Rough Groove

A couple of photo exhibits in Makati

Saturday and went to Ayala Museum to catch the World Press Photography exhibit. However, while passing through Greenbelt 3, Alliance Francaise was having a photo exhibit also as part of its offerings for the French Spring in Manila event. At the museum, another ongoing exhibit are Spanish era lighthouses as documented nationwide.

At the Ayala Museum, an ongoing exhibit on Philippine Spanish era lighthouses was set at the 3rd floor. Together with a published book, this is good information on history, significance and current conditions of these sentinels of the sea. Unfortunately, I was able to browse the publication and I was just not too impressed with the photography. By the way, a series of stamps were also included to coincide with this project.

Part of the offerings of French Spring in Manila, this is an exhibit of the photos of Juan Caguicla on various facets and faces of that romantic city, Paris. Not only on the familiar like the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, he also includes photos of subways, and the inner streets and shops that are not often depicted.

I was very much impressed and thankful that Makati was one of the stops of this travelling exhibit! Never have I seen such wonderful works by topnotch photojournalists, all winners of this prestigious contest. The photos are very evocative of the struggles of humankind and the simple joys of simple lives.

One is overcome with emotion seeing the image above of the woman wherein the wrinkled handls of her child covers her mouth or the sad face, wrought with emotion of a father comforting his son whose right arm was just amputated after that massive earthquake in Pakistan. With the captions and some photo essays, one is moved on a particular feature of a young pregnant woman getting into grips with the death of her husband who came back already inside a casket from Iraq. Or the series of head shots, wonderful portraits of idealistic young men who see being drafted in the military for Iraq as a ticket to escape the harsher realities of a possible future that might not offer too much. What awaits this men? These boys? One questions.

One should catch this wonderful exhibit which is only until the end of the month. And that is next week. Entrace to the museum is P150.