Ang Maugdang nga Kusog sang Babaye (The Quiet Strength of a Woman)

From left to right: Prim Paypon, Diane Eustaquio, Marie Young, Manny Garibay, Karen Nomorosa

With the curiosity to articulate the profound perspectives on "the quiet strength of a woman", Curious Curator have put together two artists whose passions and gifts explore the silhouette of a woman in the exhibit "Ang Maugdang nga Kusog sang Babaye" ( The Quiet Strength of a Woman).

Ilonggo artists Kat Malazarte and Harry Gonzales

Featured Ilonggo artists Harry Mark Gonzales and Kat Malazarte showed a contrast in perspectives. One is a man; the other is a woman. One is a sculptor; the other, a painter. One is seasoned; the other, budding.

The art exhibit opened on September 30, 6pm, at A Space Makati.

The organizers Prim Paypon and Karen Joy Nomorosa each delivered a welcome message for the guests before the ribbon cutting and unveiling of the pieces.

Kat Malazarte and Prim Paypon

"My friend Karen and I were trying to interview 30 Negrense artists. We actually found out that five to seven of them are actually award-winning artists, but only one of the 30 is actually privileged to stage a two-person exhibition in Metro Manila. This seems to be the center of the Philippine Art Industry. So we wanted to solve the crisis. How come our most talented and priced artists in Visayas and Mindanao never staged an exhibition here in Metro Manila? So, we were able to look for people to actually make our dreams come true. So, we call ourselves an art incubator and accelerator... So technically, we left the creation of the arts to the artists and we do everything – from funding to banking to personal development to getting the market to staging creations like this. All for the name of Filipino Art Industry. So, we’re very privileged and very grateful that we were able to work with two talented artists.

One is a 21-year old artist. Her name is Kat Malazarte... This is her first exhibition in Metro Manila. Last year, she won the Shell National Arts Competition for students... She happened to be the first cum laude from the University of San Agustin for Fine Arts in their entire history. So, another artist that we worked with is Sir Harry Gonzales. He is also from Iloilo. He specializes in creating sculptures out of marble. He won the Metrobank grand competition for Sculpture in 2007. So, both of them are not only from Iloilo, all their silhouettes for the past years have all been devoted to women. That’s why this entire collection is actually called "Ang Maugdang nga Kusog sang Babaye" which means “a quiet strength of a woman”. So, all the 8 paintings, all the 10 sculptures, they all highlight the emotional intensity and depth of a Filipino woman – from romance to love to dreams and happiness. So, thanks to their gifts and talents for actualizing our vision. Our first vision for Curious Curator. The Curious Curator is also inspired by strong women." - Prim Paypon

Ribbon cutting with the VIPs - Manny Garibay, Diane Eustaquio, Marie Young

Karen Nomorosa

"Prim and I were actually in Iloilo facilitating a workshop when we decided to drop by Casa Real Gallery which is the gallery in the municipal hall of Iloilo city. And the first thing that greeted us when we came in was this lovely, lovely sculpture of a woman –of a lumptious woman. She had this look on her face and she had her cheek on her hand and it looked like she was suffering from some loss but at the same time, she was enduring that loss. The sculpture was titled “The Times That I Miss You”. To a lot of people it might be about heartbreak but for me, it was enduring the loss of somebody you love. So, it has a lot of different interpretations. And then, Prim, you know, being Prim, we were able to get to the back room of Casa Real Gallery. And we were looking at all the different paintings. We actually came across this big, grand portrait of a woman who was closing her eyes, looked like she was contemplating something. It was called “Inner Silence” by Kat Malazarte. So, we were so excited. I think if we had money, we probably would have bought the stuff right there and then but they were already sold. So, no luck for us.

But, when the idea of Curious Curator first came up, the first 2 artists that came to my mind were Kat and Harry. So, the theme for tonight’s exhibit isn’t something that Prim and I magically came up with and told the artists “Uy please interpret this theme”. It was something that was very organic in their work. They both love portraying and depicting the silhouette of the woman and so we just gave them a different angle. We said, maybe you can showcase the different side of your woman, show the quiet strength in them. So, we hope that you guys enjoy tonight’s exhibit. Please see the strength of a woman in times of her loss, in times of pain to her God, in times of showcasing her feminism, in times when she stands up for her virtue and her principles because I think that a lot of the paintings and sculptures today speak to that." - Kat Nomorosa

The microphone was then passed on to the artists who welcomed the guests as well.

Kat Malazarte delivering her welcome message

"Good evening everyone. Thank you for coming here to celebrate with us the silence of the strength of a woman. I would really like to thank the Curious Curator, especially Ate Karen and Kuya Prim for giving us the opportunity. This is my first time here exhibiting in Manila and I want to thank our God for all the blessings I have received. I hope you would appreciate not only the aesthetics of the paintings but also the feelings and the story behind every painting. I invite you not only to look but to feel. So, good evening." - Kat Malazarte

Harry Gonzales delivering his welcome message

"Good evening everyone. First of all, I would like to thank the Curious Curator, of course, A-Space, and the dedicated and very aggressive organizers, Prim and Karen. They are always excited for this exhibition. Of course, thanks to all the guests, Mr. Manny Garibay, of course, and the audience here. I hope you enjoy all the works here in this exhibition. Thank you again." - Harry Gonzales