This week in arts and culture

What you might have missed and what’s still to come, including Filipino performers in Singapore, national artists at Shang mall, and the opening of a socially-conscious film festival.

Art at the Shang presents the Saturday Group of Artists

July 14-26, Shangri-La Plaza Atrium

Celebrating 42 years of art, the Saturday Group of Artists is presenting a two-week-long exhibit at the Shangri-La Plaza.

“The Philippines’ premiere art group, boasting of seven National Artists in its lengthy roster of talented painters, gathers another show of force in the much-awaited anniversary exhibition,” reported Artepinas.

“With their depiction of abstracts, still lifes, flowers, landscapes, nudes and mother and child themes, The Saturday Group has held fast to its tradition of excellence, harkening to the Filipino Masters of the past while encouraging creative development in its growing roster of career and emerging contemporary artists,” the blog added. “This year is a revelation of sorts as each artist is given a panel to showcase his or her best work, whether in watercolors, pastels, acrylics, oils or mixed media. There are no restrictions other than the uniform size of the display panels.”

The idea of placing an exhibit in plain sight of the Shangri-la mall visitors was deliberate, Artepinas added.

“By exposing their creative process to the mall-going public, the group promotes the appreciation of Philippine art,” it said.

Included in the exhibit are works by: Hermes Alegre, Vic Bachoco, Gerrico Blanco, William Cadag, Ross Capili, Caña, Myra Caymar, Salvador Ching, Convocar, Nida Cranbourne, Cris Cruz, Mhara Cruz, Anna De Leon, Robert Deniega, Edgar Doctor, Caloy Gabuco, Jaime Gubaton, Ding Hidalgo, Martin Honasan, Ben Infante, Malang, Nik Masangkay, Norlie Meimban, Francis Nacion, Roel Obemio, Carlo Ongchangco, Keith Paras, Tessie Picaña, Omi Reyes, Jun Rocha, Roma, Jonah Salvosa, Aner Sebastian, Fernando Sena, Ojing Señara, Bing Siochi, Sheila Tiangco, Andy Urag, Lydia Velasco, Joseph Villamar, Migs Villanueva and Inna Vitasa.

The exhibit will run from July 14 to 26 at the Shangri-La Plaza Atrium. Photos of the exhibit can be found on the blog manila, you're not that ugly.

(No)Bleeding Hearts Club takes over the National Museum of Singapore

July 16, National Museum of Singapore, Glass Atrium, Level 2

Green Papaya Art Projects’ (No)Bleeding Hearts Club showcased a series of artistic performances at the National Museum of Singapore as part of Night Festival 2010.

According to the museum’s website, “A non-media based platform aiming for critical exchange via cross-disciplinary performances, installations, interventions, tactical encounters and temporary utopias, (No)Bleed draws inspiration from loose, street-level insider complicities and grass-roots oriented attitude that provides a non-mainstream approach to public engagement, interaction and dialogue.”

(No)Bleed featured a performance from Radioactive Sago Project, fronted by award-winning poet Lourd de Veyra and musical improv with Tad Ermitaño, synthesist and composer Malek Lopez, DJ/MPC virtuoso Caliph8 and the Nasal Police’s Ria Muñoz.

Dance artist Jose Jay Cruz presented Contemporary Corpo-Reality.08: Ode to Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag, which hearkens back to the 1975 Lino Brocka movie ‘Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag.’ The performance “[aims] to capture the necessity of human consciousness to see the world as a big picture, as a requirement to understand the complexity of the reality we are in.”

Film-maker Khavn de la Cruz also played acoustic piano to accompany one of his own films. “Though acclaimed as the enfant terrible of Philippine digital cinema, his participation re-enforces (No)Bleed as a non-media based and cross-disciplinary platform operating from an open and broad spectrum of curating,” says the museum’s website.

24-Hour Comic Book Challenge

July 17-18

As a prelude to the upcoming 2010 Philippine International Cartoons, Comics and Animation (PICCA) Festival, various comic-book makers were invited to join the 2^nd 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge.

Presented by PICCA and www.JonasDiego.com, and sponsored by Comic Odyssey, Espresso Comics and media partner Philippine Online Chronicles, the “idea [was] simple enough: 24 comic book pages in 24 hours.”

The challenge began at 9:00am on July 17 and ended at the same hour on July 18. In addition to racing to complete 24 pages of comics over the span of a single day, participants also compete for Best Story and Best Art as judged by comics mavens Gerry Alanguilan, Elbert Or and Bobby Yonzon.

The completed comics can be viewed here. Only the top 10 comics with the highest page views will be considered for the Best Story and Best Art awards.

Active Vista Film Festival starts next week

July 20-December 10, starts at Shangri-la Mall

The Active Vista Film Festival begins on Tuesday at Shangri-la Mall before moving on to 16 other cities nationwide.

“The Active Vista Film Festival is an avenue to promote a vision of society that respects, upholds and values the dignity, rights and freedom of its people,” says the festival’s website. “[It] challenges to define a spectrum in the use of cinema as a powerful tool in shaping the consciousness of a new generation into the importance of knowing and understanding human rights as an integral foundation of responsible citizenship and nation building.”

“Active Vista aspires to bring its audience to this understanding through the cinematic experience itself – the ability of cinema to convey a thousand meanings with a single visual imagery,” it adds.

The festival will feature a wide array of full-length feature films, some of which have been previously screened at local and international film festivals. These include Pisay by Auraeus Solito, Kamoteng Kahoy by Maryo J. delos Reyes, Engkwentro by Pepe Diokno, Orapronobis by Lino Brocka, Insiang also by Brocka, Jay by Francis Xavier Passion, Latus by John Paul Seniel, Tribu by Jim Libiran, Bayani by Raymond Red, Lupang Hinarang by Ditsi Carolino, Burma VJ by Anders Ostergaard, Brutus by Tara Illenberger, Butterflies Have No Memories by Lav Diaz, Palawan: Voices from the Last Frontier by Dr. Dario Novellino, Manoro by Brillante Mendoza, Kinatay also by Mendoza, Ploning by Dante Nico Garcia, My Fake American Accent by Ned Trespeces, Hospital Boat by Arnel Mardoquio, Dinig Sana Kita by Mike Sandejas, Ang Daan Patungong Kalimugtong by Dino Manrique, Last Supper No. 3 by Veronica Velasco, Wanted Border by Ray Gibraltar.

The festival will also feature 10 short films and two animated features. A complete screening schedule can be found here.

The Banana Gangbang Rock Festival 2

July 23, 8:00pm, Mooters Bar, 88 Meralco Ave., cor J. Vargas

The Man Blog and FatJack Productions present The Banana Gangbang Rock Festival 2: For The Second Time Around Again!

Performers include Giniling Festival, Sugar Hiccup, Lose Your Beer Belly, Don't Bogart The Can... Man!, The Strangeness, K Wasabi, Mike Test 1, 2, 1, 2, Faultt and Indelible.

Admission is free.

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Banana Gangbang poster was made by Larry.

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