• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
A Negrense visual artist opened his first solo art exhibition at Tippy’s Bistro at 10th street, Bacolod City Friday, featuring about 100 artworks in acrylic, which took him a year to prepare.
The show of Denews Fronteras, titled “The Modern Eye,” will run until March 24.
Guest of honor at the opening was Michael Kreuzberg, a retired marine scientist from Rostock Germany.
Fronteras, who hails from Hinigaran, was a finalist in the April 2022 “Pulse Awards” of Pulse Gallery in Bangkok, Thailand. He worked as a 2D animator at the Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center and was an artist for a local department store before deciding to become a freelance artist.
He coined the name of the art group, UNA, for United Negros Artists, derived from a Hiligaynon term which means “first” or “beginning”, on June 4, 2022.
The first core group was formed at the Ayala Malls composed of Giljohn Magbanua, Eugene Labares, Leodulph Yulo, Wen Quilisadio, Wara Ichi, Sherwyn Cadianza, Tibor Show and himself, Fronteras said.
The group was supposed to be launched last October and December. But later this year, it was modified by the core group into an alliance with the objective of highlighting the talents of all artists from Negros, he said.
Fronteras will be holding his second solo exhibit on March 4 at the Art District that will open at 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Terence Dacles, co-owner of Tippy’s Bistro, said they support local talents from music, visual arts, theater, etc., by offering Maya’s Artspace especially for the young talents of Negros. They also collaborate with the Rekindle group every two months to showcase music, poetry, theater, and visual arts, among others, for the purpose of art awareness and appreciation.
Dacles said they recently held the second “Tipsing” series in support of the National Arts Month to challenge local artists to be creative and innovative in upcycling the broken beer mugs which they serve in their restaurant.
Different art groups like Artistic Crew and Binhi Creatives participated in the event. The latter will be holding their exhibit next month, he said.
All the artwork at Tippy’s Bistro are for sale, Dacles added.*
