Photos by Patricia Kayle Cornelio, John Kurt Rebustes and Ruzel John Colares
Published by: John Kurt Gabriel Reyes
Date Published: April 1, 2024
Time Published: 4:56 PM
The Tourism, Culture, and Arts Department of Muntinlupa City once again held a three-day "Muntinlupa Art Fair" (MAF) under the theme "Ani ng Sining, Bayang Malikhain." The MAF was held in line with the city's celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Museo ng Muntinlupa, the 29th Cityhood Anniversary, and National Arts Month on March 21 to 23, 2024.
It was attended by aspiring teachers and students from many different schools in Muntinlupa, city counselors, art critics, several journalists, and the general public interested in the arts industry.
MuntinlupeΓ±os didn't miss the opportunity to attend the event, as local artists were present to showcase their crafts and wanted them to be open-minded in understanding different art forms.
THE BRUSHSTROKES OF CULTURE
In the opening of the event on Thursday, March 21, the Elite Pioneers, a successful group of dancers that originated in Muntinlupa City, executed a dazzling dance performance in the main Lobby of the Museo ng Muntinlupa. This performance was followed by an opening remark delivered by Muntinlupa City Mayor Rufino B. Biazon.
"Maaring tayo ay economically developed, progressive- pero kung wala namang arts, wala pong culture. Nagbibigay ng kulay sa ating buhay ang arts at culture, kaya pahalagahan at isulong natin sa Muntinlupa," he said in his speech, emphasizing the importance of both arts and creativity in our culture.
Following the speech of Mayor Biazon, the first day of the event continued with the amazing sculpture workshop conducted by Ms. Charming Baldemor, Govinda Sanglay's kulintang performance, and the opening of Maestro Rogelio Orobia's solo art exhibition is the main highlights of the day and ended with great success.
YOUR DANCE, YOUR STORY
After the successful first day of the event, the Muntinlupa Art Fair proceeded on its second day of celebration on Friday, March 22, The event's second day focused on expressing the importance of modern, cultural, and theatrical dance by inviting guest speakers and performers with unwavering passion and Love for dancing.
In the morning session of the second-day event, Hampton Court Ballet School graced the stage with its elegant and breathtaking ballet performance, which earned amazement and a round of applause from the audience.
This was followed by an "artist talk“ about modern, cultural, and theatrical dance. The guest speakers were Ms. Erica Feliz Marquez-Jacinto, Mr. Johny S. Abultra, and Mr. Jet Medina. The talk is mostly about their stories and what they went through as dancers.
Ms. Jacinto shared that she started ballet very late, at the age of 13, and many people lost interest in her because they believed she wouldn't succeed in her career. On the other hand, Mr. Albutra encountered problems such as a lack of time and financial capability while pursuing dance and was also bullied for not growing in cities.
A viewing of the short film "Kwatro Kanto“ by Sulong Production and directed by Ramon Gamay Jr. was held in the theater of the Museo ng Muntinlupa. The movie was about four male friends who haven't seen each other in a long time. It showcased how people will naturally remember the times when they were still young and had no problems in life.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF A FILM PRODUCTION AND A GOOD FILM
The event concluded its last day on Saturday, March 23, with a productive artist talk with passionate film producer and editor Mr. Dave Ilagan and Mr. Andrei Antonio. The guest speakers shared their personal life experiences that influenced their artistic process, the process of film production, and advice for starters.
As a film producer, Mr. Antonio said that he started when he was just in his high school days. It all started when their principal organized a film festival in their school; they just used their phone cameras to film a video.
Both of them highlighted the importance of not giving up, even though you are just starting your craft. Starting over is not a sign of failure but an opportunity for growth and success.
Another piece of advice they gave is not to be intimidated by other people's tools or compare yourself to others, because when you do something, you will learn and improve your craft.
The following activity of the day is an academic lecture on film appreciation and criticism with Dr. Jaime Gutierrez-Ang. The theater was filled with laughter, as he had fun humor that captivated the audience. Dr. Ang focuses on explaining the standards of a good film: "Hindi porke't umiyak katabi mo, iiyak ka na rin, he stated.
You can say that the film is good when you look deeper into the standard of technical excellence, literary value, and cinematic sense and criticize that it goes beyond the surface to explore the meaning.
Lycean Gamaliel Lim performed at the Open Mic Sessions; he was discovered by the event organizers of the art fair to perform at their event. Gamaliel shared that it is a great opportunity to participate in this kind of event to pursue his singing career, which is a big boost for him.
AFFORDABLE DELIGHTS PRESENT
During the art fair, aside from getting the chance to witness the dazzling performances presented by the artists and the engaging discussions led by the invited speaker guests, attendees also had the opportunity to explore several booths that were set up outside the Museo ng Muntinlupa.
A particular booth that was set up by Architect Gerald B. Magpantay stood out amongst the rest as his booth showcased unique artworks made from several excess construction materials, including deformed bars and steel.
"An artwork doesn't have to be expensive; creativity and resource fulness make it a valuable work of art," he said, conveying the message that one can also produce valuable and meaning ful artworks just by using his ample imagination.
In addition to this, booths set up by the Mich Art Gallery, whose acrylic paintings were seamlessly converted into affordable stickers priced at just 20 pesos each; Reign Hybe's booth, which offered a selection of stickers and elegant earrings for attendees to browse through and purchase; and Jiero Bamba's booth, which offered sketch painting for just 100 pesos.
Freya on Earth was also present at the art fair. The products she was selling are handmade crochet coasters, bandanas, sakura phone straps, Lily of the Valley bag charms, key chains, and phone straps with different prices that are popular, especially among teenagers.
There are several different types and forms of art that emerged in different periods. Their significance and importance in today's society always remain the same, no matter how society changes. It has the power to bring people together and serves as a powerful tool for communication that provides a voice to the voiceless.
One piece of art should not be more or less recognized than another because all art forms originate from one thing: creativity.
It is important that we, as a part of today's current society, which seems to be thriving for modernity, recognize the significance of all different cultural art forms that existed even before the rise of contemporaneity.
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