Iloilo City Tourism Officer Junel Divinagracia, ILOMOCA Museum Director Maricel Montero, Megaworld Corporation COO Lourdes Gutierrez-Alfonso, Iloilo City First Lady Rosalie Sarabia-Treñas, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas and art patron Ed Valencia with Kaon Na Ta Exhibition curators Manuel Ocampo, Marika Constantino and Rock Drilon.
“I believe that an art exhibition can be engaging, fun and deeply intellectually satisfaying and serious. These are not contradictory concepts in art.” – Jeffrey Deitch
Metro Iloilo’s art scene was abuzz with the Kaon Na Ta! Exhibition at Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA). An eclectic mix of artist, art lovers and the curious came to see and been seen.
Touted to be the biggest gathering of artists from Cosmo-Manille and Western Visayas, Kaon Na Ta! is a melding of visual flavors from paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, collage, misxed media works installations, art in bottle, videos, murals to education programs,
Kaon Nat Ta! is an Ilonggo phrase of an invitation to eat and share. In this context, the exhibition is a metamorphic interpretation of feeding and enjoying one’s appetite for visual flavors. Indeed, everyone’s appetite was more than satisfied.
ILOMOCA Museum Director Maricel Montero, Kaon Na Ta Exhibition curators Rock Drilon, Manuel Ocampo and Marika Constantino, and Megaworld Corporation Vice President and Head of Public Relations and Media Affairs Harold Geronimo at the pre-inauguration Press Conference at The Granary of Richmonde Hotel Iloilo
The featured artists of Kaon Na Ta! Exhibition join Mayor Jerry P. Treñas and art patron Ed Valencia.
According to the curators, MARIKA CONSTANTINO, ROCK DRILON and MANUEL OCAMPO, the exhibition’s title “also implies generosity, hospitality, congregation and gratification.”
The featured artists include BRYAN LIAO, JANINE TOLORES, EYECAN CREATIVES, JASON RUFINO, PJ CABANALAN, MARVIN DLAISAY, JEANROLL EJAR, NOEL ELICANA, ORLAND ESPINOSA, TRYRON DAVE ESPINOSA, KINNO FLORENTINO, KAT MALAZARTE, BARRY MATTHEW NAMO, ROSELLE PEREZ, DA DA, NUNELUCIO ALVARADO, KRISTOFFER ARDEÑA, CHARLIE CO, MANNY MONTELIBANO and NEIL PASILAN of Western Visayas, and POKLONG ANADING, ARGIE BANDOY, VALERIA CAVESTANY, LENA COBANGBANG, MIKE CRISOSTOMO, JIGGER CRUZ, IDAN CRUZ, MARIA CRUZ, PATRICK CRUZ, TRACIE ANGLO DIZON, ARVIN FLORES, ROBERT LANGENEGGER, ROMEO LEE, POW MARTINEZ, ARVIN NOGUERAS, JAYSON OLIVERIA, CARLO RICAFORT, GEREMY SAMALA, GERARDO TAN, MANJA VICENTE, MM YU and JEONA ZOLETA of Cosmo-Manille.
“More than simply showcasing art that feeds the senses, we hope that Kaon Na Ta! stimulates and sustains dialogue on identity and creativity, says MARICEL MONTERO, ILOMOCA Museum Director. “Through this exhibition, we also aim to strengthen Iloilo’s identity as a significant hub for arts and culture in the region and as a premier destination for contemporary art in the Philippines.
Kaon Na Ta!/A Melding of Visual Flavors will run until August 18, 2023 at ILOMOCA’s second floor galleries. The murals are mounted throughout the nearby Festive Walk Parade while Art in a Bottle are displayed at the Brandy Museum.
Opened in 2018, ILOMOCA is the first museum in the Visayas region dedicated to modern and contemporary art. It is managed by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and located within Casa Emperador. (Photos by Jade Dequiña)
