although we were choked with emotion, Bessie and I remained dry-eyed because Aling Hilda showed us her formidable strength.

News of Mang Enteng’s untimely death on August 22, 1981 quickly spread, leaving his friends shocked, grieving, and distraught. We took his death as a personal loss. It was doubly painful because, when Mang Enteng passed away at the age of 71, he was not in the twilight of his career but in his full bloom and at the peak of his popularity. It gave us great solace that, as we mourned, so did the nation, which posthumously honored

him with the National Artist award. On August 27, 1981 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Pagdadalamhati (Final Homage) was presented in elaborate rites to honor him. As a National Artist, Manansala joined the ranks of the immortals.

But as his friends, we felt we needed to do more. Out of a sincere sentiment of gratitude for his friendship and of admiration for his artistic achievements, we decided to initiate a fitting and enduring tribute to the artist and the man. We organized the Friends of Manansala Foundation.

Its primary purpose is “the perpetuation of the memory of Vicente Manansala, National Artist, and the safeguarding of his artistic legacy, particularly his art works, against fraudulence and fakery and other forms of misrepresentation which will tend to degrade his legacy.”

To us, his friends and admirers, his paintings that grace the walls of our homes—be it of rural folks caught in the daily grind of human toil, of a mother tenderly rocking her child to sleep in a native duyan, of beggars and barung-barongs, of still-lifes bursting with vibrant colors, of nudes, his ode to the human form, or of his watercolors, delicate and lyrical—are more than just valuable art works. In a sense, they are priceless. They are the repository of treasured memories, they are the heart and soul of Vicente Manansala…consummate artist and well-loved friend.

Sincere thanks to the Friends of Manansala Foundation. Photographs courtesy of Annamee Gutierrez, Lilo Gutierrez, Rodolfo “Odel” Perez Jr., and the Lopa family.

AU GU S T 2014 123

Impossible Symmetry P h o t o g r a p h e d B y S t e v e Ti r o n a / S t y l e d B y Pa m Q u i ñ o n e s Art By Jesse Dr axler

One of the most difficult things for an artist to do is relinquish control. For this month’s cover shoot, photographer Steve Tirona sends his work to Jesse Draxler and stands back as the collage artist he’s never met deconstructs and reconstructs his work. In their ensuing blind collaboration, Nicola Sebastian examines originality, creativity, and art in the era of hyperconnectivity

“I don’t know if this is going to work.”

Steve Tirona tells me over his cocktail, an Old Fashioned, one dark and stormy Monday night.

For the cover shoot of Rogue’s art issue, the photographer is trying something a little different, a collaboration with someone Tirona has never actually met: his name is Jesse Draxler; he’s an artist known for his strikingly haunting collages; and “he lives in Minneapolis, I think.” Tirona is almost sure about that last one. Exactly two emails were exchanged (Hi; Hello) before the collaboration started, a call and answer between two artists who saw in each other’s work—something: a shared line, an overlap in form, a similar shade of darkness. Something they could work with.

Tirona pitched the idea to Rogue. An enthusiastic “Let’s do it!” was their response. They decided to shoot three very different looks (“steering away from what is typically ‘fashion’,” says Tirona) to give Draxler more to work with, and sent the photos off into cyberspace, telling him to go crazy with it. “I just wanted to see how Draxler would mix my photos up,” explains Tirona.

So here is where it gets a little tricky. If there’s anything an artist is afraid to let go of, it’s control. And in hitting send, the reality of his lack of it started to slowly descend on Tirona. “I’ve never done something like this before: just give someone work and wait for it to come back,” the photographer admits. “It’s kind of like a blind collaboration; it’s not like we’re hands-on, working on it side by side—we’re not even in the same country. It’s…interesting.” The whole thing was his idea, of course, but actually doing something is always a little…interesting. “I guess I was looking to see a little more work in progress, but when I saw Jesse’s post on Instagram [of the initial studies], I was like, ‘Okay, this is good, we’re on the same page.’”

