21 October 2016 – “As a Bicolano, it is an honor to showcase the works of multi-awarded artist Pancho Piano for the Embassy’s fourth year participation at the AEM. We are pleased that he has agreed to be our representative for this year, as we aspire to bring the best of the Philippine art scene in Malaysia,” Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia J. Eduardo Malaya said during the VIP Preview Night of Art Expo Malaysia (AEM) Plus 2016 at the MATRADE Exhibition and Exhibit Center in Kuala Lumpur on October 19.
The work of Bicolano visual artist Pancho Piano was featured during the said event.
The exhibit’s viewers expressed their admiration of Mr. Piano’s vibrant abstracts and stained glass creations during the event’s VIP Preview Night. The artist’s works are inspired from the mysticism and traditions of his Bicolano roots and the devotion to the Our Lady of Peñafrancia.
The Philippines joined Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, France, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Mongolia, Romania and Russia in the AEM’s Embassy Row. The Philippines was the only country that represented the Southeast Asian region in the roster of participating countries from the AEM’s Embassy Row.
The first Filipino artist to exhibit leather art in the Philippines, Mr. Piano has executed numerous murals and stained glass designs for civic and religious patrons in various cities and municipalities throughout the Philippines, as well as in Japan, Saipan and Palau.
He has mounted more than 40 solo exhibitions and participated in over 150 group exhibitions in the Philippines, Japan, Saipan, the United States, France, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Brunei Darussalam, Georgia, Australia, and Slovakia.
He was recently part of the Philippine delegation to the ArtDialogo Philippine-Malaysia art exchange last August 2016, which was headed by noted Filipino painter Nemesio “Nemiranda” Miranda.
Mr. Piano won over 13 major national competitions in the Philippines, including Centennial Mural Painting Competition, the 1998 AAP Centennial Painting Competition, and was given Artist of the Year Awards for 12 times by various Bicol institutions. His work has also been featured in 14 coffee table book publications.
Now on its 10th year, the AEM Plus is a rainbow package from around the world, featuring 60 established and reputable art galleries from 30 countries, exhibiting 2,000 pieces of artworks (including paintings, sculptures, installation and photography) under one roof.
The exhibit is free admission to the public, and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on October 20 to 22, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 23. More information is available at its official website, http://artexpomalaysia.com/. END
