Art Hopping in Baguio City

In the vibrant art scene of Baguio City, it isn’t uncommon for art exhibits to open on the same day, usually towards the middle of the month. And last month, for the first time ever, we got to experience not just one, not just two, but THREE art exhibit openings. Forget bar hopping, we’re starting a new trend, and we’re calling it “Art Hopping”! Yaaas.

Our little artventure first brought us to the Baguio Museum for “Identity 2: Variations” by two art communities from Baguio and La Union, coming together for one group show.

As contextualized in the title of the show, the artists wanted to showcase their diversity through their unique, individual styles. But altogether, they had one goal, which was to depict nature in all its beauty, through their own eyes.

It was also through their exhibit that they wished to raise awareness for the on the current threats to the environment. They advocate for the conservation and protection of mother nature.

We hopped on a cab to Cafe by the Ruins Dua for the next exhibit by Kelly Ramos, Ella Picazo Pinder, and Merci Dulawan, three ladies with paintings that are just as lovely as they.

The exhibit, called “The Watercolor Flower Show” gives you exactly that. The artists found themselves inspired by flowers for its versatility, metaphors, and many uses in every day life.

The artists also noted that watercolor is a challenging medium for them. But we were dumbfounded by their works which looked so effortlessly perfect.

Finally, we headed to VOCAS for another group exhibit called “The Symmetry of Life,” featuring Baguio artists Jason Del Mundo, Mark Anthony Saba, Kelly Ramos, Carlo Villafuerte, Jed Alangui, Khali Neil Acosta, Job Vezh, Riza Borce, Rafael Castillo, Silvino Dulnuan, and Moose.

More than just visual arts, they opened their exhibit with a light show by Moose, and a music and live art performance by Job Vezh for a surreal experience for the eyes and ears.

The Symmetry of Life exhibit mixes science into art, giving science a visual interpretation. Through paintings, mixed media, and sculpture, the artists also showed that symmetry is also a metaphor for life’s pursuit of perfection.

Art Hopping Achievement Unlocked! It is with good intention that we say we’re glad that Baguio is a small city. Otherwise, commuting to these places would have been a lot more difficult and time consuming. At the end of the night, our senses were overwhelmed with all the art that we got to see. Truly, it is simply impossible to run out of inspiration when Baguio has such a passionate art community.