Any collaboration is an experiment in trust, and a collaboration conducted over the World Wide Web is an even bigger leap into the dark. “I’m happy,” Tirona nods, finally. “I’m always up for collaborations, especially with people whose work I really admire. You have to trust in that and say, okay, this guy has been doing good work, he knows what he’s doing.” Draxler’s work caught Tirona’s eye when he was doing research on a collage for another project. “It’s the aesthetic. It’s got a little bit of a darker sensibility to it.”

From Jesse Draxler’s end, the feelings were mutual. “Steve’s images are very natural to work with: he’s got great visual lines.” He adds, “It also seems like he studied my work before and played to my strengths while shooting, which makes them all the more fun to work with.”

Draxler works the old-fashioned way: cutting and pasting the images with his own two hands. “Doing editorials such as this, I’ve gained a lot of insight into photography, especially fashion photography,” he shares.

“I have come to see a common thread running through them—certain angles, compositions, some tricks of the trade perhaps. I’m also learning a lot about human anatomy. I’m always looking for a line running through the body, a way that everything is lining up that I can cut to exaggerate, as well as keep a natural, fluid feel to the piece. A logic of sorts.”

The result is portraits that arrest the eye, and also disturb it. Atop a slender neck, two sides of the same face gaze out at the viewer; flowers in full bloom burst out from the crown of a woman’s head; hands and arms disappear from their usual location and reappear elsewhere; the curve of a silhouette suddenly sprouts out into bone or hair or shroud. There’s an elegance to the pieces—mute and violent; the figures seem to tremble even as they flow into their impossible poses. Each image is charged with static, the chaos held together by a tenuous and tactile symmetry.

It’s a curious study of art in the today’s hyperconnected world, where imagery has become the white noise to our minute-to-minute existence, and “everyone,” as Tirona puts it, “is only an email away.” A photographer taking pictures of an anonymous model, to send to an artist an ocean away, who will cut them up, then put them back together, into something wholly different—how many times removed is that, anyway?

In the face of this sensory onslaught, images themselves become defaced, our eyes dulled and tired—more than cancer, perhaps myopia is the true symptom of our time. “It’s very rare these days, to come across something that’s like, holy shit, I’ve never seen anything like that before.

Everything’s been done,” muses Tirona.

Surprise us, we dare the world. Show us something we’ve never seen before.

So what does Steve Tirona’s own eyes look for, when he peers through that viewfinder? “Ghosts . . . mumu,” he jokes.

But if you try to look, really look, at whatever surroundings you find yourself in, you will find them—the hidden, invisible things, the moments that slip by unnoticed. Ghosts. “Like, if you look through that curtain over there,” with a finger he directs my own eyes at the service doorway beside the bar, “look at that table with the piled plates and empty glasses—that could be a still-life right there, you see? Everyone has their own eye, you just have to become attuned.”

Over the many years he’s worked as a photographer for the country’s leading fashion and lifestyle publications, Tirona’s definitely in tune. He paints landscapes out of portrait photography, the subject lost in the scene, only to be found again in an unusual perspective, a startling angle. “It’s all about anticipation, waiting for that right moment to happen. Like sometimes, if at a fashion shoot the model is not giving me what I want, I wait for her to get in that uncomfortable state, in between poses, when

Make-Up By Jen Delica / Hair By Renen Bautista & Lio Javier / Modeled by Yana from Elite floral arrangements by Antonio Garcia of Mabolo / stylist assisted by Katrina Aquino & Melville Sy / special thanks to Xbesitzer

In the face of this sensory onslaught, images themselves become defaced, our eyes dulled and tired—more than cancer, perhaps myopia is the true symptom of our time.

she’s not aware, and that’s when I get the shot. It’s that awkwardness.”

For Jesse Draxler, he sees his own ghosts in the silken sound of scissors sliding through paper. “I sometimes consider the cutting work I do as like a surgeon dissecting a human body, in order to put it back together in some other way that still works. It comes across as grotesque but I enjoy that aspect.”

