Artful Escape in Antipolo

Instead of spending a Sunday channel surfing and stuffing your face with junk food (trust me, you will regret it come Monday) it may be time to get out of the metropolis and take a drive up to Antipolo to check out the Pinto Art Gallery.

Having locked the chips and the dip in the pantry I was whisked away one afternoon and welcomed with relatively traffic free roads to check out this art haven built by Dr. Joven Cuanang. I had heard about this place from friends many times before, that it was a weekend retreat originally and had eventually been turned into a hotspot for exhibits and gatherings for the cultured kind.

The coolest thing about Pinto Art Gallery is that the entire place is one huge exhibit hall. You get to see paintings on one floor, installations in the garden, furniture in the entrance, textiles draped in another room etc. The most exciting bit (at least in my opinion) is that visitors are free to move around at will, over the entire property, and enjoy the fresh air and the wide-open spaces that have pockets of art ready to pop out and greet them.

If you get tired, there’s actually a bed right smack in the garden (yes, the couch potato in you might get tempted) if you want a little spiritual enlightenment, you can go into the chapel, or if you want some meditation time you can go and enjoy some quiet moments overlooking an almost endless expanse of trees. For those feeling the need to express themselves, there is a mini-amphiteater located near a guest house, a fitting area that can probably be used for poetry readings or impromptu theater performances.

Art all around

On the Sunday of my visit, an exhibit entitled Aramid had just opened, I saw handmade furniture, pottery pieces and inabel textiles from Ilocos among others. I met with Dr. Cuanang who warmly welcomed guests and personally tried to show them around whenever he could.

As I viewed some paintings on the elevated floor of Gallery One, I could see a steady stream of art lovers come in and wander around freely, some were first timers such as me and I could hear sounds of delight as they took everything in.

There were regular visitors of course who showed first timers around, or family visiting from abroad. “I never knew something like this existed here” was commonly heard (in various versions) throughout the afternoon. Since it was the first day of this monthlong exhibit (the Pinto Gallery is celebrating the Antipolo Arts Festival till the end of June) merienda was served in the form of batac-styled empanada (freshly brought in) and dirty ice cream. Not quite sure if the food is a regular onsite experience but it certainly made the stay more enjoyable.

Families brought their kids who happily ran around the garden and if the weather was better I’m pretty sure Dr. Cuanang would have encouraged them to jump into the pool. Before I left I even asked the good doctor if he could rent out the place for a weekend stay (perfect for a group of friends or even a family wanting a short distance out of town escape). “Not yet,” he smiled although perhaps to keep it a sanctuary for both himself and art lovers it may be a not “ever.” Still, that one Sunday afternoon was more than enough for me to plan a trip back there whenever I need an artful escape.

Pinto Art Gallery is a member of the Silangan Foundation for Culture and the Arts. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., from Wednesday to Sunday. It is located at 1 Sierra Madre St., Grandheights, Antipolo City, Rizal. For inquiries log on to the gallery website at www.pintoartgallery.net, E-mail silangan.foundation@gmail.com or call (632) 6971015.

Artful Escape in Antipolo

By Katrina A. Holigores
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Last updated 19:05:00 05/30/2008

MANILA, Philippines—

Inter-ART-ive Exhibit

Text and photos by Katrina A. Holigores

When you were a kid you probably heard “don’t touch!” yelled at you in panic as you went rushing towards some objet d’ art that to you looked heavensent from Toys R Us. Something that would have cost more than all your limbs combined when auctioned off in Sotheby’s was to you nothing more than something you just wanted to get your hands on and throw against a wall (or a cousin). Come on, you were probably 5 or 6 (or even younger) and art appreciation made no sense. The stigma though of untouchable art stays with us into adulthood. It seems to become even worse when we realize how much art, especially good art…costs. We’re not just talking about paintings of course, but anything and everything that will look at home in a museum or the creepy neighbour next door’s house.

