"Associative Looseness"

The dream gallery is finally open!

Galerie Anna, found at the 7th Floor of the Ramon Magsaysay Center along Roxas Boulevard, offers a new space for artists to display their enormous talent and for art collectors and spectators as well.

The gallery opened with an exhibition of the private collection entitled “Intimate Space”. The idea, according to Gallery Manager Joffrey Baylon, is to create a setting in which individuals can fully express their love for the art, in a more intimate fashion. As part of his opening speech, Mr. Baylon compared art to love; “Given a chance to pick between being loved and respected, which one would you take?” He further explained the gallery’s objective when he answered, “Would it be too much to have both? In Galerie Anna, we provide both respect and love, for the artists and for the audience.” In this sense, Mr. Baylon referred to respect as freedom of expression. No rule bounds an artist when it comes to their art. Anything goes, but with a distinctive taste of aesthetic class.

The first offering of the gallery showcases a private collection of Filipino artists. Such as Edsel Moscoso who showed off his recognizable style of using orbs to highlight the divinity of simple folks depicted in his paintings. Marcel Antonio, known for his ambiguous themes that encompass reality and myth all rolled into a mystical visual narrative. Romulo Galicano, the premiere portrait artist with his intriguing work entitled “Harana”, in which one could point out the likeness in features of Galicano’s model and that of TV-host-actress Kris Aquino. And leading multitalented artist J. Elizalde Navarro, who showed his inclination for flowing and violent colors with his untitled abstract painting.

Also part of the first exhibit are works of internationally acclaimed Vietnamese artists like Nguyen Tan Cuong, known for his borderline figurative and abstract style of painting. His eloquent combination of colors create a subtle environment to best view the formed object, which at this exhibition, is a face of a person, aptly entitled “Portrait”. Nguyen Minh Son’s short and quick brushstroke on “The Church” puts together a bright idyllic landscape that perfectly captured a few moments after sunrise. His use of bright colors and picturesque scenes automatically suggest a joyful and delightful mood that leaves his audience feeling cheerful.

Included in the show are two paintings by Bui Van Hoan, whose impressionistic style skillfully features Asian tradition and landscapes. The whole tone of “Monks” and “Forest by the River” shows a progression of one color expertly fused with light to create various hues. As opposed to Hoan’s style, Ha Huynh My’s paintings show her enthrallment with two notable themes – flowers and women, especially lotus. My explored in her paintings the symbolic connection between these two subjects, as well as their own wholeness. The innocence and simple beauty associated with each theme are carefully expressed by her use of faint hues of white and green, the figures nearly indiscernible as it blends with the background. This style brings out a sense of balance and peace that represents femininity at its purest, effortlessly. My’s paintings are entitled “On the way to School”, “Market on New Year”, “Country Road” and “Lotus Season”. Do Xuan Doan and Le Ngoc Tuong, both popular artists in Vietnam display their classic style in landscape and still life, respectively. Doan’s dedication to nature brought about an impressionistic creation of everything that is beautiful. Doan sees the beauty of everything and he cautiously transfers his vision into a colorful painting. “Country Road” is a perfect example of Doan’s passion for everything that is beautiful and vibrant. Le Ngoc Tuong on the other hand, plays with light and shadows in his detailed still life. The expert use of shadowing technique gives off a three-dimensional impression and an illusion of movement to these inanimate objects. The smoothness of brush strokes and high-precision detailing makes Tuong’s “Still Life” a must-have for collectors.

Bui Huu Hung’s “Royal Lady”, a lacquer on wood masterpiece, evokes a feeling of traveling through time and seeing the vividness of the past. Master of the Vietnamese art of Lacquer on wood paintings, Hung has carved a niche for himself in the Vietnamese art scene, and the world. “Royal Lady” exudes the monarchial status of the woman, which is clearly what Hung intended the viewers to see. The texture of his colors skillfully laid layer after layer presents a softness that ignites something nostalgic within the viewers.

Last but not the least, Galerie Anna also features an anthology of Byzantine hagiography or study of saints, by Constantinos Georgopoulos. Georgopoulos completed his compilation using egg tempera and gold leaf as his medium and wood as his base, to create a renaissance-like atmosphere. This also projects a sense of antiquity to the paintings. On first sight, one would think these paintings were centuries old, but, that is where the technique lies, it is not. As for his theme, Georgopoulos combined Asian, specifically Chinese beliefs with Catholicism by painting Angel Michael killing a serpent-like dragon instead of a human resembling Lucifer in his “Angel Michael”. His titles are the following, “Christ I”, “Virgen Hodigitria”, “The Dormition”, “Christ 2”, “Angel Gabriel and Michael”, and “Angel Gabriel”.

The diverse collection of Galerie Anna proved its versatility and steadfast support for artists and for the arts. It will remain a place for intimate communion with the arts; a close encounter with what the world has to offer; truly an event to experience.

“Intimate Space” at Galerie Anna will run until June 27, 2008. For more information or reservation please call (02) 5273131 loc 119 and look for Joffrey or e-mail any inquiries to galerieanna@yahoo.com.