Confluence, Art Exhibition of Philippines’ Lady Virtuosos

Fragment by fragment, dust by dust and pixel by pixel, it took three grand dames of Philippine arts to collaborate together and create striking mixed media masterpieces that harmoniously fused modernity and tradition.

Notable figures in Philippine arts Lanelle Abueva-Fernando with her pottery, Liza de Leon-Zayco with her mosaic paintings and Suzette Bernardo-Montelibano with her graphic floral photos spearheaded the exhibition entitled “Confluence”.

A koi pond cleverly conjured together by the three lady artists presented a mix of contemporary glazed clay pot, die-cut mosaic and colourful fishes swimming in virtual water amid cut-outs of bright-hued lotus flowers. These artworks were some of the eye-catching designs on display at the Globe Art Gallery

Globe Tower, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

The Confluence exhibit recently opened as a fitting celebration of Globe Telecoms first anniversary at its new headquarters right in the middle of the thriving art scene and business hub at the Bonifacio Global City. Globe Telecoms President Ernest Cu with the three women artists Lanelle, Lisa and Suzette led the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

Some of the who’s who in entertainment, culture & arts, business and high society were present at the opening night.  Boboy Garrovillo of the Apo Hiking Society; singer/actress Monique Wison; former UP president Jose V. Abueva; painter Findacion Sanso; Robert Montelibano, Mercedes Prieto, Carmen Stelton, make-up artist Mela Jimenez, Carmen Stelton, Wing Singson del Prado, Mailin Paterno Locsin, Gigi Winsett, Olivia Mabanta Campos, Bong Cosio-San Miguel, Lisa Bengson graced the occasion.

Aside from the trio’s collective artworks, each virtuoso presented her unique brand of artistry at the modern gallery.

Award-winning artist Lanelle Abueva-Fernando is the pioneer in Philippine pottery and has apprenticed in the zen-like traditions of clay and ceramic arts in Japan.

She is famous for incorporating Pinatubo volcanic ashes in her pottery works that evoke elements of the sky, earth and sea.

When it comes to art mosaics, Lisa de Leon-Zayco proves that seemingly disparate and broken pieces can beautifully merge together to convey the images of women sharing the vibrancy of life and nurturing hope.

Completing the tres amigas of the art exhibition, Suzette Bernardo-Montelibano is known for reinventing and transforming floral photos into installations in wood, light, cloth and glass. 

She uses floral architecture of magnified photos to convey beauty in symmetry, textures, shadows, patters and altered tints.

The three doyennes of Philippine art, separately has a unique and extraordinary creative sensibility. Each generously shared her strength for an inspiring confluence that elevates the viewer’s point-of-view of modern art.

Experience the works of Lanelle Abueva-Fernando, Lisa de Leon-Zayco and Suzette Bernardo-Montelibano, together in one alluring exhibit.

DELECTABLE PALETTE 2 - A Benefit Dinner of Escoffier Philippines

A Benefit Gala Dinner prepared by Chef Gabby Prats was held on September 14, 2013 (Saturday), 6.00 PM at the Village Sports Club, El Grande corner Tropical Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque City.

The dinner is presented by Disciples Escoffier Phillippines Junior to provide a collaboration between the academe and top chefs in the country.

Chef Gabby spearheads a team of ace students of the Culinary Institute of Aristocrat for a special 6-Course Degustation Menu reflecting a mix of the modern gastronomic interpretation of Philippine classic cuisine and traditional European fare.  The menu includes:

Bagnet, Roaster Garlic, Kecap Manis and Tinola Risotto

(thrice cooked succlent pork belly served with roasted garlic, sweet soy sauce and chicken ginger risotto)

Salmon Wellington

(Norwegian salmon fillet encrusted in golden crisp puff pastry served with tarragon veloute)

Beef Bourguignon

(beef chunks delicately simmered in demi glaze and burgundy sauce);

Spring Chicken in Kafir Lime Gastrique  

(spring chicken seasoned with spices and slow-roasted to perfection, served with flavorful kafir lime gastrique)

Pingangat  

(pork belly layered with shrimp paste and smoked fish flakes wrapped in taro leaves and simmered in coconut milk)

Halo-halo panacota and Black Forest Trifle.

With a degree from the prestigious Cordon Bleu Paris and Certification as Servsafe Instructor & Registered Proctor, NRA, Washington, USA, Chef Gabby treats guests to gastronomic delights steeped in Asian heritage and palpable international flair. Chef Gabby is also the Program Director of the Culinary Institute of Aristocrat, Corporate Executive Chef of Aristocrat restaurant and Resident Chef of ABS-CBN 2’s Umagang Kay Ganda TV Show.

As a prelude to the 6-Course Dinner, canapes will be served courtesy of Chef Hylton Le Roux and University of the Philippines students. Wines are available for pairing with the cocktails.

Chef Hylton takes some time out from his Market to Master TV show on the Lifestyle Network to train the next generation of chefs and contribute to the dinner for a cause. Chef Hylton’s TV show highlights his culinary adventures around the country. Together with his wife , Chef Hylton also runs Pi Catering Services. He was previously the Executive Banquet Chef of a private country club in the south. Earlier in his career, Chef Hylton was trained by three Michelin-star chefs Gordon Ramsey during his Savoy Hotel London days and Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck, once known as the best restaurant in the world.

Service will be provided by Rod Baumann with the team of Food Details, Inc. and students from the University of the Philippines & Lyceum of the Philippines.

To complete the dining experience, visual artists Van Tuico and Henry Braulo will exhibit their paintings.

The 6-Course Degustation Dinner is PhP 1,000. net for Disciples of Escoffier Philippines and Village Sports Club members and PhP 1,300. net per person for non-members.

