This year’s iteration of the MEGA Ball celebrates art through an astonishing exhibition of works from the country’s finest artists and emerging talents.
MEGA has served as the country’s first homegrown fashion title for 31 years and counting. Today, the brand has expanded exponentially, covering a variety of media niches for different generations and audiences. Amid MEGA’s rapid growth and evolution, its goal to empower and commemorate Filipino creatives remains the same.
The annual MEGA Ball, which celebrates its 13th year in 2023, is a testament to this. Taking place tonight at The Peninsula Manila, the ball not only aims to honor Independence Day, but also highlight Filipino artistic talent in and beyond the realm of fashion.
Entitled “MEGA Ball: Art and Fashion,” this evening’s event features an expansive exhibition of works from both the country’s master artists and its emerging talents.
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“Much has been said about Filipino artistry and craftsmanship, how we are teeming with talent, with potential. Despite the relentless and seemingly insurmountable challenges that Filipino creativity has faced over the years, it continues to grow,” shared MEGA editor-in-chief, Peewee Reyes-Isidro, during her rousing opening remark.
“We often talk about how talented Filipinos are—do we really need another reminder? Absolutely,” continued Isidro.
Besides honoring master artists like Ramon Orlina, Daniel Dela Cruz, Mark Justiniani, Manny Garibay, and John Santos, the event also features the works of rising talents. This group is composed of diverse individuals with great potential, each one offering a unique point-of-view through their works.
To get a taste of this Filipino artistic excellence, below are the works exhibited at tonight’s MEGA ball:
MASTERS
Works from master artists were displayed at the Peninsula’s Conservatory. The collection features pieces from Daniel Dela Cruz, Elmer Borlongan, Geraldine Javier, John Santos, Manny Garibay, Mark Justiniani, and Rodel Tapaya.
Daniel Dela Cruz
Daniel Dela Cruz is a renowned sculptor who’s known for his socially-relevant pieces. The multi-faceted artist works with a variety of materials and launched his first exhibition in 2007. Entitled Kandungan, his debut solo show was an ode to the female figure and motherhood. Dela Cruz was also responsible for designing the recognizable medal and torch of 2019’s SEA Games.
Below are six of the artist’s sculptural works that were exhibited at the MEGA Ball:
“King of the World” (23.75 x 9.75 x 64.5 inches). Brass, copper, solder, with copper electroplating on a wooden carved boat and metal base.
“Adam’s Reawakening” (27.5 x 18.5 x 67.75 inches). Brass, copper, solder, with copper electroplating in a hand-carved hardwood altar case with distressed mirror backing.
“Original Sin” (21.75 x 11.5 x 39.5 inches). Brass, copper, solder, with copper electroplating in a hand-carved hardwood altar case with distressed mirror backing.
“Eve’s Reawakening” (28.75 x 20 x 42.25 inches). Brass, copper, solder, with copper electroplating in a hand-carved hardwood altar case with distressed mirror backing.
“I Am My Own Worst Enemy” (30 x 18.5 x 43.25 inches). Brass, copper, solder, with copper electroplating on a wooden carved boat and metal base.
“Fisher of Men” (31.5 x 21.75 x 62 inches). Brass, copper, solder, with copper electroplating on a wooden carved boat and metal base.
Elmer Borlongan
Multi-awarded artist Elmer Borlongan has had his works exhibited in the Fukuoka Art Museum, Singapore Art Museum, and Pinto Art Museum, just to name a few. His large-scale works often touch upon the struggles of the Filipino working class and draw inspiration from a childhood spent in the bustling cities of Manila.
Subjects with caricatured characteristics like large eyes, long limbs, and bald heads are also recognizable features of Borlongan’s visual language. After moving to the province, Borlongan’s focus shifted from urban experiences to more bucolic slices of life.
Two of his works were featured in this evening’s MEGA Ball:
“Taong Naiinip” (48 x 48 inches, oil on canvas)
“The Farmer’s Wife” (36 x 48 inches, oil on canvas)
Geraldine Javier
Geraldine Javier’s works explore the complexities of Catholic culture in the Philippines, “combining cool calculated sophistication with raw urban grit,” described Ocula. Some common imagery found across her work include those of death, dysfunctional relationships, emotional violence, and misery. While her pieces explore religious iconography, the messages they communicate are universal in scope.
Two of Javier’s works were exhibited in tonight’s MEGA Ball:
“Hysteria” (78 ¾ x 158 ½ inches; oil on canvas, framed mirror, embroidery, and cow skull with tatting lace)
“Filofea, Catalina, Erlinda at Aurea” (72x64x2.5 inches; ink, encaustic, and antlers on canvas).