“My collage work is reactionary—I decide how I want to cut once I see the images. The best work comes naturally. It goes back to the idea of logic I mentioned earlier—when a piece is finished it feels obvious.” His work often involves disfigured human subjects, portraiture that slices through tradition. “I’ve been interested in the idea of anonymity for a long time,” he explains. “It wasn’t a conscious decision, but to subvert the face, which is a focal point in many images, is to get an immediate reaction from the viewer (myself included). Bodies are the most relatable objects in art . . . so to skew how people process the information that makes up a face is to momentarily skew how they perceive themselves, or humans in general.”

Like his collages, art doesn’t only capture experience, it cuts it up, too, making it strange, surprising, new again. “Collage work, to me, is a way to make something mine—a way of claiming visual space. Sometimes I think of myself as a Photoshop filter, or as a vandal, I’m cool with either or both.”

But a question has been tugging at this ongoing conversation since Internet immemorial: where is originality, creativity’s tricky bedfellow, in all of this?

It’s one that Tirona himself finds difficult to answer. “How can you be original? I do believe that everything that anyone creates is original, but subconsciously, half of it could be coming from something else.” He continues: “That’s how the world works now, things are happening so fast.

It’s weird . . . it feels like we’re channeling from the same creative energy.

You’re always thinking, ‘I wish I did it first.’ That’s what originality has come down to, now: if you think of an idea, you can’t sit on it, you’ve got to do it, otherwise someone else is going to.”

“There’s a good and bad side to it. We interpret references in our own way, but what really bothers me is when you try to pass off a blatant copy as your own. There’s an arrogance there, like you think people will accept it because they haven’t been educated to the visual language that you have.

But you’ll know a copy when you see it,” insists Tirona. “Imitation is all about product, not about process,” he explains. “I would like to think that the process is more important than the product. What sucks is when the original thing and the copy get the same reaction, the same result.”

Draxler is less bothered—in fact he’s almost bored. “I might be one of the few people who believe that there is still originality in the world.

If there isn’t, I don’t understand what the hell any of us are doing,” he exclaims, before continuing: “There’s always new shit in the world, things being invented, things still being discovered. So to say nothing is original, even in the arts, is ridiculous. If as a species we have more unanswered questions about existence than we have answers, then the possibility for originality in any aspect of life is endless.”

Surprise us, we dare the world. Perhaps a reply comes from a deep within the void of infinite possibility. Surprise yourself, it whispers back.

Ghost Month is upon us; the only time when change is not just feared, it’s unlucky, if Chinese superstition is to be believed. It’s the worst time for him to do it, but Steve Tirona is leaving. He’s been saying it for a while now, but this time he’s really doing it, moving back to Los Angeles, where he grew up.

“It’s time to leave. I never really gave myself a chance in LA. There’s really good creative energy happening there again,” enthuses Tirona. “I’ve lived in Manila for quite a while. If the challenges aren’t here anymore, I won’t grow and I’ll just get frustrated. I’m just so comfortable here—it’s like a bubble. Where else can you shoot in your tsinelas?” He shakes his head and adds, “It’s funny: every time I’m in Manila I want to get out of here, but every time I’m away I want to come back.”

Maybe the leaving is all part of the process: going away in order to come back, to find something that was lost. Remembering something you had forgotten—that’s a form of surprise, too, isn’t it? “I think that’s why I have to leave sometimes to rediscover the Philippines,” replies Tirona.

“I think about images that I never took a photo of, but always see in my head. These images only come to me when I’m away.”

