ADRIAN RIOS Pula.Puti.Bughaw. The Heritage Collection

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the Kawit Tourism Office present the heritage collection of Adrian Rios in a show billed Pula.Puti.Bughaw. on December 29, 2011, Thursday, 5:30 PM at the West garden of the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines.

The staging of Pula. Puti. Bughaw. is a step towards realizing NHCP's thrust of transforming its shrines and museums into living museums and into 21st century museums. It also intends to raise seed fund for The Kawit Heritage Preservation Fund.

Adrian Rios is a fave among photographers since his works are rich in colors and texture. A set of new 30 pieces will be shown to a select audience of 150 in Pula.Puti.Bughaw. All heritage-inspired, the collection shall convey the richness of Philippine culture amidst the contemporary times and it will be a sort of travelogue of the global Filipina.

Rios, former president of the Cavite Designers Circle (2000) and an active member of the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines (FDAP) from 2000 to present was named one of the Ten Philippine Representatives to the International Young Fashion Designers Competition in Paris, France in 1992 and 1993. He was also adjudged 4th runner-up/Haute Couture category in the KASUOTAN '92, a Woman Today Magazine sponsored designers competition in Manila.


Based in his hometown Rosario, Cavite, Rios has graced several fashion scenes like the Fashion-For-A-Cause series organized by the Philippine National Red Cross, the Grand Flores de Mayo in Manila, sponsored by the Department of Tourism and the annual Fashion Week.

Pula. Puti. Bughaw. is made possible through the generosity of Jollibee, Ever Bilena Pink Water, Jancen Cosmetic Surgery of Asia and Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park.  For inquiries, interested parties may call 09279077749 or call the Aguinaldo Shrine at (046) 484-7643.

One Late Afternoon at the Shrine...

May 11, 2011. Just when we were about to leave the Aguinaldo Shrine at 5:30 PM, I noticed this brilliant rays of the afternoon sun flooding the facade of this historic structure. Feeling the urgency to capture a possibly rare moment, I grab my Nokia N97 and used its camera to seize the moment. Here are the shots...

Saulog's Filipino Madonna and Child in New York

I promised myself to write more about Simon Saulog, my mentor, as I bumped into proud owners of his works which are dispersed all over the world.

I recently met a New York-based collector via social network. Dr. Dennis Mauricio, the assistant residency program director of the Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his wife who is also a gynecologist, cherish a Saulog Madonna which was done in 1949. 

This masterpiece has a personal meaning to the Mauricio Family and it stands out among the other Philippine, European, and American pieces in their family art collection.

Acclaimed as the master of the Filipino Madonnas in the 50s, what sets Saulog apart among his contemporaries and various other artists is his Madonnas. The rendering maybe truly Amorsolo and De La Rosa school but the emotions conveyed by the subjects are from Saulog. I recall Saulog telling me when he was alive that a painting must speak. Specially if its about human subjects. With his Madonnas, Saulog usually enlisted the help of his relatives and barrio folks to seat or pose as his subjects. 


Here are three other Saulog Madonnas:

Lotus at the Shrine

I have been experimenting on the camera of my new N97 and these Lotus flowers have caught my fancy since a lot of people do find them intriguing as they have been growing on giant "kawan" or cauldrons from Europe at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite. With my own N97 outputs, I have realized why people are so fond of them.

New Year, New Art

Another year has closed and another one has started. I don't believe in New Year's resolutions but I do believe in just moving on and on. So on with my work as a shrine curator and as photo image enhancer and manipulation. I gifted myself with a new Nokia N97 since I became a Nokyartist (check nokyart.n97.fr) and am now gaga over its features specially its 5 mp camera. For this year 2011, my filtrographs will practically be n97 based. As always, like what I said in my redbubble.com public profile I create images based on photos of everything I see while at work and at play...