John Santos
Though surrealistic and whimsical in appearance, John Santos’ works are grounded in his everyday experiences and musings. The prominent artist employs techniques that
play between flatness, surface design and tonal depictions of mass,” according to the Pintô Art Museum.
After pursuing art as a full-time career in 2004, Santos garnered both local and foreign recognition, particularly during his 2012 presentation in Art Basel Hong Kong, where he was well-received by international contemporary art auctions like Christie’s.
Two of Santos’ works were displayed at the MEGA Ball, namely:
“Freeway 1 and 2” (9 feet; lumber, steel, transfer, resin castings, paint, ready made objects cement board, skim coat, LED monitor)
“Untitled” (72 x 48 inches, oil on canvas)
Manny Garibay
Incorporating social and political consciousness with an expressionist figurative style, Manny Garibay creates works that depict the marginalized and dispossessed. His pieces have been featured in Asia, the U.S., and Europe, and are recognized for their unique blend of humor, seriousness, incisive social critique, and storytelling.
Ordinary Filipino citizens are the main subjects of his works, from newsboys to cigarette vendors. “It is the richness of the poor that I am drawn to and which I am a part of, that I want to impart,” Garibay once said.
Two of his works were featured in this evening’s MEGA Ball:
“Tao Po” (92 x 39 inches, oil on wood)
“Bakuran” (84 x 82 inches, oil on canvas)
Mark Justiniani
Artist-activist Mark Justiniani is known for his magic-realist works that depict both urban and rural Filipino experiences. At once humorous and sentimental, his art often critiques Philippine post-colonial politics and culture. He’s represented the country in both national and international shows, including those held in Copenhagen, Sydney, Singapore, and Los Angeles, among others. Justiniani has also created sculptural works that play with depth and light through reflective surfaces and diorama-type installations.
Justiniani’s oil on canvas work, entitled “Sugod” (5 x 7 feet) was chosen to be exhibited in this year’s MEGA Ball.
Rodel Tapaya
Winner of the Nokia Art Awards in 2001, Rodel Tapaya is renowned for his expansive canvases, narrative murals, and sculptural installations. His works often use Filipino literary folklore to explore social, political, and environmental concerns. As such, the conflict between tradition and rapid urbanization is often present in his works.
“In some way, I realize that old stories are not just metaphors. I can find connections with contemporary time. It’s like the myths are poetic narrations of the present,” explained Tapaya in an interview with Ocula.
Two of his works were displayed in tonight’s MEGA Ball:
“Manual, The King of the Air” (60 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas)
“Perya” (60 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas)
ICON AWARDEE
Ramon Orlina
MEGA Ball’s Icon Awardee is none other than Ramon Orlina, a licensed architect and contemporary artist best known for his glass sculptural work. The established artist made waves in the local art scene after his 1975 one-man show at the Hyatt Hotel. His glass works have garnered awards in a variety of competitions, including the “Mr. F” prize in 1999’s Toyamura International Sculpture Biennale and First Prize in the 2000’s II Bienale International del Baloncesto en las Bellas Artes.
Orlina would go on to open his own private museum, Museo Orlina, to host his oeuvre of spectacular pieces in 2013. Seven prized works from the artist were exhibited in this evening’s MEGA Ball:
“Limestone Hills of El Nido” (25 x 67 x 26 centimeters; carved green glass)
“Shell in Your Pocket and Sand in Your Toes” (44 x 31 x 26 centimeters; carved peridot glass)
“Scraping the Sky” (62 x 24 x 24 centimeters; carved orange crystal)
“Glorious Expectations” (36 x 35 x 23 centimeters; carved green glass)
“Bond of Strength and Love” (60 x 29 x 27 centimeters; carved green glass)
“Holy Family 2022” (58 x 28 x 8 centimeters; carved lavender crystal)
“Untitled” (41 x 28 x 23 centimeters; carved apple green glass)
EMERGING TALENTS
Works from emerging artistic talents were displayed in The Peninsula’s Rigodon Ballroom. The collection showcases pieces from Ayka Go, Chelsea Theodossis, Demi Padua, Jinggoy Buensuceso, Lilianna Manahan, Marc Aran Reyes, Nice Buenaventura, Winna Go, and Yeo Kaa.
Ayka Go
Ayka Go has had her works exhibited in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and France, just to name a few. The young artist pulls inspiration from mundane moments and nostalgic memories when creating her lauded three-dimensional paper foldings.
Her art reveals the sensuous beauty of something as simple as paper, with creases and folds creating complex shapes and landscapes.
Two of Go’s works were exhibited in tonight’s MEGA Ball:
Collage Study 17 (4.5 x 4.5 feet, oil on canvas)
Collage Study III (64 feet, oil on canvas)
Chelsea Theodossis
Chelsea Theodossis finds beauty in the everyday with her paintings of regular objects, like books and paper. Depicting the ordinary extraordinarily, the artist communicates intangible feelings and memorializes them through the tangible.