A common thread can now be seen, almost invisible in the shadowy light, a line running from one artist’s work to the other’s, stretching out into the endless horizon. For Mr. Tirona, it is the space for silence, for the unseen. “You have to leave space for people’s imagination, for them to draw their own meaning and ask their own questions,” he says, unwilling to dissect his photography, “That’s the whole point.” For Mr. Draxler, it’s the questions themselves. “I spend most of my time thinking about the unknown and unanswerable, and trying to come to terms with the uncertainty,” he reveals. “Everything is beautiful in its way, but also incredibly fucked up. I attempt to capture this awkward, alien feeling, the subsequent absurdity, and the beauty of it all in my work—the clunkiness of the human condition.”

It is that awkward edge, between us and the great unknown, where ghosts and questions without answers dwell, a space so uncomfortable that the only thing worse is to not see, not ask, not feel—not exist— at all.

See Shoplist on Page 154 for clothing credits

the

LAST US of

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARK NICDAO STYLED BY PAM QUIÑONES

ON ADRIEL: SAINT LAURENT KNITTED ROBE, MANGO FUR JACKET, CALL IT SPRING SHOES, VINTAGE MILITARY JACKET

ON YANA: CAVALLI DRESS ON UGNE: BURBERRY TRENCH COAT, CELINE BUTTON-DOWN SHIRT, MADE BY NIKI TASSLED BRA, CELINE PEPLUM BELT, ACNE DRAWSTRING PANTS, CHLOEÂ BOOTS. ON GONZALO: ZARA WHITE SHIRT, SAINT LAURENT LEATHER JACKET, ACNE JEANS. ON ITALO: TOPMAN SUSPENDERS, TM LEWIN PINSTRIPE TROUSERS, RENAN PACSON SHOES. ON ELENA: RAJO LAUREL RED CAPE. ON FABI: RAJO LAUREL COUTURE ARCHIVES DRESS. ON ADRIEL: GAP STRIPED SCARF, VINTAGE BLACK LEATHER AND MILITARY JACKETS, VIVIENNE WESTWOOD PLAID SCARF, TOPMAN TARTAN SHIRT, PUMA SOCKS, ALDO SHOES.ON TIAGO: LORD VIKTOR LEATHER JACKET, ZARA TROUSERS, CALL IT SPRING ARGYLE SOCKS.

136 AU GU S T 2014

ON NICOLAS: RENAN PACSON CAPE AND SHORTS, TOPSHOP LEGGINGS, ALDO SHOES. OPPOSITE PAGE: CELINE LEATHER CROPPED TOP, GAP CROPPED BOYFRIEND JEANS

ON TIAGO: RENAN PACSON PRINTED TOP AND SHORTS. ON YANA: ATSUKO KUDO LATEX BRA, LATEX BELT AND LATEX PENCIL SKIRT, LANVIN FUR JACKET ON CONNOR: MANGO JACKET AND TROUSERS. ON NICOLAS: TM LEWIN PINSTRIPE JACKET, JEROME LORICO SHORTS.

ON TIAGO: LORD VIKTOR MOTORCYCLE JACKET, ACNE SHORTS, UNA BURKE CORSET, ALDO SOCKS AND SHOES, BEVERLY KHO CROWN. OPPOSITE PAGE, ON FABI: RAJO LAUREL COUTURE ARCHIVES DRESS, VINTAGE FEATHER HEADPIECE

ON NICOLAS: TM LEWIN PINSTRIPE JACKET, JEROME LORICO SHORTS. ON ELENA: BEVERLY MOON HEADPIECE, CHLOE LONGSLEEVES TOP, VERSACE DRESS, & OTHER STORY JACKET, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN BOOTS, GIANVITTO ROSSI BOOTS

ON ITALO: RENAN PACSON JACKET, TROUSERS AND SANDALS, ZARA TRENCH COAT. ON UGNE: ALTUZARA JACKET, ALEXANDER WANG CROPPED TOP IN BEIGE. ON NICOLAS: RENAN PACSON CAPE AND SHORTS, TOPSHOP LEGGINGS, ALDO SHOES. ON TIAGO: VINTAGE PONCHO AND ROBE, ZARA TROUSERS AND HAT, DRIES VAN NOTEN NECKTIE, RENAN PACSON SANDALS. ON ADRIEL: SAINT LAURENT KNITTED ROBE, MANGO FUR JACKET, CALL IT SPRING SHOES, VINTAGE MILITARY JACKET. ON FAR RIGHT: CÉLINE LEATHER CROP TOP AND GAP BOYFRIEND JEANS

