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This is a super late post, since the seniors that won the Best Exhibit project just graduated this May 29, 2010.  Quite a tough decision to make, actually, since there were three other contenders.  It was during the final round of deliberations that the votes became unanimous. Eleksyong Makulay not only had a strong concept (like most senior exhibits that presented on the third term of 2009-2010), it also was timely and relevant.

When APC-SoMA Director, Robert Besana, and I were on our way to the exhibit, we weren’t getting our hopes up.  I knew that the place would be too huge. Add that to the fact that all of the shows done in that particular area had been…well…ehe…less than stellar.

This was why I literally gasped when I entered the main exhibit hall.  I could not believe that they could arrange their works so well that their show eclipsed the blah-ness of the Philippine Navy Officers Club. Even their installations were awe-inspiring.  I’ve seen other student exhibits attempt (and fail miserably) at installations so I was really feeling the goosebumps rise at the sight of such a well-planned layout.

The kids told us that they had gone through a lot of challenges during the exhibit. One of them was the unscheduled power outage. Hm. It almost sounded like a real election already! (Plus the seats were really convenient for tired guests.)

Eleksyong Makulay sa Bayang Lupaypay artists are:
Karla Asunto, Ron Balboa, Bessy and Joyce Caleze, Jaypee Estigoy, Jandy Layug, Jed Lising, Robert Magpantay, Don Perfecto and Sandie Salcedo.

Congratulations!

Since the battle for the Best Exhibit award had been a pretty close one, I think it’s only right to mention the other shows.  There was a fourth that I did not name during final posting but I am including that group in this blog post because it only lost by a very minimal margin.

Filipinas 2100
Artists: Quino Baterna, Tristan Espinosa, Rafael de Leon, Karlo Victoriano, Geri Dela Cruz, Rachel Santos, Marc Diaz

The exhibit was quite commercial; it featured a lot of the music video projects that the artists had been involved in. Of course, there are also a lot of stills and other multimedia stuff the guests can play with.  Great works, great layout and the artists were super fun.  Outerspace Gallery’s compound is definitely impressive!

The Bizarre Adventures of Quest and Ansel
Artists: Mikhail Dimanlig, Jeff Ramos, Marife Panase, Orven Desemrana, Joachim Gutierrez

Imagine a continuous story told by different artists with differing art styles.  Held at the Pasig City Museum, the concept reminded me of Gotham Knight except it is heavily laced with fantasy themes. Panase’s work, in particular, held my attention the longest…mainly because it drew inspiration from two of my all time favorites: Salvador Dali and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Dungaw
Artists: Tomas Hipolito, Joan Marfil, Katrina Nicolas, Marjorie Ortil, Zareena Reyes, Rachelle Suficiencia

The show was held at LRI and it had one of the strongest cultural components.  The concept was all about old school jeepney, their installations effectively giving the guests a glimpse of how jeepneys were like at the time of cassette tapes. What I like best about Dungaw was the welcoming video that basically introduced the artists. That was directed by Katrina Nicolas and I still have her storyboard as a souvenir.