At only 28-years-old, Theodossis has been featured in over 23 group exhibitions, and has staged solo shows since 2020. She was also a semi-finalist in the 2018 and 2019 Metrobank Art and Design Excellence awards.
Theodossis’ oil on canvas work entitled “White Troll Farm” (5 x 6 feet) was exhibited in this year’s MEGA Ball.
Demi Padua
Demi Padua’s works depict scenes from childhood imagination and fantasies, rendered using fittingly playful trompe l’oeil techniques. With collage and mixed media techniques, Padua creates pieces that possess a three-dimensional look, one that’s emblematic of his love for thinking outside the box and surpassing the boundaries of inhibitions.
Two of Padua’s works were exhibited in tonight’s MEGA Ball:
“Stronger Than Before” (60 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas)
“I Was Once A Joker” (46 x 36 feet, acrylic on canvas)
Jinggoy Buensuceso
Jinggoy Buensuceso’s works are inspired by his deep admiration for nature, as well as a childhood exposed to great art in Singapore and New York. A three-time Mugna awardee, the artist mainly works with metal, wood, and cement to create functional works of art that marry clean lines and organic forms. Buensuceso also heavily incorporates the color black in his works, which he views as an “infinite canvas for possibilities.”
Two sculptural installations from Buensuceso were exhibited in tonight’s MEGA Ball.
Lilianna Manahan
Lilianna Manahan was one of six Rising Asian Talents at the first Maison et Objets Asia in 2014. The artist is lauded for her diverse work that utilizes an assortment of mediums and techniques. From the large-scale to miniscule, Manahan’s pieces are made using materials like metal, stone, and ceramic, switching between industrial and whimsical in style.
“My work lies between the cross hairs of design and art, where snippets of life’s truths are expressed, illustrated and made a little more clear,” Manahan once shared.
Three of the artist’s works were exhibited in tonight’s MEGA Ball:
“Since ’95” (18 inches, sterling silver)
“Cissy Strut” (18 inches; casted and sculpted sterling silver, 22 carat gold plated)
“Supafly” (18 inches; casted and sculpted sterling silver, 22 carat gold plated)
Marc Aran Reyes
With a signature style composed of black and white tones, Marc Aran Reyes creates hyper-realistic works that depict life’s polarities and conflicts. Drawing inspiration from music and memory, Reyes’ works highlight the natural beauty of its female subjects.
Though he acknowledges the role of technology as an artistic tool, he also emphasizes the importance of a human touch. “I opt to express the bittersweet truth of life in my paintings,” he once shared. “I am a fan of humanity.”
Reyes’ oil on canvas piece entitled “Coexist” (54 x 72 inches) was one of his works displayed in tonight’s MEGA Ball.
Nice Buenaventura
Nice Buenaventura combines drawing, painting, installation, and citizen-ethnography to create works that delve into the intersection of ethics and aesthetics. The artist and lecturer deploys a variety of strategies and methods of productivity to communicate degenerative expressions of concern while discovering new semantics to spark social change. This is most evident in her “Tropikalye” project, a co-learning resource for vernacular culture in post-colonial Philippines.
Buenaventura’s digital and interactive piece entitled “Boolean Garden” was chosen to be exhibited in this year’s MEGA Ball via television installation.
Winna Go
Known for creating works inspired by Impressionism and representational art, Winna Go aims to spark engaging conversations on pertinent issues among her audiences. Using patterns and symbolisms from paper folding, Go also incorporates elements from both Filipino and Chinese culture into her works. In doing so, the works touch upon the artist’s own identity and place in society.
Go wishes to continue using her art as a form of investigation and a source of discourse that connects members of the public. Two of Go’s works were exhibited in tonight’s MEGA Ball:
Fortitude (72 x 60 inches, oil on canvas)
Zeal (9 x 6 feet, oil on canvas)
Yeo Kaa
Yeo Kaa’s vibrant visuals are visceral explorations of real-life horrors. Candy-colored pictures paired with disturbing imagery create a contrast that makes the artist’s style instantly recognizable. Though some may find these pieces dark and unsettling, their raw honesty allows viewers to face these terrors head on. To Yeo Kaa, her craft is a conduit for cathartic release, one that allows her to freely express deep-seated fears and anxieties.
The artist aims to connect with her audiences through the broad aspects of human experience that her works convey. Two of Yeo Kaa’s works were chosen to be exhibited in this year’s MEGA Ball:
“Blood and Stitches” (5 x 4 feet, acrylic on canvas)
“They All Just Gonna Watch You Die” (2 x 4 feet, acrylic on canvas)
Banner photo by Daniel Tan.