AU G U S T 2 0 14 / I S S U E 7 9

THE ROGUE ARENA Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

Mad for Garlik The Bistro Group’s Krazy Garlik (2/F, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati), a restaurant that proudly uses garlic as a central ingredient in its dishes, has expanded its Greenbelt 5 menu. The first of its four branches recently extended its dining area out onto the patio, and to complement the expansion they launched an exclusive bar menu called “Eat Me, Drink Me”—a concept that goes hand in hand with the restaurant’s Alice in Wonderland-themed interiors. Their menu includes cheese balls, sriracha shrimps, and chicken lollies, while their drinks menu serves up signature Krazy Garlik cocktails.

Life in Technicolor Though today’s fashion market is dominated by enticing but short-lived trends, the classics never run out of steam. This has always been the driving principle of Ellesse (2/F, New Wing, Alabang Town Center; C1, Upper Ground, Bonifacio High Street Central), the world-renowned heritage brand that has its roots in quality sportswear and casual wear.

For their Summer 2014 collection, the brand set out to prove that sophisticated style can be just as fresh and exciting as the latest fashion craze. The wide color spectrum was the collection’s focal point, with the men and women’s lines divided between an array of vibrantly colored pieces and black and white polo shirts.

Reimagining Manila Bay In hopes of capturing Manila Bay’s heritage and timeless beauty, Anchor Land (anchorland.com.ph) held a nationwide photo competition entitled “Iconic Impressions: The Manila Bay Photography Contest.”

On the Awards Night, the 16 winners were able to showcase their work, recognized for their high aesthetic value and visual appeal. While the photo contest successfully captured the true essence of Manila Bay, the event also perfectly highlighted two of Anchor Land’s landmark developments—the Admiral Baysuites and the Admiral Boutique Hotel—while also calling attention to Anchor Land’s up and coming Admiral Boutique Hotel, the country’s first 5-star boutique hotel, set to open in 2016.

AU G U S T 2 0 14 / I S S U E 7 9

THE ROGUE ARENA Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

Katherine Tan and Kevin Tan

Lorenzo Tan, Jose Pardo and Cesar Purisima

Megaworld chairman and CEO Dr. Andrew L. Tan presents the first copy of the Chronicles of Visions to President Benigno S. Aquino III

Building Blocks

Megaworld visionary Emmanuel Mendoza and Anna Claudine David

UK Trade and Investment director Iain Mansfield and Kendrick Andrew Tan

Atty. Arnel Casanova, DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson, Senator Franklin Drilon and Architect William Coscolluela

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Megaworld (megaworldcorp.com), the Philippines’ leading property developer, treated Manila’s high society, business community, media moguls, and various Megaworld partners to a night of glamor and world-class entertainment at the Marriott Hotel Manila in Newport City.

Guests were regaled with performances by Lea Salonga and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, to name a few, as well as with a five-course dinner that drew inspiration from the various countries that have influenced Megawold’s developments. The event also saw the launch of the commemorative coffee table book Chronicles of Visions, which tells the stories of the individuals who found homes in Megaworld’s townships and transformed their visions into successful realities. Counted among these visionaries are British Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Asif Ahmad, Bench owner Ben Chan, and RCBC president Lorenzo Tan. In attendance was His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III, the event’s guest of honor, who paid tribute to the man of the night, Megaworld Chairman and CEO Dr. Andrew L. Tan.

