ASIA: Through the Eyes of A Filipino Artist | Manuel Baldemor

JUNE 25 to July 5, 2017
Art Circle Gallery Exhibit Hall
Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong

Opening Date: June 25, Sunday at 6PM

Manuel Baldemor’s career is one that is most celebrated, lauded, and inspired – spanning more than 30 years, local and international accolades, and countless exhibitions. But for all the laurels and accomplishments that rest on his shoulders, Baldemor lives an unencumbered and simple life, humbled by his own search for meaning and self.

A Global Villager

Baldemor is an artist that thrives in immersion. A consummate globe-trotter, he has traveled to more than 50 countries. And from those visits, some as a resident artist, he leaves, inspired and enriched by his experiences. Mining a vast resource of cultural heritage and finding meaningful connections in them, he sets out to create rich, sprawling ruralscapes, sceneries, and set pieces. His vistas of folk life around the world provide a glimpse of his artistic vision.

Cambodia and Vietnam

Serene and spiritual – Baldemor renders Angkor Wat’s panorama as a way of stepping back and seeing a bigger picture, and gives more than just a view, but a perspective of introspection and reflection.

Calm and collective – Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay view on a light summer’s day is as clear and as still as it can be.

His artistic imprints are like little postcards and souvenirs, memoirs of his travels. But this does not make Baldemor world-weary. If anything, his rural, folksy vistas contain the heart of his artistic expression: of finding common ground, of shared identities that go beyond mere geographical proximity. In Baldemor’s search of meaning, he has found more than himself – he has found community, family, and heritage.