The archipelago of the Philippines has been exposed to several foreign influences during its colonial times. From the Spanish conquistadors, to the Japanese invasion and finally ending with the American soldiers who eventually gave the country back to its local population. The cultural diversity of the Philippines is rather prominent, especially in its artistic societies, where movements from different sides of the world collide to create breathtaking and beautiful masterpieces.

Today, we take a look at some of the country's artists who have either shaped or are currently shaping the Philippines' tastes in modern and contemporary art. First off we have the glass sculptures of Ramon Orlina, a peer to the great Dale Chihully (maestro of blown glass art). His style of glass sculpture involves the direct carving of solid glass blocks- a process that he himself popularized as a pioneer. Orlina's method may have arisen due to the complexities of glass casting back in the day, however his proprietary style has now become a favorite for many prominent collectors around the country.

His carved figures are mostly considered to be geometrically abstract constructs, with some formless pieces that reflect and refract light similarly to how the ocean waves create their natural shimmering against the sandy beaches. Orlina has been touted to be the Philippines' most popular glass artisan today, even establishing his own museum for Filipino communities to view and learn from his hard-won original process.




Another sculptor who has gained a nationwide following for creating works that draw from multiple cultures, is Kylo Chua. A Chinese-Filipino artist from Vancouver, Chua works with a variety of hyper-elegant media such as gold, porcelain and bronze. His main material though is cast marble, which he is able to contort in ways that allow him to bring out the graceful feminine appeal within his abstract, humanist figurines. Several of his works depict couples or families, stylized to embody a theme of endless connection and infinite existence. His works have been featured all throughout the country, as well as in Tokyo, Canada and London.

Some of his works are scaled to miniaturized proportions, earning the name "Thumbeline Sculptures", for their tiny, yet fairy-like golden silhouettes. The Artasia Gallery in Manila, is a product of his passion for sculpture, along with his mentor and father, Seb Chua and his uncle, the late Maximo Chan who was also an award winning sculptor and architect in the country.

Sculpture in the Philippines, isn't just about modernity and abstraction though. One famous artisan from Paete, carves realistic faces into alabaster, wood and other mediums to illustrate the passionate hearts of the Filipino people. Fred Baldemor has been sculpting for over three decades, and has been able to create masterful pieces derived from the faces and bodies of his muses. His beautifully classical work are often seen throughout the prominent houses of Manila, being that his craft has earned him a place in the eye of serious collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Baldemor maintains his studio himself, hand-carving his sculptures in the fashion that he's take on since the birth of his trade. From humble beginnings, he has climbed the artistic ladder to sit amongst the very top as one of the great artisans that the archipelago can proudly appreciate.



Aside from carving, Filipinos also love to paint. Historical records have shown us the incredible pieces of painters like Malang, Amorsolo and Joya. Many of whom were able to lead their respective movements in the scope of art genres within the nation's multi-cultural heritage. One of the late masters, Ang Kiu Kok, was of Chinese descent, but was able to strongly influence the avant-garde Filipino painters of later generations through his primal cubist style, proliferating colors of stark contrast against textures that were bold and full of emotion.



Kiu Kok's paintings garnered him the admiration of many collectors, up until his passing in 2005. Today, he still lives on through the beauty and impact of his many works, all of which stay precious in the permanent collections of the Philippines' colleges, schools and private galleries.

Artworks by Filipino Artists (Ramon Orlina, Kylo Chua, Fred Baldemor, Jose Joya, Kiu Kok Ang) Photography by Filbert Tiu and Publications of the Artists

When we talk about Asia, once country often pops into mind more frequently than any other- China. Donald Trump himself, has often referenced the business giant in many of his conference speeches and public addresses. The country's large expands of land houses a population famously known for being the best at mass-producing industry items.

Fortunately for China, the highly cultural society pays a lot of respects to their artisans, putting the forerunners of visual arts in high regard within social investments. Museums, art galleries and even schools have partnered with collectors to showcase the country's rich history of watercolor paintings, terracotta sculptures and more modern pieces from today's new and upcoming masters of art.

One person who has touched on the more modern side of Chinese art is sculptor Zheng Lu (郑路). This modernist has a portfolio of creations that are simply magnificent to behold, at least for many of us on the editorial team. A particular favorite series takes the splashing movement of water, and renders it into crisp, convoluted compositions that seem frozen in reflective metal. Such a style has enchanted a large portion of the Chinese public, and Lu's works have been cast into public monuments across major cities in China.







Zheng Lu's interpretations of natural wonder stir the senses into a believable paradox. His solid, yet flow-like sculptures give a us a sense of tranquility in an effortless form, without sharing the labor-intensive secrets of their creation and process. China's traditional artists have also played their part in influencing more modern practitioners. A deep-rooted appreciation for the elements, such as water, earth and fire, serves as a basis for a lot of subject matter in Chinese artistry.

Going even further into the development of Chinese art, we can take a look at the very existentially themed figures of Huang Yu Long (黄玉龙). This artist has become quite well known for his contemporary hooded-buddha sculptures, that seek to convey his message of the ongoing societal exchange between Chinese traditions and Western, contemporary beliefs. His pieces depict in many ways, the curious change happening more gravely within each new generation of Chinese citizens, as they forego ancient ways and beliefs in favor of foreign advancements and trends.