AU G U S T 2 0 14 / I S S U E 7 9

THE ROGUE ARENA Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

Like Clockwork Audemars Piguet (audemarspiguet.com) has made a name for itself by creating timeless watches that marry style and innovation. When they launched the Royal Oak Offshore luxury watch back in 1993, its octagonal stainless-steel facets set the oversized timepiece trend into motion and shook up the otherwise conservative luxury watch scene. This year, true to their forward-thinking spirit, Audemars Piguet is launching the 26470 Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Collection, comprising six new iterations of their iconic timepiece. In terms of interiors, the watches remain mechanically traditional, but their designs have been reimagined to give them a contemporary feel.

The collection thus caters to both longtime fans and newcomers alike, embodying the Audemars Piguet’s motto, “to break the rules, you must first master them.”

Thrill Seeker’s Paradise Cebu visitors will now be treated to a more active vacation experience with Shangri-La Mactan’s Resort & Spa’s (shangri-la.com/cebu/mactanresort) new recreational facilities—the Jogging Trail and Zipline Park. The Jogging Trail is open daily and is a complementary amenity to in-house guests. Its scenic trail sprawls across 400 meters of refreshing greenery, making it difficult for even the most languorous of guests to say no to a scenic walk or jog around the resort.

Guests can also make use of the various training stations found throughout the trail, from the zigzag balance walk to the stair stepper. For the more adventurous, the Zipline Park is the perfect activity. The resort’s zipline is 40 feet above ground, providing guests with spectacular views of the Mactan Channel as they zigzag their way down the 80-meter stretch.

AU G U S T 2 0 14 / I S S U E 7 9

THE ROGUE ARENA Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

TA K I NG F LIGH T “The country’s party scene has always been vibrant and there’s always the challenge of stepping up the game,” says Timo Roxas-Chua, the managing director of Raven Boutique Club (Penthouse, W Fifth Building, 32nd St. corner 5th Avenue, BGC, Taguig), the latest addition to Manila’s club scene. “With Raven, we intend to bring in something fresh by introducing the country to parties of international scale.” True enough, Raven has proven that it is a cut above the rest, exuding an air of sophistication and exclusivity unmatched by other nightclubs.

The upper crust of Manila’s social circuit witnessed this firsthand at the club’s private soft launch, which was kicked off by a fashion show exhibiting the work of Manila’s Eric Delos Santos, Arnold Galang, and Proudrace, as well as clothing from international brand Guess. The show was followed by the music of DJ Nix Damn P., then by a surprise performance from hit Swedish electronic dance duo Icona Pop. The clubs of Manila comprise a precarious, ever-shifting scene, but every so often there is one establishment that stands out from the rest.

For the current partygoers, they will find this at Raven.

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THE ROGUE INDEX A scan of movers and shakers, in and about town

THE DREAMWEAVER As the Business Unit head of 128 Dream Corp, veteran marketer Jeff Paulino proves that collaboration supersedes competition in this cutthroat world Having worked in the marketing field for 14 years, from the tobacco to the apparel industry, Jeff Paulino, Business Unit Head of 128 Dream Corp, knows that apart from providing excellent products, customer care is paramount for a successful brand. “The objective is to make customers feel good about your brand, to make them love your brand enough to tell all their friends and family; and most importantly, to trust your brand,” according to Paulino.

Hence, it’s no surprise that Paulino has been entrusted to manage our most well-loved high-end brands such as Cole Haan, Versace Jeans, Massimo Bonini, GBX, and L.K. Bennet.

Apart from customers, Paulino fosters a tightly-knit working relationship with his team members, creating the right amount of synergy needed for a successful brand. “I harness the expertise of each of our team members in various departments; develop the strengths of each individual member and ensure that everyone works together as a unit to build locally the international brands placed under our stewardship.” With a well-managed team, there’s much to expect for these brands for the coming months. “We are looking forward to announcing new things that are happening for Cole Haan in the next few months, to strengthening the Italian footwear and accessories retail concept of Massimo Bonini, Versace and Versace Jeans locally, and to further developing BRIC’S luggage,” Paulino shares, proving to us that he not only actualizes but also creates the dream.

