FROM A LONG TRADITION
The Philippines has enjoyed a long tradition of producing outstanding art from gifted artisans who have achieved world renown such as 19th century classicists like Juan Luna, Damian Domingo, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo; 20th century lyri-cal traditionalists such as Fernando Amorsolo and Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco and modernists like Jose T. Joya, Benedicto ‘Bencab’ Cabrera and Lee Agui-naldo. In this new century, it comes to no surprise to find the inheritors of this long line of inspired artists who, now in the mid-30s and early-40s, are making their own mark in the world’s art scene.
Cristina ‘Toots’ Magsino, an internationally-recog-nized Asian woman artist from the Philippines is a New York-trained painter, printmaker and mixed media artisan. In a national art competition spon-sored by Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, her stunning abstract piece “Unveil”, won over some 800 other entries from all over the United States and was featured on the cover of this world-famous insti-tution’s Playbill for June 2007.
Toots completed her art instructions at The Art Students League of New York. Founded in 1875 by artists and for artists, the League has been instru-mental in shaping both America’s and the world’s legacy in the fine arts. Many renowned artists have honed their skills at the League, which is dedicated to sustaining the great trad-ition of training artists. Some of the prominent artists who have studied or taught at the Art Students League include giants of the 19th and 20th century art world such as Alexander Calder, Georgia O’Keefe, Jackson Pollock and Robert Raus-chenberg.
SYMPATHY FOR HER MATERIALS
As a still very much young 21st century artist, Toots has already mounted 10 solo exhibitions and has participated in more than 30 group shows in the US, Japan, Italy, Canada and the Philippines. The world she conjures in the imagery of her art consists of fragmentary, shadowy, ambiguous forms; the autobiographic markers of her personal and artistic development in a global city. They reveal as much as they conceal.
Toots has a particularly well-developed sympathy for her materials. She transforms shapes and objects to serve her pictorial goals. Like a true alchemist, she changes the mundane and the everyday into the pro-found and timeless.
Take for example one of her several pieces on exhibit called ‘International Correspon-dence’ (see image, right). It is an 8- x 5-inch piece she finished in 2008 utilizing collage with Japanese newspaper, Philippine postage stamps, wax seal and assemblage with Philippine musical instrument on canvas. What inspired her while creating it is when ironically, she realized that living in New York made her fully appreciate her Filipino heritage and the importance of the values, traditions and even the language that defines Filipinos a people.
Recently this year from 15-28 June 2011, Toots launched her latest solo exhibit called ‘Between Episodes’ at the Ayala Museum located in the premiere City of Makati in Metro Manila Philippines. This video, produced by Robert Suntay, captures a few informal scenes that were taken during the exhibit’s opening day. It was a smashing success!
Watch The Video
The artist Toots Magsino has also been featured in the community websites of Filipinos in Auckland, Filipinos in Christchurch, Filipinos in Wellington, Bulwagan Foundation Trust, Filipino Artists in New Zealand, Inc. and the Society for Southeast Asian Com-munities, Inc.
During the Spanish
Filipinos in Hamilton 