What if you could find a playground of art? Imagine instead of swings, slides and a sandbox you would get to actually interact with art, and actually have fun and not get a spanking afterwards. Impy Pilapil’s Outdoor Sculpture exhibit at the Ateneo is a great way to kill a couple of hours alone or with a bunch of friends. But, choose wisely, bring buddies who actually want to have fun. If all they want to do is sit and stare direct them to the nearest cinema because you’re about to get your hands a little dirty.

The cool thing I’ve learned about installation art is that anything goes. Size, shape, form, texture, color, or meaning. Perhaps that only rule should be that if it’s bigger than you, it better be sturdy enough never to come crashing down and crushing you to death. Anyway, no danger of that happening here I was assured my managing curator of the Ateneo Art Gallery, Yael Buencamino. The first piece I saw was entitled the Mangrove and for a moment there I could imagine how it must have been, lying in my crib as a newborn staring up at a shiny, brighty, multicolored mobile. Yes, even at my age, I can still think (and act) like an infant. There were other pieces that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. The first was a wish stone made out of marble. With a paintbrush dipped in water you could write out your heart’s desires on this slab of stone. Whether or not your wish comes true remains to be seen but it sure is fun having to write it out, and with the hot sun or some gentle winds, even your most secret intention slowly disappears never (you hope) to be revealed to anyone else.

For a sensorial experience (and to work out some trust issues) have a friend guide you over the Barefoot Trail with your eyes closed. Feel different sensations greet your barefeet as you slowly walk over portions of wood, sand, porcelain, glass, granite and pebbles. The giant Chime Halo made out of solid bamboo makes for a rather noisy but melodious game of hide and seek if you wish. Do your own thing beat wise on the inside and ask someone else to strum out a tune on the outside, don’t forget to look up while inside, every aspect of this exhibit is meticulously crafted, infusing manmade structures with God given ones.

You can spend several hours feeling like a child again, try out your musical skills at the colorful foam orchestra of The Music Chamber. A rainbow labyrinth of guitar shaped instruments that require a good shake for a tune. Play sungka, (another massive marble slab accompanied by marble stools) or sit down in my personal favorite the Nautilus to take it all in. This exhibit is certainly not one you can rush through, but rather one that requires the regaining of your childhood curiosity and wonder to thouroughly enjoy the art of play. Feel young again and this time, feel free to touch everything in fact, you will be encouraged to.

Impy Pilapil’s Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit will be on display until August 31. For more information visit the Ateneo Art Gallery Ateneo de Manila University Loyola Heights, Quezon City or call Tel 426-6488

(Published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer May 17, 2008)

Walk Like An Egyptian

Walk like an Egyptian

Text and photos by Katrina A. Holigores

“You have a beautiful eyes!” no, this was not some grammatically incorrect compliment during a romantic date but rather an attention getting yell thrown at me and a friend as we walked through the Khan El Khalili in Cairo. We were going shopping in the many streets and stalls in this world famous souk of all sorts and the competition for Egyptian pounds, dollars or euros was pretty fierce. Other lines that caught our attention as we passed and ignored were “I pay you to look only!” and “In here everything costs nothing!” In the end we got a couple of cool bargains although the word “bargain” takes a whole new meaning in Egypt. Seriously there are no price tags, so even a bottle of coke is subject to a buy and sell argument. In the end ( if you have the patience) the shopper and shopkeeper think they “won”. All's fair in love, shopping and “friend” pricing.