Au g u s t 2 0 1 4

SHOP LIST Where to buy the products featured in this issue

PAGE 77 Marc by Marc Jacobs Doodle Print Scarf (P7,250); G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City; G/F Edsa Shangri-La East Wing, Mandaluyong City. A.P.C. Safari Shirt (P6,498); Hoodwink, UG/F SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

PAGE 78 Jaspal Woman Printed Shirt (P2,950) and Woman Polka Dot Shirt (P2,650); Adora, 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City.

PAGE 79 Pierre Hardy shoes (P52,298); Univers, G/F One Rockwell East Tower, Makati City.

Steve Madden Shoes (Price upon request); stevemadden.com.

PAGE 80 AMI Black and White Zigzag/Zebra Pants (P16,498), Lazy Oaf Join The Dots Shirt “Nothing Special” (P3,098) and Shark Shirt (P6,398); all from Hoodwink, UG/F SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

IMPOSSIBLE SYMMETERY, PAGE 124 PAGE 125 Ica Serafica Piña Cocktail Dress (P10,000); 09279727741, icaserafica.com. Melville Sy Cover-up (P8,000); 09178941890.

PAGE 126 Louis Vuitton Dress (Price available upon request); G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Avenue, Makati; 7560637.

PAGE 127 Jun Jun Ablaza Laurel Headpiece (Price available upon request); 09175296575.

Ica Serafica Inner Top With White Collar (P5,000); 09279727741, icaserafica.com. Louis Vuitton Dress and Shoes (Prices available upon request); G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Avenue, Makati; 7560637.

PAGE 128 Ica Serafica Inner Top With White Collar (P5,000); 09279727741, icaserafica.com. Louis Vuitton Dress (Price available upon request); G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Avenue, Makati; 7560637.

Tom Ford Shoes; Stylist’s own.

PAGE 129 Rica Rico Velvet Dress (P7,000); 09178377422, ricaricodesigns.com. Melville Sy Cover-up (P8,000); 09178941890. Louis Vuitton Dress (Price available upon request); G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Avenue, Makati; 7560637.

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PAGE 130 Rica Rico Velvet Dress (P7,000); 09178377422, ricaricodesigns.com. Tom Ford Shoes; Stylist’s own.

PAGE 131 Jun Jun Ablaza Laurel Headpiece (Price available upon request); 09175296575.

Ica Serafica Inner Top With White Collar (P5,000); 09279727741, icaserafica.com. Louis Vuitton Dress and Shoes (Prices available upon request); G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Avenue, Makati; 7560637.

All still lives and bones from Xbesitzer (178 Mabini St., Brgy. Addition Hills, San Juan; 09153805172 Flowers from Mabolo (2295 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City; 8935689 OUT OF PRINT, PAGE 75 PAGE 75 Lazy Oaf Worm Farm L/S Shirt Cora (P5,198); Hoodwink, UG/F SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

PAGE 76 Maison Martin Margiela Shoes (P27,998); Univers, G/F One Rockwell East Tower, Makati City. Eytys Purple-Triangle Shoes (P7,798), Volta Footwear (P9,498); both from Hoodwink, UG/F SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

NOW, VOYAGER, PAGE 86 Vitra Airport Seating (Price Available Upon Request); Mezzanine, Citibank Center Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati; 817-0886; cwcindustries.com.

THE LAST OF US, PAGE 134 PAGE 134 Saint Laurent Knitted Robe; G/F East Wing, ShangriLa Plaza Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard. Mango Fur Jacket; G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Call It Spring Shoes; Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati.

PAGE 136 Gap Striped Scarf, Vintage Black Leather, and Military jackets; Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati. Vivienne Westwood Plaid Scarf; viviennewestwood.com.

Topman Tartan Shirt; 2/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati. Puma Socks; 11th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Aldo Shoes; G/F, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Helmut Lang Turban; helmutlang. com. Acne Sleeveless Top and Drawstring Pants; Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA cor.

