An exhibit honoring National Artist Carlos 'Botong' Francisco

A couple of art pieces by Botong that are on display. PHOTOS: Danny Pata

An exhibit honoring National Artist Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco is currently on view at the atrium of SM City Masinag until Monday, June 12.

As an artist who influenced, and in turn was inspired by his community, Botong’s body of work serves as a visual document of timeless and traditional folkways in his beloved Angono, where he was born and where he lived.

The exhibit also demonstrates how cultural spaces in the province today, like the Pinto Art Museum, serve as gateways for modern and contemporary art through the works of Erwin Leano and Haps Antido, as well as the Samson brothers, Jerson, Pos and Jaypee.

The exhibit is part of My City, My SM, My Art, a cultural roadshow that aims to showcase and celebrate the works of masters, modernists, and millennials in mall spaces at key cities and provinces around the Philippines.

Rizal is a no-brainer choice of a stop. Thanks to its dynamic artist communities and folk festivals, the province named after our National Hero Jose Rizal, has been known as the cradle of Philippine Art.

It has, time and again been honored as the country’s culture capital. In August 2010, it was included in an ASEAN program that highlights cultural initiatives as a key element in ASEAN community building.—LA, GMA News