Grand Tribute to National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz

To celebrate the 80th birthday of National Artist Arturo Luz, various arts and culture institutions are going to hold a grand tribute to Luz, through a series of events and exhibits, billed In Light of Luz: National Artist, from Nov. 2006 to Jan. 2007.

A major highlight of this celebration will be the unveiling of a new public sculpture by Luz at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’s South Parking area on Nov. 22.

The line up of activities includes Luminary: Intimations of Arturo Luz on Nov. 14 to Dec. 31 at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). This exhibition acquaints the public with the intimate aspects of the life of Luz as National Artist. It will feature sketches, notes, art paraphernalia, trophies, clippings, books, catalogues and photographs.

Luz: A Light in the Museum, on Nov. 16 to Jan. 2007 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, will explore the parameters and vectors of the museological agency of Luz and its continuing influence on the conceptual frameworks of the Museum. The exhibit will feature photo documentation of exhibits, excerpts of exhibition notes and messages as well as selected artworks featured in the exhibitions.

Luz: Traces of Depiction, on Nov. 17 to Jan. 6, 2007, at the National Museum, is an exhibit that seeks to situate the art of Arturo Luz in the context of abstraction in Philippine culture, drawing from the collection of the National Museum and the CCP. It will feature textiles, sculptures, drawings and paintings by Luz.

Luz in Ateneo, on Nov. 21, 2006 to Jan. 21, 2007 at the Ateneo Art Gallery is an exhibition of early works of Arturo Luz, collected by his friend and colleague Fernando Zobel. It is an essay of Luz’s paintings and drawings from the 1950’s.

Luz: Let There Be Light, on Nov. 22 at the CCP, will feature three activities of which the main highlight is the unveiling of a new public sculpture by Luz at the CCP South Parking area. It will showcase short collaborations by lighting designers with theater artists, dancers and musicians, inspired by the visual works of Luz. Ballet Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino and the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group will perform.

For more information, call the NCCA at 527-2192 or the CCP at 832-3702.