Baldemor exhibits fine assortment of paintings, gives one away
Baldemor exhibits fine assortment of paintings, gives one away
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Jakartans may have the privilege of enjoying -- even if they can
afford, they can own one -- the works of the Philippines'
prolific artist Manuel "Manny" Baldemor at his solo exhibition
held from Feb. 18 through Feb. 24.
The exhibition in the lobby of the ASEAN Secretariat on Jl.
Sisingamangaraja, South Jakarta displays more than 60 of
Baldemor's acrylic, watercolor and oil paintings.
The Jakarta exhibition is his 128th solo exhibition since
1972.
"It's my first solo exhibition here in Indonesia but
previously I had a group exhibition with other Southeast Asian
painters," Baldemor said at the opening of the exhibition on
Friday.
"Actually, I was invited to have a solo exhibition here five
years ago. But then I was busy traveling in Europe," he said.
Less than an hour after the exhibition opened, at least a
dozen paintings had been reserved for purchase, including the
largest painting in the exhibition, which Wilfrido Villacorta,
the deputy of the secretary-general of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, had shown interest in.
"I have lowered my usual price here because some of the
proceeds will go to the tsunami victims in Aceh," Baldemor said,
quoting that prices started from US$300 for a small painting.
Many of the paintings show the life of Filipino villagers,
others depict scenes of Bali, and colorful landscapes that verge
on the abstract are an impressive addition.
Baldemor has been to Bali three times when he learned about
Balinese sculpture and wood carvings while also painting.
"When traveling, I mostly use watercolors," he said referring
to the Bali paintings.
Baldeamor has a passion for traveling. He has visited 57
countries since 1975. Visiting new places gives him the
opportunity to observe and absorb the different ambiences of
other countries and finally express what he sees on canvas.
Now he is in Jakarta, thanks to the ASEAN Women's Circle
(AWC), which invited him to participate in the Philippine
programs.
"I've visited the ASEAN Gallery here, and only saw one
painting from a Filipino painter. So I have decided to donate to
the gallery the other large painting that I brought with me," he
said.