Lopez Museum and Library invites you to take part in “Ukit: The Art of Santo Carving”, a discussion on the art of santo-making from the religious images it employs to the actual process that goes into making the figures. Join Dr. Esperanza Gatbonton and guest artist Riel Hilario as they give new perspective on how these familiar tradition figures in contemporary Philippine culture.

Riel Hilario, who comes from a family of traditional santo sculptors and carvers, will talk about how his contemporary art practice was transformed by his early exposure to religious imagery. Riel has had several solo exhibitions in the Philippines (The Drawing Room and Art Informal, among others), New York, Singapore, and Paris and was one of the Cultural Center of the Philippine’s Thirteen Artists Awardees back in 2012. In the same year, he was also named one of the winners of the Ateneo Art Awards and Philippine Art Awards.

Dr. Esperanza Gatbonton will speak about the scholarly work that she has done on the subject, with highlights of her published researches “Philippine Religious Carvings in Ivory” and “A Hertiage of Saints”. Last 2014, she was also a panelist at the conference entitled Transpacific Engagements (Ayala Museum).

Ukit: The Art of Santo Carving with Dr. Esperanza Gatbonton and Riel Hilario will be held at the Lopez Museum and Library on September 5 (Saturday) 2-5 pm. Admission is Php 115 for students and Php 135 for adults. For inquiries please call us at 6312417 or email: lmmpasig@gmail.com.

This event is brought to you in part by Gourmet Farms Inc.