METROPOST


MAY 2 - MAY 8, 2021 9 THE WIDE READER ....FROM P. 12


Smokey Dreams,” in the frailty of Rey Labarento’s exquisite “Kaleidoscope Journey,” in the fragmentation of Rovan Caballes’ “Tranquil” [which is a melted Mondrian, if you ask me], and in the nightmare of Jude Millares’ “25.” The works pose questions without claiming answers.


Florenz Dionisio’s “Last Supper”


Is Dyna Quilnet’s “You II” a statement in diptych of the then and now? Is Daniel Vincent’s “DARNA” a kaleidoscope of the fruitlessness in our current search for heroes? In giving us a rain of multi-colored pebbles in a sea of dark blue, is Jia’s “Lilly” a signal for hope? Is Florenz Dionisio’s “Last Supper,” a jazzified rendition of the religious scene, a commentary on the futility of faith? I responded the most to


three works of astonishing beauty. There’s Totem Saa’s “Mental Construct,” which is a fauvist nightmare of a mindscape built to resemble a city—and its muscular and architectural horrors feel very


Cil Flores’ “Emotional Transitions”.


and shapes that induce the panic of its title. In Cil Flores’ “Emotional Transitions,” the psychological bearings we strive for are snaky and elusive. Moshi Dokyo’s “Amor Fati,” which is Latin for “love of one’s fate,” encapsulates


surrender—see the solid shapes in yellow and orange giving way to an explosion of devil-may-care green.


of the bunch, providing a much needed anchor of that kind of optimism given our times. On the opposite end of this optimism is “LISO [The Dark Night of the Soul]” by Dyck Cediño—who exhibits under the name Deadlocks. His work is a stark painting in black and white that feels like a narrative of lost souls enticed by a menacing moon of free- floating mystery, which feels like a corrective to whatever optimism we have mustered in surviving these times. I think of these abstract paintings by these 17 talented artists as maps to our psychological strivings in this long pandemic season. Mirrors such as these works help in the


The withering primacy of our mental states is echoed in the wispiness of Gerabelle Rae’s “A Thousand


Totem Saa’s “Mental Construct”.


Daniel Vincent’s “DARNA”. Moshi Dokyo’s “Amor Fati”.


much like a portrait of my own head. I felt seen. There’s Faye Mandi’s “when lines give you lemons,” which is a deceptively simple work composed of lines in a spectrum—its rainbow assemblage imposing a certain symmetry on the work without detracting from its basic force and vigor. It is the most hopeful


articulation of what we feel but cannot say. Abstraction is the perfect mirror. To quote Paul Klee in his diary entry in 1915: “The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the here and now.” This is not a happy world.


Dyck Cediño’s “LISO [The Dark Night of the Soul]”. SANE....FROM P. 3


Island — home of some Ivy League academic institutions like Harvard University, Brown University, and Dartmouth University. The goal of the professional engagement program, Antonio said, is to contribute to the University’s learning resources in terms of audio recordings of online sessions, webinars, presentation materials, worksheets, videos, that would prove useful to academic community.


“Silliman alumni and educational partners across the globe constitute a rich learning resource pool. Being thought and practice leaders in their own areas of expertise in various contexts, their engagement with the University will surely provide our students with a diverse and global learning perspective,” said SU President Dr. Betty Cernol-McCann. Antonio said the SANE spearheaded the details of


the initiative with Vice President for Development Jane Annette Belarmino, the Alumni College headed by Dr. Edna Calingacion, the Silliman Online University Learning system headed by Dr. Dave Marcial, and Information & Publications Director Bing Aguilar.


Antonio added that the professional program would strengthen online learning in the University while nurturing alumni relations, as it encourages them to share their knowledge and continue to connect with the academic community back in Dumaguete. He said the first formal engagement involves the School


Rovan Caballes’ “Tranquil”. Jude Millares’ “25”.


of Basic Education which is developing a leadership training curriculum for executive and middle managers to strengthen their pedagogical and educational management skills. Details are being mapped out with Education Dean Dr. Gina Fontejon-Bonior.


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