To friends and family of Toots Magsino, naming her tenth solo show “Between Episodes” is self-explanatory. But to any stranger, the mixed media collage artist shares no hints of struggling with bipolar disorder.
“The arsenal I choose to combat this with is art,” claims Magsino. “I owe a great deal of my sanity and survival to it.”
“Between Episodes” will show at Ayala Museum ArtistSpace, running from June 15 to 28, 2011. An autobiographical talk will be held on June 18 at 3:30PM, also at ArtistSpace in line with the exhibition.
The works were created in between two major bipolar episodes. “Though I do suffer from the condition, it does not define me,” Magsino confesses. “My experiences are chronicled in the mixed media collages I have created. They are quiet, introspective, personal reflections.”
During her talk, Magsino will recount her non-traditional beginnings, the serendipitous journey that led her to spend thirteen years in New York, and the unusual circumstances that brought her back to Manila.
Magsino adds, “My art has evolved into an intimate dialogue between myself and the viewer. It’s like a special communication between two minds who seek to understand the other deeply.”
Toots Magsino has studied, lived, and worked in New York City since 1997. She completed two 4-year programs at the Art Students League of New York: Fine Arts Painting and Fine Arts Printmaking. In 2007, Carnegie Hall chose her abstract piece, “Unveil”, over 800 entries in a national art competition and used the artwork on their June playbill’s front cover. The following year, she was awarded an O-1B artist visa, granted by the United States government to “individuals with an extraordinary ability in the arts”. She has participated in over 30 group shows in the United States, Italy, Japan, Canada and the Philippines.
ArtistSpace is located at the 2F Glass Lane of Ayala Museum, Makati Avenue corner De la Rosa Street Greenbelt Park, Makati City, accessible via Greenbelt 4 walkway. Admission to the gallery is free. For more information, call 757-7117 to 21 local 24 or 35.
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