PH Consulate General in Sydney Joins Launch of Balikbayan Art Exhibit at Blacktown Arts Centre
Consul Marford Angeles (3rd from right), Blacktown City Deputy Mayor Tony Bleasdale (5th from right), Blacktown City Councillor Linda Geronimo-Santos (rightmost), Campbelltown City Councillor Rey Manoto (leftmost) with the Bayanihan Philippines Art Project partners Mr. Michael Dagostino of Campbelltown Art Centre (2nd from right), Ms. Jenny BIsset of Blacktown Arts Centre (3rd from left), Mr. John Cheeseman of Mosman Art Gallery (4th from left), Ms. Jenny Cheeseman of Peacock Gallery in Auburn (5th from left), and Mr. Matt Cox (6th from right) and Mr. Jonathan Wilson of Art Gallery New South Wales.
19 September 2017 SYDNEY –Consul Marford Angeles attended the launch of an art exhibit entitled, “Balik Bayan: Contemporary Filipino-Australian art” at the Blacktown Arts Centre on September 09, featuring the works of Filipino artists and Australian artists of Filipino heritage. Blacktown City, whose art centre is holding the art exhibit, is the Australian city which has the largest population of residents with Philippine ancestry.
According to Blacktown Art Centre’s Paschal Berry and Paul Howard, the Balik Bayan is a multi-art form and community celebration project that uncovers Philippine arts and culture, and like the much desired care package (balikbayan box), the exhibit seeks to unpack the complex layers of diasporic culture. The exhibit will run from September 07 to November 04.
The artists featured in the exhibit include installation and sculpture artists Alwin Reamillo and Leeroy New, Manila-based performance company Sipat Lawin, video artists Club Ate comprising Bhenjie Ra and Justin Shoulder, visual artists Ala Paredes and Marikit Santiago, video artists Melissa Ramos, Caroline Garcia, Robert Nery, Marnie and Melanie Palomares, and Filipino interdisciplinary group Anino Shadowplay Collective.
The exhibit is part of the ongoing collaboration called the “Bayanihan Philippines Art Project” between six Sydney key cultural institutions – the Art Gallery of NSW, Blacktown Arts Centre, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Mosman Art Gallery, Peacock Gallery (Auburn), and Museums & Galleries of NSW – that showcase the contemporary art and cultural practices of the Philippines. The Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, through its former Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis, was actively involved in the preparation and implementation of this project, liaising between artists and institutions based in Australia and in the Philippines.
In his message at the launch ceremony, Consul Marford Angeles thanked Blacktown City Council, represented by Deputy Mayor Tony Bleasdale, and Councilor Linda Geronimo-Santos, and the Blacktown Arts Centre, for presenting the artworks and performances that serve to open the eyes of the Australian public to the beauty and complexity of Philippine culture from the unique perspective of the Filipino diaspora. He said that for Australians that have not been to the Philippines, the exhibit hopefully serves to pique their interest and entice them to come and discover more about the beauty of the Philippines, its people and its culture. END
For more information, visit www.sydneypcg.dfa.gov.ph
Left photo: Consul Angeles (left) with Mr. Paul Howard, Curator, Blacktown Arts Centre. Right photo: at the centre of the exhibit is Alwin Reamillo’s “Bayanihan Hopping Spirit House” featuring a makeshift house.