Artistic Endeavors at the Davao International Airport

Art has a very liberating effect and offers some form of catharsis. Regardless of the medium, it is open to a variety of interpretations and most of the time, whatever you think of it, you're never wrong.

On my recent departure from Davao City, I chanced upon these series of seemingly unrelated paintings, pieced together into one whole "mural" (though I am loosely using the term "mural" here). If you look closely, you will notice that they're actually interconnected by a wave of line going on like ribbon strands, petal contours, or mountain tops. Yet if you individually check out each panel, they tell different stories; stories that burst into colors and themes. What a feast to the senses indeed. And if the message doesn't come across quite blatantly, a united vision makes one solid, beautiful macrocosm.

Though I am posting the "mural" here, you won't get the complete essence of the art work unless you see it on its actual display site. It's like seeing the Mona Lisa in photos, in the movies and from websites. But the experience of seeing "the lady with the mystique smile" at the Louvre in Paris is quite surreal. So please do check it out at the domestic pre-departure area of the Davao Airport.

Entitled "Yaman Kayamanan"(a redundant word play roughly meaning "Rich Affluence"), the mural depict the myriad of stories hailing from Mindanao. In the liner notes, these stories have been told in the visual art form, ranging from "the appreciation of the vast nature of the land to the traditional practices of the Mindanao society." In celebration of life's abundance, this mural pays homage to its people, the folks of Davao and Mindanao, in general.

The mural is a project of iconic Davao artist Kublai Millan with the support of Assistant Secretary Art Boncato of the Department of Tourism and Alex Montanez of the APM Group of Companies. Participating artists include Anton Candayona III, Nina Custodio, Boboy Buenaventura, Jeff Bangot, Victor Dumaguing, Jun Cayas, Jon Traya, Rosamond Alejar, Stella Estremera and Kublai Millan.  

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More about Davao Airport:

No-Trolley Airport
- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-airport-without-trolleys-davao.html

MIASCOR Lounge
- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2015/05/miascor-lounge-davao-international.html

Davao International Airport Feature
- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/11/davao-international-airport-and-its.html

Shops at the Davao International Airport
- http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2011/01/shops-at-davao-international-airport.html

Daytime at People's Park - Davao City Sights

The last time we visited Davao City's "People's Park", it was after dark when the lights rendered the life-sized statues of Kublai Millan a certain frivolity. But daytime gives them a more natural rendering because you see them the way they are without the element of nocturnal drama. Make no mistake, the pieces still exude theatricality and you can't help ogle at them. Even the simplest depictions - a woman sweeping the ground, a farmer hauling away a bunch of bananas, a maiden mopping the floor, a couple walking on stilts - are a joy to watch.

There were several statues I missed during my last two visits -and these we caught this time. The park is really an oasis in the very heart of Davao City.

At the gallery (left) was a photo exhibit of some of the great churches of the Philippines including several colonial/dated ones that I saw last time I was in Iloilo.

People's Park feels like a gift for the locals. Admission is free and there's security at the entrance gate. People could relax here, sit on benches under canopies, watch people jog, etc. It's just too bad that the fountains don't work in the daytime. It seems that the fountains have very limited "work hours" because the last time we visited in the evening, they weren't functioning as well.

Our first time visit is posted here (with more information):

Night Stroll - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/11/night-stroll-at-peoples-park-davao-city.html

Larger Than Life Statues - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/11/larger-than-life-statues-depict-folk.html

For first time visitors, they shouldn't miss dropping by People's Park. More photos of the ground up next.

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Flower vendors

Musicians

Fruit and vegetable peddlers

Fish vendors

It's time to party!

Toril Landmark - Davao City Attractions

When you're plying the Davao Highway south of the city, it's hard to miss this new landmark in Toril (a district of the city) rising beside the Gaisano Mall of Toril. It features bigger-than-life sculptures of rural folk: a farmer leads his wife who complacently sits on a carabao (water buffalo); fruit and fish peddlers; a kudyapi player; and a slice of Durian, the city's most popular, albeit pungent-smelling fruit.

On cursory glance, it's easy to reference this work to the city's most prolific sculptor, Kublai Millan (a Cotabato-born, UP Diliman-schooled artist) who graces several Davao City spots with his eye-catching works: those animated indigenous tribal folk found at the People's Park (Camus Street); gigantic eagles, majestic Durian sculptures at the airport facade, etc. However, this Toril landmark seemed more faithful to the human anatomy while Millan's previous works looked more playful, accentuated even, and, well, cartoony. I could be wrong; this could still be Millan's evolving artistry. Anyone knows if this Toril landmark is indeed Milan's? I'd appreciate any information on this.

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Inverted color makes an interesting image.