Shaw Boulevard. Topman Suspenders; 2/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati. T.M. Lewin Pinstripe

com. Lord Viktor Leather Jacket. Zara Trousers; G/F Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati. Call It Spring Argyle Socks; Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati. Aldo Shoes; G/F, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Junya Watanabe Leather Jacket; Comme des Garcons, One Rockwell East Tower, Makati. Rajo Laurel Red Cape; 6013 Villena cor. Mañalac Sts., Poblacion Makati. Versace Boots; versace,com. Burberry Trench Coat; G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.

Celine Button-down Shirt and Peplum Belt; Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard. Chloe Boots; Adora, 3/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Made by Niki Tassled Bra; madebyniki.co.uk.

PAGE 137 Renan Pacson Cape and Shorts www.renanpacson. com. Topshop Leggings; 2/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati. Aldo Shoes; G/F, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Celine leather cropped top; Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard. Gap Cropped Boyfriend Jeans; Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati.

PAGE 139 Renan Pacson Printed Top and Shorts; renanpacson. com. Mango Jacket and Trousers; G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. T.M. Lewin Pinstripe Jacket and Pinstripe Trousers; 2/F SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Jerome Lorico Shorts; jeromelorico.com. Atsuko Kudo Latex Bra, Latex Belt, and Latex Pencil Skirt; atsukokudo.com Lanvin Fur Jacket; Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard.

PAGE 140 Lord Viktor Motorcycle Jacket; Acne Shorts; Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard.

Una Burke Corset; unaburke.com. Aldo Socks and Shoes; G/F, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Rajo Laurel Couture Archives Dress; 6013 Villena cor.

Mañalac Sts., Poblacion Makati City.

PAGE 142 T.M. Lewin Pinstripe Jacket; 2/F SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Jerome Lorico Shorts; www.jeromelorico.com. Beverly Moon headpiece; beverlymoon.yolasite.com. Chloe Longsleeves Top; Adora, 3/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Versace Dress; versace,com. & Other Stories Jacket; stories.com. Alexander McQueen Boots; alexandermcqueen.com. Gianvito Rossi boots; gianvitorossi.com.

PAGE 144 Renan Pacson jacket, trousers, sandals, cape and shorts; renanpacson.com. Zara Trench Coat, Trousers, and Hat; G/F Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati. Topshop Leggings; 2/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati. Aldo Shoes; G/F, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Dries Van Noten Necktie; Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA cor.

Shaw Boulevard. Saint Laurent Knitted Robe; G/F East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard. Mango Fur Jacket; G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Call It Spring Shoes; Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati. Altuzarra Jacket; altuzarra. com. Alexander Wang Cropped Top in beige; Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA cor.

Shaw Boulevard.

All prices available upon request.

Au g u s t 2 0 14

FAMOUS ROGUE “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”

FRIDA KAHLO delighted in flouting convention. In an era when no one batted an eyelash if women chose domesticity over ambition, Kahlo was not only an artist, she was an overindulgent drinker, Communist, and bisexual adulteress. When poor health forced her to abandon plans of going into medicine, she turned toward the arts. She turned up at the workplace of one of Mexico's famous painters, Diego Rivera, with her paintings in tow, demanding that he review them. What followed was their tempestuous marriage and mutual infidelity, the fuel of much of her future art. Today, her fierce independence and defiance of social and beauty norms have made her a feminist icon, but it’s her self-portraits that are the source of her enduring fame. Her pieces are powerful and unflinching in their portrayals of sex, physical limitation, and her own unshakable brand of female sensibility. She was loath to accept the label of “surrealist” and her title as feminist is contentious, and though this year marks the 60th anniversary of her death, it’s no easier to neatly tuck her into a category than it was during her lifetime—but it would seem that Kahlo would prefer it that way.

LOLA ÁLVAREZ BRAVO /COURTESY OF MUSEO FRIDA KAHLO

FRIDA KAHLO, painter