140911_Rimowa_01A — Marina Cruz enjoys both local and international recognition in the arts field. At present, her works, which show fixation on fashion and interior design, have been featured in different art fairs across Asia. PHOTO from walongfilipina. wordpress.com

Bring a select roster of exceptional, contemporary artists across South East Asia together to create one-of-a-kind art pieces out of stylish RIMOWA luggage, and you’ve got an auction that would have discriminating art collectors swoon.

This month, the luggage brand, becomes a canvas for four of the country’s best artists — Rodel Tapaya, Marina Cruz, MM Yu and Alfredo Esquillo Jr.–all handpicked by Zonta Philippines, who are turning stylishly grooved RIMOWA luggage into one-of-a-kind, rather enviable art pieces, all of which will be up for sale.

140911_Rimowa_02A — Rodel Tapaya is the 2011 winner of the “Signature Art Prize” given by the Asia-Pacific Breweries Foundation. Tapaya’s artworks have been exhibited in countries like China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States. His insights about today’s “life and issues” are among the messages that can be extracted from his artworks and pieces usually display the country’s cultural history. PHOTO from www.manilaartblogger.com

The artists are nothing short of stellar. Rodel Tapaya, for example, is a winner at the Nokia Art Awards, took intensive drawing and painting courses at Parsons School of Design in New York and at the University of Helsinki in Finland, and graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts. He has exhibited in Berlin, New York, Tokyo, Beijing, and this year, the 10th Gwangju Biennale.

Since graduating cum laude from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, Marina Cruz has won an Ateneo Art Award, a fellowship at La Trobe University’s Visual Art Center, a Freeman Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center, and the grand prize at the Philippine Art Awards. She has had fourteen solo exhibitions in countries that include the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Australia and Singapore.

140911_Rimowa_03A — Artist and photographer MM Yu’s distinct style is framing the ordinary, turning it into an art piece, and then eventually letting her spectators draw meanings, their own interpretations, out of her works.
Photo credit: https://mmyu.wordpress.com

MM Yu produces semi-autobiographical photographs and paintings that capture the beauty and the chaos of Manila, expressing them in paintings, handmade photo books, multiple-exposed photographs, installation pieces, and this time, RIMOWA luggage.

140911_Rimowa_04A — Having been in the exhibit-sphere since 1989, Alfredo Esquillo Jr.’s works have made it to solo and group exhibitions in Asia, Europe, and the United States. He has also won various painting competitions both in and out of the country. The theme of his work circulates around “humanity trapped in an elaborate maze of its own making.”

Alfredo Esquillo Jr. will use the same canvas in expressing his idealism, depth of perception, and the romance of his own artistic style. Since majoring in painting at the University of Santo Thomas, Esqui has captured the journey of the Filipino nation in his work, which appeals to the varied cultural tastes of Filipinos.

The auction, which is the first collaboration between RIMOWA and Philippine Contemporary Artists, is part of the Zonta Club of Makati & Environs’ Art & Fashion Fair; and, proceeds from the sale of the masterpieces will help the advancement of disadvantaged women in the communities the club serves, a goal which Zonta-Makati shares with its principal Zonta International.

It is the heart, in fact, that brought other artists together for the event. Among the artists who’ve donated their work are: Manny Baldemor, Jon and Pam Santos, Lydia Velasco, Joy Mallari, Pablo Capati, Maria Taniguchi, Lui Medina, Jim Orencio, Ambie Ambano, and Patty Eustaquio, to name a few.

The auction takes place after a series of talks called, Who Determines the Value of Art? Moderated by Karen Davila, guest speakers include: Kim Atienza, an avid collector; Museum Director Dr. Joven Cuanang; Curator and Art Critic Dr. Patrick Flores; and, Educator Tony Godfrey.

No high comes close for an art connoisseur than adding your very own hand-painted RIMOWA to your personal collection. The art, created by a select group of the country’s top artists, adds an even higher value to an already valuable piece of luggage.

The Art of Travel, a fundraising auction featuring original artworks on RIMOWA luggage, will be held at the Rockwell Tent on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5PM. For more details visit facebook.com/FilipinaZ2014