What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit. - John Updike
How art makes us "feel something" down to our core and lift up our spirits - is one of the things I can never fathom. I am sure you also agree.
Whenever we bask in art - drawings, paintings, scruptures, songs/music, dances, the variety of colours, textures, forms, sizes & shapes - there is something about our humanity that instantly feels a certain "connection".
That's the word - connection. When I visited Bencab Museum during that blissful trip to Baguio, I felt like I got connected to the artists who had their exhibit showcased.
Some artworks made me feel sad, to the point of being a bit depressed. There was pain and much loneliness that contain these art. It was undeniable.
Then there are some art pieces that made me happier. It was like sunshine on a rainy day, if there ever is something as such. The way they held optimism and so much hope.
It was certainly an awesome experience. The place was huge and filled with so many artworks! That is why I divided the Bencab experience into two blog posts. Please stay tuned for the last bit of this content. 😘
Below you will find some helpful information and scoop about this place. These facts are from their official website. Enjoy! 🤗
🌸MUSEUM INFORMATION
The BenCab Museum houses the permanent collection of Philippine National Artist Benedicto Cabrera (BenCab) in several galleries, as well as venues for art shows and exhibitions. The Philippine Contemporary Art Galleries highlight the artist’s collection of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture. The smaller exhibition rooms contain other collections accumulated by BenCab through the years.
BenCab Gallery features the artist’s own works over a continuing artistic career that spans more than four decades, a saga that starts in Manila in the turbulent 60s, finds fruition in the 70s in London and other art centers of Europe, and continues after his homecoming in the mid-80s and reestablishing roots in Baguio and the Cordilleras.
🌸MORE INFORMATION:
The BenCab Museum is on Km. 6 Asin Road, a brief 15-minute drive from the center of Baguio City. Built on a promontory, the museum commands a breathtaking view of the adjacent garden, farm, hill and mini-forest, the surrounding mountains, and the South China sea in the distant west.
With its vision of bringing arts closer to the people, the museum houses the artist’s collections of his own works, as well as those of acknowledged Filipino masters and rising contemporary artists. The granary gods, lime containers, native implements, weapons and other outstanding examples of indigenous arts and crafts of the Cordilleras are also highlighted – a reminder of the rich material culture and traditions of the northern Philippine highlands that has fascinated BenCab since the 1960s, and part of the reason why he has made Baguio home since the mid-80s.
The Bencab Museum is committed to the promotion of the arts, and the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment, as well as the culture and traditions of the Cordilleras, as an expression of the artist’s gratitude to the country that nurtured and inspired an artistic career that continues to grow, mature and fascinate.
🌸FARM & GARDEN INFO:
The Farm & Garden below the museum showcase organic farm produce and the typical indigenous architecture of the Ifugao, Kalinga and Bontoc. A river meanders through the property, with cascading waterfalls on one end. The hill and mini forest across, which features an eco trail, is also the source of fresh spring water used in the museum and farm. The artist, assisted by native coworkers, grows seasonal vegetables, herbs, strawberries, sweet potatoes, coffee and ornamentals. There is an aviary housing peacocks and various birds, and a veritable animal farm with ducks, geese, turkeys, and other local livestock.