THE Covid-19 pandemic affects all classes of people, crisscrossing around different sectors of our community.
The infection did not spared art enthusiast Gilbert Nemenzo, who has undergone the rigors of a Covid-19 positive patient and managed his full recovery at a quarantine center in Bacolod City.
He has endured the challenges of the infection by redirecting his focus on the positive side of life inside the quarantine facility.
Mental stress drains everyone inside the quarantine facility and Nemenzo's godfather advised him to divert his attention and express it through drawing, which he did so with his fellow Covid-19 positive patients.
This simple initiative has resulted in a fantastic experience that indeed minimizes the toll of mental stress.
He further sought the help of prominent artist Charlie Co for quick use in organizing the art exhibit with the participation of his fellow Covid-19 positives, which came up with their own art pieces.
Nemenzo shared that as an art lover, it is an excellent outlet for any mental stress.
He helped his fellow Covid patients to divert their attention and become optimistic. This approach pushed him to hold a Quarantine Art Exhibit inside the facility to help fight mental stress.
“This is a form of art therapy for those in distress of the Covid-19 infection. So what I did was have some art images hanging on the walls of the Quarantine facility,” he said.
Nemenzo loves to curate, decor and promote arts and culture. He got this art appreciation being a protege of the late Ramon Hofilena, who introduced him to the world of arts and culture.
"I was a scholar of Mr. Hofilena. I helped him maintain his garden at the Hofileña Museum. Later, I became an Assistant Tour Guide in the Hofilena museum. The vast collection of arts in the museum and the influence of Mr. Hofelina have shaped me and moved me to embrace skills," he said.
"I apply this love for art to help other people; given that I've been an orphan since ten years old, and my life as a whole, my existence is a blessing from God. I survived not because I'm good but because God sent people to help me. This advocacy is not about me but about extending the ripples of blessings God had given me," he also said.
Obra Maestra art exhibit
Nemenzo got the inspiration of organizing his art exhibit for Covid-19 positive patients from his experience as a former Covid-19 positive.
Karl Laurenz G. Diamante is his fellow project organizer.
The art exhibition runs from September 11 - 30, 2021, 3rd Floor Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Gatuslao Street, Bacolod City.
Bacolod artists Vicky Gasper, May May Camarines, and Pneuma Lorena Lorenzo enabled Nemenzo to put up this exhibit in cooperation with the management of the Ayala Capitol Central.
This art exhibit is in collaboration with established and experienced artists who carry the same enthusiasm for helping one another endure the Covid-19 pandemic and fight the corresponding mental stress that goes with it.