By Sunshine Selga Funa
Christina Dy’s works flourishes in this gallery-turned-boutique hotel.
Push through the doors of Space Encounters Gallery, and you might wonder if you made the wrong turn. Suddenly, you’re no longer in a gallery (not that Space Encounters is your run-of-the-mill gallery, to begin with); instead, you’re transported to a boutique hotel awash in deep blues, with images of evocative flowers and fluid masculine forms.
Push through the doors of Space Encounters Gallery, and you might wonder if you made the wrong turn. Suddenly, you’re no longer in a gallery (not that Space Encounters is your run-of-the-mill gallery, to begin with); instead, you’re transported to a boutique hotel awash in deep blues, with images of evocative flowers and fluid masculine forms.
This “boutique hotel,” which comes complete with vignettes of a lounge area, a bedroom, and even a bathroom, serves as an elaborate backdrop for Christina Dy’s works. Her subjects—flamboyant orchids and the male body—are rendered in pencil, graphite, and acrylic gouache, and peppers every corner of the gallery. One particular work titled “Wrap” is a 15-foot piece that spans almost an entire wall—undeniably the piece de resistance among the rest of Dy’s creations.
For this particular solo show, Dy also came up with patterns that the gallery translated into wallpaper designs, pillows, and even an accent chair. Dy, who has already done solo and group shows here and abroad, and is one of the Cultural Center of the Philippines 13 Artist awardees in 2009, explains, “Since Space Encounters Gallery is also an interior design space, I wanted to make work specifically for this space.” Guests, which include filmmakers, interior designers, the press, and other artists, found their way to specific spots in the gallery during the opening last June 22—sitting comfortably in the lounge or catching up by the long table in the communal dining area.
For this particular solo show, Dy also came up with patterns that the gallery translated into wallpaper designs, pillows, and even an accent chair. Dy, who has already done solo and group shows here and abroad, and is one of the Cultural Center of the Philippines 13 Artist awardees in 2009, explains, “Since Space Encounters Gallery is also an interior design space, I wanted to make work specifically for this space.” Guests, which include filmmakers, interior designers, the press, and other artists, found their way to specific spots in the gallery during the opening last June 22—sitting comfortably in the lounge or catching up by the long table in the communal dining area.
Wild Orchids is Space Encounters Gallery’s first immersive exhibit that brings together art and interior design. The exhibit is done in partnership with Porcelanosa, a Spanish brand of premium bathroom fixtures; Philippine Beds, a manufacturer of quality mattresses; and Plasti-Kaps Inc., a supplier of wallpaper.
Wild Orchids runs until July 26, 2018. Space Encounters Gallery is located at Unit 7D, 7/F Padilla Building, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. The gallery is open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays, and 11am to 5pm on Saturdays by appointment. Email spacegallery.info@gmail.com or call 0917-7956739 for inquiries.
Wild Orchids runs until July 26, 2018. Space Encounters Gallery is located at Unit 7D, 7/F Padilla Building, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. The gallery is open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays, and 11am to 5pm on Saturdays by appointment. Email spacegallery.info@gmail.com or call 0917-7956739 for inquiries.
