PH diplomat holds solo art exhibit in Vienna

AUSTRIA - The diplomatic community in Austria joined Philippine Embassy Cultural Attache Toni Bosa during the opening of her first solo art exhibition at Top Lokal in Vienna.

In the exhibition “Expression: My Kind of Art“, Bosa wanted to show her strong interest in color through an expressive artistic style.

“I started this as a hobby when I was still in the Philippines. Now I come to a point that I have to share also this kind of artwork which is very unique and distinctive Filipino,” Bosa said.

Bosa began painting when she was a child in the southern Philippines. She used coconut husks as a paintbrush and paints mixed with sands, pebbles and clay.

“For me, painting is a way of communicating my innermost feelings, moods, expressions and impressions of the world, resulting in a complex, densely textured mesh of colors and lines. It is energy and motion made visible,” she said.

Austrian Migration officer Karin Fleischhacker praised the works of Bosa.

“The paintings of Toni are very expressive and the colors are very nice. They seem to imbibe a deeper meaning of life which could not be expressed in words. Indeed, her works send a message of happiness, peace, love and positive energy,” Fleischhacker said.

Tommy Aquino, also a Filipino painter based in Austria, is very much impressed by Bosa’s works.

“It is amazing! I did not know in the first place that a diplomat like Toni possesses an artistic talent. Through her example, other artists in Vienna would be given the courage to come out and share their talents,” Aquino said.

“They are quite unique in a sense, since they are expressions of emotions. The paintings evoke variety of emotions. In every picture you can see colors. Indeed, a very promising exhibition,” art enthusiast Emy Duran said.

Philippine Ambassador to Austria Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre also graced the opening of Bosas’s solo art exhibit. The ambassador noted that Bosa’s responsibility as cultural attache at the embassy in Austria and her talent in painting are effective tools for cultural promotion, awareness and education.

The Ambassador related that Bosa helps a lot in promoting the richness of the Filipino culture.

Aside from her first solo exhibition in Vienna, she has received invitations to hold an exhibition in the US.

“I have an invitation in the US. I hope that this would materialize very soon. Of course, I will also conduct a vernissage in the Philippines,” she said.

She likewise wants to encourage other Filipino artists who have the inclination to paint, to realize their talents.

“I encourage everyone like me. It’s never too late to follow your dreams. Just like me, express yourselves in whatever form you want to express it,” she said.

The art exhibition is open to the public from November 12 to January 15, 2013.

Top Lokal is located at Fleischmarkt 18, 1010 Vienna. Proceeds of the art exhibition will go to Bosa’s Children’s charity projects in the Philippines and in Honduras.

source: abs-cbnnews.com