The Portrait Artists Society of the Philippines (PASPI) Manila Chapter holds an exhibit entitled “Portrait of Nature,” on August 7 to 21, 2019, at the Gateway Gallery in Araneta Center.
“Portrait of Nature” is the first exhibit of the PASPI Manila Chapter spearheaded by PASPI Chairman Romulo Galicano and Chapter President Cee Cadid. This exhibit features natural landscapes and still life as captured through the artists’ eyes. The endeavor is the society’s response to the growing concern to care for the environment.
PASPI is a group of Filipino visual artists involved in portrait and figurative painting who have banded together to share knowledge, organize events to further their art, and use portraiture as a platform for discussing important issues.
The society’s beginning dates back to 2005 when artist Romulo Galicano won the top prize at the annual Portrait Society of America competition in Washington DC with his portrait of collector Eddie Chua. Competition judge Robert Liberace, an American realist artist, approached Galicano to ask if there was a portrait society in the Philippines. Finding out that there was none, Liberace encouraged Galicano to organize one.
In 2010, Galicano led in the formation of PASPI with several Cebu artists as members. Since then, the local practice of traditional portraiture and figurative art has gained headway through programming of at least one major exhibit per year. Galicano personally reviews and advises PASPI members on how to improve their painting skills.
In October of 2018, the idea of forming a Portrait Society was also suggested to Galicano by the members of the Visual Artist Guild, the group of artists that meets every Saturday in Makati. Galicano did not want to form another group but was amenable to the idea of creating a Manila Chapter that will be affiliated to PASPI of Cebu.
After several meetings to iron out the Membership Guidelines of the group, and determining a venue where the Manila group will meet on a regular day every week, PASPI Manila Chapter was born.
On its first meeting day last January 16, thirty-three artists signed up for membership with an additional three members accepted the following week.
For more information about the PASPI Manila Chapter exhibit, contact Gateway Gallery at telephone 588-8300 or email gatewaygallery@aranetagroup.com.
