2 Kapampangan artists in Vienna exhibit

TWO young Kapampangan artists, Ronald Salazar and Don De Dios, are starting to make waves in the European art scene with their avant-garde sculpture and paintings in an exhibit in Vienna, Austria.

Ronald Salazar, a native of Sta. Rita, is best known for his bottle art and advocates the art philosophy of assertionism. He was the Grand Prize winner in the Art Association of the Philippines Annual Competition in 2005 for sculpture and an honorable mention in the Shell National Students Art Competition.

Don De Dios, who hails from the City of San Fernando , is a multi-media artist widely recognized for his wire sculptures and chess pieces series. De dios was the Juror’s Choice in the 2006 GSIS National Painting Competition and an honorable mention in the 2006 AAP Annual Competition, sculpture category.

The works of Salazar and De Dios, along with the modernist works of international artists Salvador Dali, Paolo di San Lorenzo, Estonia’s premier sculptor Tauno Kangro, Frank Hauser, Fabio Calvetti and Ademaro Bardelli, are featured in a group exhibit entitled “Latin American Symbolisms” together with the works of Ecuadorian artists in celebration of the 200^th Independence Day of Ecuador this month.

The exhibition opened last June 9, 2009 at the jma Gallery in Vienna and was attended by members of the Diplomatic Community including the nine ambassadors namely:

Ambassador of Guatemala : H.E. Carla María Rodríguez Mancia

Ambassador of Paraguay H.E. Dr. Horacio Nogues Zubizarreta

Ambassador of Peru: Rómulo Acurio Traverso

Ambassador of Cape Verde H. E. Hercules do Nascimento Cruz

Ambassador of Egypt H.E. Ehab Mohamed Mostafa Fawzy

Ambassador of Lebanon H.E. Ishaya El Khoury

Ambassador of Pakistan H.E. Shahbaz

Ambassador of Saudi Arabia His Majesty Prince Mansour Bin Khalid Al-Saud
Ambassador of Sri Lanka H.E. Musthafa Mohamed Jaffeer

The exhibit is organized by Ms. Jackie Mauersberger-Arce, Manila-born Filipino artist and gallery owner who received her art degree form the Philippine Women’s University, now an Austrian citizen married to Dr. Horst Mauersberger, a nuclear physicist.

Two other Filipino artists who also joined the exhibition at jma gallery were Gerardo De Guzman, based in Vienna, and Jill Zabala Centino, based in Phoenix Arizona.

Mauersberger –Arce stated that she will present the works of Ronald Salazar and Don De Dios at the International Art Fair in Utrecht , Holland in September 2009 as well as in the Foire International Automne Fair in Luxembourg in October 2009.

In an interview, Ron Salazar asserted, “I believe that my eagerness to share this opportunity to other artists was one of the factors that took place in (JMA) Jackie’s decision of opening the doors to us Filipino artists the chance to showcase our Art in the European Art and mostly in the International Art Circuit.

With Jackie’s guidance we are contemplating on improving our craft to meet the standards of the International Art to further join International Art Fairs and probably contribute to the Philippine Art.”