PH CONSULATE’S FINAL EXHIBITION OF 2024 SPOTLIGHTS FILIPINO VISUAL ARTISTS FROM PHILIPPINES, BAY AREA
At a toast celebrating the launch of the “Kara o Krus” art exhibit. From left to right: Vice Consul Adrian Baccay, and visual artists Mel Vera Cruz, Mike Carrion, Jes Evangelista, and Michael Sacramento. (San Francisco PCG photo)
SAN FRANCISCO, USA – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco is hosting an art exhibit featuring six visual artists from the Philippines and the Bay Area, marking the Consulate’s final exhibition of 2024.
Held under the auspices of Sentro Rizal San Francisco, the Consulate held the opening of the “Kara o Krus” art exhibit at the Philippine Center in San Francisco on 9 December 2024.
Curated by renowned artist Jes Evangelista, “Kara o Krus” presents recent artworks from artists, who interprets the “kara o krus” or “heads or tails” as dual forms of Filipino identity: living in the Philippines and in the United States; expression of one’s individual culture in the Philippines vs. expression of the Filipino culture in another country; and desire to experience other countries vs. desire to return to the home country.
These different perspectives of the art exhibit’s main theme are expressed by six accomplished Filipino visual artists: Jes Evangelista, Karen Fabie Concepcion, and Myk Velasco from the Philippines; and Mike Carrion, Mel Vera Cruz, and Michael Sacramento of the United States.
In his welcome remarks on behalf of Consul General Neil Ferrer, Vice Consul and Acting Head of Post Adrian Baccay noted the timely conduct of the art exhibit in December, observed in the Philippines as the “Month of Overseas Filipinos.”
“[This month] is a time to recognize the sacrifices, hard work, and resilience that Filipino migrants and expatriates display in their daily lives. It is also a time to celebrate the ways in which we, as a community, continue to contribute to the global landscape in meaningful ways—through culture, through innovation, and through the creative arts,” Vice Consul Baccay said.
“It is fitting that we celebrate this exhibit during the Month of Overseas Filipinos, as it is a moment to not only honor the Filipino spirit, but also to shine a light on the countless Filipino artists, educators, makers and creators who make meaningful contributions to the cultural landscape of their adopted countries including here in America, home to the biggest diaspora outside the Philippines,” Vice Consul Baccay added.
Vice Consul Baccay and the Filipino visual artists in attendance formally opened the art exhibit with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A toast and a reception followed the exhibition’s formal launch. Also joining the exhibition launch were Vice Consul Hannah Go and Vice Consul Glaiza Quarteros.
The Consulate invites the public to visit the art exhibit, which will run at the Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall until 13 December 2024. END
Vice Consul and Acting Head of Post Adrian Baccay and exhibit curator Jes Evangelista join the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially launch the “Kara o Krus” art exhibit. Also joining the ceremony, from left to right: Mike Carrion, Mel Vera Cruz, and Michael Sacramento. (San Francisco PCG photo)
Vice Consul and Acting Head of Post Adrian Baccay gives his welcome remarks at the opening of the “Kara o Krus” art exhibit, held at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center in San Francisco on 9 December 2024. (San Francisco PCG photo)
Visual artist and exhibit curator Jes Evangelista provides an overview of the “Kara o Krus” art exhibit, during the exhibition’s opening at the Philippine Center in San Francisco on 9 December 2024. (San Francisco PCG photo)
From left to right: Vice Consul Glaiza Quarteros, Mike Carrion, Mel Vera Cruz, Vice Consul and Acting Head of Post Adrian Baccay, Jes Evangelista, Michael Sacramento, and Vice Consul Hannah Go. (San Francisco PCG photo)