This is not a shopping story although it certainly is a no-miss experience if you ever find yourself in Cairo, but rather an essay on a travel dream come true. Since I could remember, I suppose from reading Tintin comic books as a child I have had a fascination for Egypt. It seemed like such a surreal place to visit, so mysterious, so ancient and almost caricature. (Yes, based obviously on comic book depictions) I remember in one particular Asterix and Obelisk adventure they made a parody on how the nose of the Sphinx was destroyed-I later found out it was an act of defiance by a lone vigilante when I finally saw the Sphinx for myself. I remember standing in front of it and just saying to myself ‘wow’ it’s more than I expected, for some reason, in spite of the the seemingly endless stream of tourists surrounding it, and the broken nose, it had an almost regal quality. It’s certainly not the prettiest thing I’ve seen, but it’s also nothing like I’ve ever seen. And you can’t stop taking photos of it, it’s just magnificent especially when viewed from the front with a pyramid rising behind it. I found myself just starting for a moment and wondering if this was real.


A quick backtrack, since being in Egypt is like going back in time, the morning of my arrival I found myself on the road to my hotel. As we were cruising along the highway I noticed some unusual shapes in the distance, in other words, they didn’t look like a normal structure…they were triangular..oh! oh! “Are those the pyramids?” I gasped to my guide, “Hmm yeah” he answered with the same enthusiasm as a Filipino would if we saw a sari sari store on the road. Despite my fatigue from the flight I nearly glued my head to the window of the car to get a clearer view of the pyramids. The sight itself was surreal after years of wanting to see the pyramids they seemed just a rooftop jump away, my friend and I were to start our tour the next morning and our first stop would be the Pyramids of Giza, like a child’s first visit to Disneyland I watched, transfixed as the pyramids soon faded from view.

The pace of our first day was perfect, we had a fabulous guide, a lady who’s English was impeccable and love for country was evident named Randa. First stop, the toblerone shapes of the desert, which again to my amazement was right smack in the center of “town” it seemed. Seriously, it was like we were in some commercial area and not in some farflung sand-infested oasis. The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) was our first stop-which is the last I believe of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The second, smaller one still had some limestone left at the very tip, resembling a dusty snowcapped mountain more popularly knows as Chephren was built for Khafre, the son of King Khufu and the “smallest” was for Khufu's grandson, called Menkaure. After walking around the pyramids we were taken to view them from higher ground to embark on our camel ride. Another first for me to actually get on a camel outside of a zoo, and experience the rather nerve wracking standing up and lying down of one when you mount and dismount. My companion actually screamed when the camel stood up, she was not alone a couple of other tourists did too. If you are faint of heart, I have to admit it’s a rush that can be scary for some…and you realize as you look down that you’re higher up than you may want to be.

Even with the heartpounding rush you feel with the uneven pace of the camel and the almost nonchalant indifferent manner its handler has as you’re being led around your heart races even more once you see the pyramids in all their splendour. Our guide ( who looked like he couldn’t be more than 11) ordered us in rather strong english to go through a series of poses, some on the camel and some off, and definitely some in extremely cheesy positions. Still, it was hard not to have a good photograph with that kind of backdrop. When we got back to the camel starting point we were immediately immersed in the art of bargaining. “How much?” I asked camel owner, he looked at me with a wide smile “Egyptian money or American money” “American” I replied “Forty dollars each” he said, his smile never wavering. I raised an eyebrow and looked at my guide. She looked at him straight in the eye and said “Twenty five” he said (yup still smiling) “thirty”, “No, twenty five” “But you go for a long time” at this point, I interrupted and said “No, we went only short time, just until there”, and pointed at some nondescript spot and he then said “Ok, ok, cause you are friend, twenty five.” Wow, fast friends indeed. We paid him twenty five each and then I saw the 11 year old, sullen looking still look at me with a knowing look and reached out his hand. Yup, he wanted a tip, I gave him five dollars and pointed to my friend saying it was for both of us. He didn’t get it, he tapped my friend and reached out his hand, and probably would physically stop her from leaving until he paid her. From that moment on, my friend and I made sure we always had small bills, because even if Egypt is magical and a no miss in this lifetime, the greatest travel tip, is to be prepared to tip. Everyone. Just keep smiling.

Text and photos by Katrina A. Holigores printed in the Inquirer May 10, 2008. Manila.