Proceeds of the gala dinner will go to Eat and Cheat Cancer, Tuloy Sa Don Bosco, Support a Culinary Course Student of the Lyceum of the Philippines and Donation for a Better Foundation.

Disciples of Escoffier Philippines is an affiliate of Escoffier International, a non-profit organization which aims to uphold the “spirit of Escoffier” in the promotion of culinary excellence and transfer of knowledge among budding professionals, chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers and gourmands. For more information, visit disciples-escoffier-philippines.com.

   

Anne Curtis ala Mode: A Latin American Fashion Fever

Anne Curtis

 

“At every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss,” best-selling author Paolo Cuelho’s observation of life couldn’t be a more apt description of the Latin American Sojourn of Anne Curtis with the Mega magazine team. 

Brazil, Peru and the places in between became the backdrop of the history-in-the-making 1st Philippine fashion video documentary of Anne’s September cover shoot of Mega magazine. For this trailblazing endeavor, Mega’s Editor-in-Chief Sari Yap commented that Anne Curtis is bar none the darling of Philippine entertainment and advertising, thus the perfect choice for the cover of the 400-pager fashion issue of Mega.

 

Sari Yap

 

Brazil, Peru and the places in between became the backdrop of the history-in-the-making 1st Philippine fashion video documentary of Anne’s September cover shoot of Mega magazine. For this trailblazing endeavor, Mega’s Editor-in-Chief Sari Yap commented that Anne Curtis is bar none the darling of Philippine entertainment and advertising, thus the perfect choice for the cover of the 400-pager fashion issue of Mega.

                                        Fatima Rabago & Hideo Muraoka

                                                      Daniel & Vanessa Matsunaga

                                                                         Tim Yap

                                                                    Jun-jun Ablaza

                                                                     Catriona Grey

                                                                      Chris Badiola


Celebrities, fashionistas, and designers graced the modern and ultra hip Eclipse Entertainment and Bar Lounge at the Solaire Resort & Casino to witness the first screening of “#MakingMega” the fashion documentary that highlighted the dream-come-true-shoot in Latin America and boundless possibilities of the brave new world of publishing in the digital age.

The fashion documentary was directed by Michael Carandang, the Fil-Am Emmy Award-winning producer of The Jerry Springer Show, The Tyra Banks Show and America’s Next Top Model. The documentary unveiled the journey of Mega magazine team together with Anne and her glam team from Manila to Sao Paolo, Rio de Jeneiro and Machu Picchu.

The Mega group experienced the VIP pampering at the Etihad Lounge and as scheduled they boarded the Etihad Airways for the 15-hour Manila-Sao Paolo flight. In her downtime, Anne Curtis studied for her lessons to become a pre-school teacher, a profession she plans to pursue in the future.

Committing the fashion cover and spread concept to paper is New York-based Fil-Am photographer Danilo Hess who jettisoned to Brazil and Peru to join the Mega team on this dream project.

In the land of Samba and football, the Mega team conducted an ocular of the venues they want for the shoot. However, since the team was pressed for time, they ended up with a guerilla-style photo shoot at the Park Independencia, Sao Paolo in broad daylight. The local authorities took notice and were gracious enough to grant them a last-minute permit. Anne was beaming as always with her sunset-colored dress.

They had lunch at a popular Churrascaria restaurant with Havianas executives and went to the Melissa showcase shop that looked like a modern art museum. While the rest of the team took a break at the hotel, some of the Mega crew worked till the wee hours of the morning in the cold streets of Sao Paolo for a fashion editorial that featured Brazilian models wearing SM Ladies Fashion.

The following day is the trip to Rio de Jeneiro and the care-free vibe of Rio lifted to spirits of the Mega team. Clashing vibrant colors, eye candy heaven of model-toned yet unassuming men and women and inviting murmurs of the shores were the inspirations of the day. Brazilian supermodel siblings Daniel and Vanessa Matsunaga caught up with the Mega team for a fashion shoot in Copacobana beach, Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil; Urubamba River, Agua Calientes, Peru and ancient walled structures of Cusco, Peru. The siblings also gamely helped out as tour guides/interpreters.

Anne was the focus of the camera on the kaleidoscopic steps of Escadaria Selaron and pilgrimage haven of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Jeneiro.

The team’s last stop is the breath-taking world heritage site of Machu Picchu, Cusco Peru. The photo shoot of Anne had the ephemeral spiritual quality even worthy of a national geographic magazine page. Almost without make-up she was adorned with the vivid colors and patterns of Latin America as she gazed the camera with her translucent brown eyes.

                                                                         Julz Savard

                                                                     KC Terence

                                                               Lourd Ramos

                                                        
                                                                      Maricar de Mesa

                                                                          Max Collins

                                                                     Rima Ostwani

                                                                      Shaira Luna

 

                                                                                Sitti

                                                           Valerie & OneMig Bondoc

                                                           Valerie Weigmann

                                           Meryll Yan, Danilo Hess, Vanessa Matsunaga,
                                           Sari Yap, Daniel Matsunaga

                                          Giselle Toengi

                                          The Mega Fashion Team

 After the video screening, the Eclipse Lounge was filled with a thunderous applause of admiration for the groundbreaking project of the Mega team. Giselle Toengi, the emcee of the headline-making event presented by SMART Telecoms, showed the appreciation to the Mega team and Anne.

The night was sealed with a Petrol Denim fashion show, performances of Samba dancers and Capoeira demonstration. Raise the Caipirinha glass and cheers for another reason to celebrate the Anne-o-holic Manila landscape! (Photos Courtesy of MegastyleBible)