Find Your Artistic Side At Yuchengco Museum

Hey mate! Did you wake up exhausted? Or maybe, are you tired of everything? Well, I cannot blame you if you're feeling down. Everyone feels that at some point in their lives. We are living in our daily routine. Usually we wake up, eat, go to school or work, take our lunch, go home, watch TV or read books and sleep. And what's the saddest thing about it is you've been doing these stuff your whole life. Boring? Pretty much but you always have free will to break those boundaries. If you feel there is something missing then go ahead, spread your wings and fly high.

Yuchengco Museum- Don't worry about your monday blues mate. Somehow as hour goes by you will slowly forget that. The most important is you are moving forward even as we speak. You'll never know what lies ahead. Maybe you could reclaim your creative side or discover yourself to be the next Albert Einstein. So, if you're not doing anything you might consider strolling around Makati City. Since I wasn't able to go to Art Fair Philippines 2017 last month I decided to visit another museum as my way to support fellow Filipino artists and simply because I love art. I love the creative world it gives to me. 

Amid the hustle and bustle Makati Central Business District you can find an oasis like Yuchengco Museum. It's beyond the usual things you can see like never ending crowd of people walking everywhere from over a pedestrian lane or along office buildings. 

We went here exactly when the doors opened at 10am and welcomed by their friendly security officer. More often than not I prefer to go early to totally feel the place. I guess it's an "introvert thing" where I really choose those times or days that my go-to place could be uncrowded for a long period of time. At the lobby there is the museum's Books and Gifts corner where you can buy wide array of merchandise reflecting art from their collections and exhibitions. Not only notecards and exhibition catalogues but you will also love their very unique Filipino indigenous design pouches perfect for souvenir. Oops! Yes we also paid 100 pesos(2 US Dollars est.) per visitor.

The Yuchengco Group of Companies(YGC) Gallery

We were advised to start our visit by checking collections from fourth floor to the lobby. I still don't get the whole meaning of it because I'm also used to the other way around. It's funny that it became a bit interesting because I was also advised the same thing when I was inside Ayala Museum. Anyhow it's still up to you where would you like to start. But, guess what? We just followed it. On the fourth floor what really intrigued me was an intricate hand carved elephant tusk. How did they carve that?

Buhay Rizal( An Honor To The National Hero)

For sure you won't forget how goodlooking Dr. Jose Rizal is on this painting. This collection will give you a closer look at the life of the philippine's national hero. You will know more how great he is, how many books he wrote and how he became a hero.

Books about Rizal's works and legacy to Filipino youth.

Just a secret! Only for the two of us. You know what? I admire him. Why? Because only few somewhat can speak different languages. And that really amazed me. "Buhay Rizal" promotes six values that are most associated with the National Hero- a life of honor and integrity, a passion to excel, the achievement of dreams and aspirations, the respect and love for parents, the use of God-given talents and, lastly, pride for the Filipino race.(c)yuchengcomuseum.org

Suspended Garden

This was the "wow" part of our visit in this museum. You'll think twice how they did this. If its really rocks and why it became suspended garden? I had no clue at all. I only found out when I checked their site. It could be a jargon for most of us but this was a site-specific installation created for last 2010 exhibit Pumapapel: Art in Paper by Tony Gonzales and Tes Pasola. But due to somewhat public demand or visitor's favorite it was reinstalled last July 2014. It resembles a floating Japanese Zen garden that provides a relaxing and meditative space for museum lovers like me. What's awesome about this artwork is these are not real rocks and only made of recycle pulp. It's viewable from the museum's Cone Room on the third floor or from the veranda on the fourth floor.(c)yuchengcomuseum.org

Digital Dimensions: Video Art Projections By Naoko Tosa

Another "wow" part of our visit is the genesis video art series Naoko Tosa, an internationally renowned Japanese artist. This video art will surely invite you to see it further because you don't know what are these elements. 

      

The artist plays with Zen concepts of chance through her use of Japanese color inks and dry ice to generate solemn forms in water captured by high-speed cameras. Inspired by Rimpa, a major historical school in Japanese painting with a 400-year legacy.(c)yuchengcomuseum.org

"Art can make it possible for us to experience invisible worlds that cannot be captured by our normal sense of time and space. Such experiences induce awe and move toward nature and its energy in our mind. This work makes it possible for the viewers to experience a world where time is expanded one hundred times. Also, this work cannot be created using computer graphics and dry ice is too complex to be expressed by a numerical formula of fluid dynamics. In other words, this is a hypernatural form of art that can be visualized only by using a high-speed camera"-Dr. Tosa

See Metro Manila Landmarks Using Virtual Reality

Sometimes a stroll around the metro or just a walk in the park is tiresome. You feel exhausted and most of the time you get irritated because of the hot weather. So, the answer to your problem is virtual reality! It was my first time to see different landmarks in Metro Manila using virtual reality(VR) headset although it was only less than 10 minutes I knew right away that this was something you would want to see in the tourism industry like three or five years from now. You may not exactly at that place but this gear brings you there with less walk, less sweat, less stress and less effort. This futuristic idea excites you to try it.

Here are the landmarks that you can see in virtual reality headsets located on the second floor of the museum.

Raha Sulayman- monument of the late 16th century King of Manila who died during Spanish invasion.

People Power Monument- to pay tribute to ordinary people in the world's first peaceful revolution that brought down the dictator.

Fort Bonifacio- father of Philippine Revolution. An icon of bravery and pride of the Filipinos.

"Bantayog ng mga Bayani" or Heroes Monument- to pay homage to the heroic victims of the Marcos dictatorship.

Sharing Life Sharing Art Exhibit

These two paintings made by a couple Angelito Antonio and Norma Belleza.

Paintings of Fernando Amorsolo

These two beautiful paintings(a portrait of reclining lady and old Hong Kong) made by one of my favorite Filipino painters Fernando Amorsolo, the first national artist for visual arts of the country and has the official title "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art". Every painter or artist has their own materials and trademark like with Amorsolo, his artworks mostly related to the beautiful rural Philippines and naked woman.

Painting of Carlos "Botong" Francisco

Portrait of Maria and Enrique Yuchengco

Carlos "Botong" Francisco, a national artist and often called the greatest muralist and modernist of the Philippines.

Painting of Arturo Luz, a national artist.

More paintings are waiting for you on the first floor made by different national artists like Ang Kiukok(dog) and Vicente Manansala(painting on your right).

There are a lot of ways to discover yourself and those places where we go give you realization that "ah okay! I found myself here". And aside from travelling to different islands in the Philippines, going to different museums is one thing I will do If I wanna immerse. And surely you will not only help yourself but also you will learn a lot about your country from history, cultures to art. 

Most of the information included here came from the website yuchengcomuseum.org

Make sure to also follow my instagram and facebook page Supermarkymacky. See you on my next post!