Yu Long graduated from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China's Jiangxi Province. Ever since his first art show, his style has always been growing and adapting to the many social issues and concerns that for him, need to be addressed by the most basic units of the current Chinese civilization. The curious, signature look of his figurines would be the missing head piece underneath a lifted hood, which has become a very strong symbol of his own personal expressions and beliefs.

If we're speaking about contemporary artists that have catapulted China to the forefront of the genre, Yue Minjun (岳敏君) is probably the one to mention. Called a cynical realist by several of his peers and the media, Yue has become famously received in many parts of the world for his pioneering "frozen laughter" artworks (which depict his own face by the way). Yue sort of rejects the allocation of the term cynical realism to his works, not believing in the labels touted around by people and critics.









His red-faced paintings and stark, gigantic sculptures are all of his laughing face, stylized in a very original manner. This highly recognizable trait has been copied by many younger artists, but Yue still retains the belt for being the first to propagate and popularize his style of 'happy expressionism' that the world has come to love.

Liu Jianhua's (刘建华) incredibly contemporary porcelain works and Sui Jianguo's (隋建國) conceptual "Made-in-China" themed assemblages are also among the more modern series of artworks coming out of China's fast-moving visual community. Trends, movements and advancements are all gearing the country for a higher form of art, however the very nostalgic traditions from their ancient cultures will always prove to be a factor in the way Chinese artisans conduct themselves in their respective fields. Chinese artists who have migrated to many different countries also carry with them, this sense of traditional influence. One such example is Kylo Chua Tsai (蔡宗凱)- a Chinese sculptor residing in the Philippines, who's delicate water-inspired figurine-sculptures also draw from an profound sense of elemental continuity. We'll mention more about this in our next country-themed documentary of modern art.

In all of my travels across Asia, I've been able to encounter a great divide in the schools of thought accepted and appropriated throughout the artistic communities. There seems to be some kind of popular definition-battle between critics, artists and galleries who are on one of two very opposite sides. On the one hand, there are the classicists otherwise known as the purists or traditionalists. This group proudly associates historical and ancestral art with a higher form of culture in their society. I've observed this trait to be most true in some areas of China, where the elder generations all but venerate the calligraphic-looking 'mopit' paintings of olden times. They put such a high regard on the idealism of these artists from past time periods, that any deviance from the prescribed standard insults the way art is supposed to be viewed. Not that everyone is like this- but there are extremists in every field of human culture, art included.



On the other end of the range, we see a bunch of people who love to experiment with combinatory learnings from different sources. They possess eclectic tastes that govern their direction when creating new artworks and exhibition pieces. Many people describe them as post-modernists or contemporary practicioners, and a majority of them belong to generations significantly younger than the group I previously mentioned. Milenials are also often times a part of this second category of artisans. A greatly appreciating view towards westernized movements can sometimes drive many artists to integrate into their works- values, messages and even techniques foreign to their forefathers' cultures.

It's just an observation that I've made, nothing else. There are of course, middleground people who simply appreciate that art can actually be one thing, while being another. There is no real limit to creativity. We can't predict it by putting it into a a set of definitions and restraining people to follow our schools of thought.

It's not a new concept to use art for the objective of sending a clear-cut message to society. Some artists make use of their craft to challenge stereotypical beliefs and behaviors about politics, age and culture. Rosanna Li Wei Han exhibits her public sculptures at the cityscapes of Hong Kong to showcase her own belief of challenging the views towards physical idealism in gender roles. As a retired professor of design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Li has years of experience dealing with the ability of art to capture people's attention. Her charming, yet simplistic sculptures defy the sexist concepts of "good bodily proportions" or anatomical "musts" often desired by society due to popularization in mainstream media.



Li's subjects are almost always human figures, both men and women whose phsyique tends to be more large-framed and hefty according to some observers. Some of her artwork series entitled “Men and Women ‧ This and That”, have prodded at society's grueling  definitions of how a human body should appear as. Distinctly though, she has also formed her pieces in such a way that they wouldn't appear offensive or strikingly apparent to anyone who either does or does not fit the proportions knelt on by those norms.







Her most famous sculpture is probably the permanent artwork situated over at Yau Tong Station, entitled People Passing By, People Lazing By. Her curriculum vitae showed us that she has also had an extensive educational journey throughout different countries of the world, including the Cheltenham & Gloucester College and the University of London in the UK, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Northcote College of Education.

Sculptures by Rosanna Li Wei Han, Photography by the artist's publications

Welcome to my little archive about the fine art sectors within the different countries of Asia. My father used to tell me that art is like a river, constantly flowing down a mountain path, sometimes splitting into different genres that stem off and create their own movements.



For me, art is one of my most elusive passions. As a writer, I've loved finding myself in new destinations across the continent, visiting private galleries, museums and universities has been an utmost pleasurable experience. Learning about the artistic cultures of old, as well as the curious tastes of more modern generations has been fascinating to say the least.

(Photographed is Yayoi Kusama, a personal favorite artist of mine, who's psychedelic style has earned her the name, Queen of polkadots.)