18 November 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen proudly announces that it successfully launched its Art Exhibition with the theme “Faces to Phases” on November 06 at the Bank Center, Xiamen City and lasted until November 14. The Art Exhibition forms part of Philippine Consulate General’s cultural diplomacy program for 2014 under the framework of Year of Friendly Exchanges (YFE) 2014 between the Philippines and China.
The exhibition, which showcased 25 original artwork of Filipino visual artist Ernesto “Aris” Bagtas, was warmly received by more than 100 guests, including representatives from the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs (FOCA) of Xiamen, Jinjiang, Quanzhou, Shishi, Zhangzhou, as well as Fujian media representatives, local businessmen, private sector contacts, and officials of the Filipino community in Xiamen. A number of “walk-in” guests also made the occasion more heartwarming.
The theme of the exhibition - Faces to Phases - is a colorful showcase of the daily life of the Filipino village folk captured through their myriad faces (as vendor, maiden, children, etc.) and featuring the dynamic elements of unity, prosperity and cooperation as the Philippines goes through various phases of regional integration.
In his welcome remarks, Philippine Consul General Julius Caesar Flores mentioned that the event was an opportunity for the Philippines to promote its arts and culture through the works of visual artist Aris Bagtas as well as a means to further improve people-to-people contacts between the Philippines and Fujian province.
Consul General Flores thanked the management of Bank Center headed by Mr. Benito Choa, General Manager, for graciously allowing the Consulate General to hold the exhibition at its lobby, free of charge. He also acknowledged the support extended by the staff of Eton Group to the Consulate General’s activity.
A soft launching of the art exhibit was held at the Philippine Consulate General’s Mini Gallery, Bulwagang Bagumbayan (National Heroes Hall) on November 04 with 15 pieces of Mr. Bagtas artwork displayed for public viewing.
Aside from the art exhibition, the Philippine Consulate General arranged a number of activities for Mr. Bagtas, including on-the-spot paintings in various locations in Xiamen as well as an interactive art class at the Manila Xiamen International School (MXIS).
The interactive art class was attended by 20 selected art students from MXIS where Mr. Bagtas taught the students the fundamentals of pastel painting. He also demonstrated his skills on speed drawing and sketching to the awe of the young art enthusiasts. END