YAY ARVIN FLORES!

So one of my favorite reasons for having literary events at art galleries is the two-fer of also seeing whatever is offered by an ongoing art exhibition (which I may not have otherwise attended). STAGE PRESENCE's launch was held at the I-Hotel's Manilatown Center which had an exhibition on "FILIPINO DIASPORA PART III: INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION" featuring Rick Rocamora, Valbuena Barent, Mel Vera Cruz, England Hidalgo, Arvin Flores and Sharon Hing. I've heard of most of these names before, and indeed am blessed with art works by Mel Vera Cruz and also have a card series by Sharon Hing which she'd created to reflect the plight of domestic workers in Hong Kong.

But Arvin Flores was new to me -- and in fact, for this particular exhibition, his work hanging there was a stand-out. Well, I'm glad to say that his piece --"Capit-sa-Talim, or the Limits of the Human Soul" -- is now part of Galatea's Art Collection. Woot!

Meanwhile, check out the exhibit if you can at this historic location, and I look forward to following up on this young artist's development over time!