Art gallery opens 2nd Cebu outlet

AN ART gallery that aims to be a venue for Visayas and Mindanao artists to showcase their work opened its second outlet in Cebu last week.

Qube Gallery opened on Thursday at The Persimmon Plus by Aboitizland in Mabolo, Cebu City. Qube’s first gallery is at the CAP Art Center on Osmeña Blvd.

The 250-square-meter second studio was launched with Bohol-Buhol 2 (BB2), a group exhibition of 17 Boholano artists. Most of the artists are now based in Manila and have exhibited both inside the Philippines and abroad.

The show is a sequel to Bohol-Buhol 1, a themed exhibit in Manila last September.

Artists

BB2 highlights Boholano artistry thru 60 new realist and abstract works of Keith Ancog, Rhants Anunciado, Bethlehem Joy Bullen, Eric Catot, Henri Cainglet, Edgar Cornito, Guy Custodio, Jacquelou Curambao, Roi Ferre, Irish Glory Gallon, Joey Labrador, Glenn Lumantao, Carlito Masalta, Rico Tompong, Jeff Sisican, guest artist Melbourne Aquino and BB2 organizer Sam Penaso.

Qube Gallery chief executive officer Jon Kenneth Gotiong said the absence of spaces in Manila for southern pieces created the urgency to open Qube in Cebu as an alternative and direct venue for Vis-Min artists to display their artworks.

Gotiong said southern artists are original, independent and not constrained by theme and copied styles. He described Bohol’s art as eclectic.

Gotiong said Vis-Min artists have a hard time selling their works because of the lack of stable collectors in the provinces.

He said government has an important role to help artists, especially new ones, by providing exposure, financial and other types of support.

Gotiong said that with Cebu’s burgeoning economy and the growing real estate scene, Qube sees a potential market opportunity for local art in condominiums, offices, lobbies, hotels and other developments.

Promotion

Gotiong said they are reinventing art promotion through unconventional approaches such as mural displays of street artists in restaurants.

He said they are planning to tap Dumaguete, Bacolod, Tacloban and other provinces in the region and probably Manila, to send in artworks to Qube.

The gallery is considering collaboration with the academe in line with future projects, which include space capability of up to 100 artworks, improved facilities, a Makati outlet in May and one in Davao.

By March, Qube will conduct a convention on art education for public school teachers.

Qube also designed programs that cover talks on copyright and techniques to improve color and quality.

BB2, which runs until Feb. 23, is Qube’s fourth major exhibit since its first one on Oct. 18 at the Rizal Museum.

Gotiong said activities lined up for February include a French artist exhibit and a dinner for a cause where for at least P5,000, diners are guaranteed to bring home an artwork. Qube Gallery at The Persimmon Plus is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.