What history lay hidden behind an old sailboat?
What shores had it docked on?
What dramas had taken place aboard its deck?
What tempests of nature had it endured?
These must have been playing inside the mind of painter Ramon Diaz when he saved a sunken 29-foot, three-ton sloop full keel when the Manila Yacht Club brought it out of the water three years ago. "There was already too much damage to be restored, but too memorable to be discarded", he noted. Crafted in a manner reminiscent of the European way of building boats in the 30s and 40s, the Imelda I (the name was traced by its former owner Eddie Go of the Makati Stock Exchange in the 50s who traced it back to its earliest owner Miguel Magsaysay of the Magsaysay Lines) was said to have sailed from Europe to Guam then to Manila.
Passagemakers reflects Diaz's passion for sailing as well as his continuing journey as an artist. Diaz steps back in time appreciating the salvageable past and moves forward expressing social concern for the environment by using recyclable materials and making a statement against the present critical predisposition towards disposability of old and seemingly useless things that can still be imbued with beauty and significance.
Ongoing until March 30 only.
Galleria Duemila, Pasay, Philippines
