Artist Baldemor’s ‘Symphony of Flowers’ exhibit opens in NY

World-renowned Filipino artist Manuel Baldemor paid tribute to flowers as a “symbol of love and peace” and an indispensable element of the Filipino landscape. BOYET LOVERITA

NEW YORK CITY – World-renowned artist Manuel Baldemor’s latest exhibit, “Symphony of Flowers,” opened May 16, bathing the gallery of the Philippine Center in New York in a burst of colors shaped in the delicate silhouettes of petals and leaves.

About 60 art lovers and members of the Filipino community were on hand to see the artist’s sixth exhibit so far in New York City, at a reception to officially inaugurate the event.

Mrs. Eleanor de Leon led the ribbon-cutting ceremony, together with Baldemor, Philippine Center Manager Kira Danganan Azucena and the artist’s close friend and former Philippine Center Manager Gavino Abaya.

“Symphony of Flowers” is Baldemor’s sixth exhibit in New York City and the second to be hosted by Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. (right) at the Philippine Center in two years. BOYET LOVERITA

In his remarks, Baldemor paid homage to flowers as an indispensable element of the Filipino landscape.

“A simple flower…has a certain peace and tranquility you can take into yourself,” Baldemor said. “(They) are universal, and a symbol of love and peace. They spea directly to our hearts and have their own secret and unspoken language of diplomacy.”

Philippine Center Manager Kira Danganan Azucena (left), featured artist Manuel Baldemor, former Philippine Center Manager Gavino Abaya and Mrs. Eleanor de Leon cut the ceremonial ribbon to formally open “Symphony of Flowers: Aquarelle Paintings by Manuel Baldemor” last May 16 at the Philippine Center Gallery. BOYET LOVERITA

On Wednesday, Baldemor hosted an art workshop for the Philippine Center employees and their families. The participants had a chance to color original black-and-white

drawings of flowers by the artist. A select group, led by Consul General Mario L. de Leon Jr. and Mrs. de Leon, also helped finish a painting by Baldemor depicting the Filipino festival Flores de Mayo.

A versatile Filipino artist, Baldemor is a painter, sculptor, print maker, writer and book illustrator. He was born in 1947 in Paete, Laguna, a place renowned for wood carvers. He has held one-man exhibits in many cities all over the world, and his works have been displayed in a number of important institutions including the United Nations Headquarters in New York. For 18 straight years, his works have been reproduced in UNICEF’s Christmas greeting cards.