Special talks, exhibits this March at the MET

Following the closing of the successful “BenCab: The Filipino Artist” exhibition, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila offers a new line up of exhibitions and talks for the month of March. Three new exhibitions may be viewed at the MET this March.

Directions, a sub-section of the Philippine Contemporary exhibition, has been recurated to explore the movement of art across media that constructs contemporary understandings of existence in time and space. In line with this, the MET is hosting Open Dialogues, a series of art conversations that engages different members of the art community in a focused discussion about topics in Philippine contemporary art. 

The series kicks off this March with two open dialogues led by curator Tessa Guazon and participated in by some of the artists featured in Directions. Open Dialogues kicks off with Stop Overs and Sign Posts on Saturday, March 12 at 2 PM. The event features participating artists, Manix Abrera, Art Sanchez, Russ Ligtas and Cian Dayrit. The dialogue will explore the notion of ‘transition’ in art making, identifying new interests, strands and boundaries in art practice. 

Grounding, the second open dialogue at the MET will be on March 19, Saturday. Direction participating artists, Zeus Bascon, Dominic Mangila and Vermont Coronel will talk about their sources and influences, choice and use of materials, the subject matter they are preoccupied with, and the larger contexts where these belong. 

The second new exhibition at the MET, mounted in time for Holy Week, is Beloved Mother: Icon of Devotion, featuring a selection of Russian icons from the 19th century. These holy images encourage contemplative veneration of two facets of the Mother and Child theme: the mother, a beloved icon of compassionate devotion; and the Beloved Mother of God, an icon for spiritual devotion. The exhibition is on view until April 29. 

Another new exhibition to see at the MET is Bodegones: Kitchen Pictures which features still life paintings from the early 1900s until the modern period, selected predominantly from the BSP Collection. Through the assembly of tropical fruits, produce and flora, these compositions shed light on aspects of Filipino genre art that resonate with the local ethos of communality, domesticity and bounty. This food-themed exhibition sets up a major exhibition on Tapas: Spanish Food on Design, slated on April 1. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Manila is located at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila It is open from Monday until Saturday, 10 AM till 5:30 PM. For inquiries, call (02) 708-7828 or email info@metmuseum.ph.