In the past, hotel art served as a decorative element to complement the interior design. Today, the quality of a hotel’s art collection redefines luxury.
The artworks are meant not just to stand out in public spaces or add comfort to a room, but serve as statements of creativity and vision.
SM Hotels and Convention Center and partner hospitality group Hilton Worldwide have taken up the cause of enhancing guest experience by showing the vibrancy of contemporary Philippine art in Conrad Manila.
To kick-off the hotel’s Christmas season, the hotel launched its “The Art of Conrad,” a catalogue of its 635 artworks, curated by former Cultural Center of the Philippines artistic director Nestor Jardin and his team composed of Victoria Herrera, Evita Sarenas and Luningning Doctor.
The book shows the range of the collection which not only includes paintings, sculpture, installation art but also decorative arts.
The book also explains how the artworks reiterate the curvilinear architecture of the hotel, as well as echo the moods of Manila Bay, nature and Filipiniana themes.
Its cover features Conrad Manila’s signature piece, “Oroborus,” by Leeroy New. A giant ribbon of kelp, made of steel and fiberglass, gives a show-stopping sense of arrival.
At the lounge facing the bay, New’s chandelier of thousands glass diatoms or unicellular algae, cast glitters and hues as the lights hit the glass.
The catalogue explains the artists’ contributions and how they lend a sense of place. For instance, at the hotel’s casual dining restaurant, Eugene Jarque’s abstraction of a seaside collective, rendered in his assemblage of wood, suggests the idea of communing.
Mac Valdezco’s abstract superimposition of leaves, done in acrylic and graphite, lends a dreamy presence at the foyer of China Blue restaurant.
Meanwhile, faceless portraits of Chinese sages and aristocrats by young female artists, who call themselves Khia Chong, dominate the private rooms.
Known for her analogue printmaking, Nicole Coson, taipan Henry Sy’s granddaughter, created blue-and-white monoprints using acrylic on paper. At first glance they look like foliage, from a distance they seem like islands separated by water.
Raffy T. Napay’s mixed-media amazes the viewer with his virtuosity in nests of threads with acrylic and fabric.
Some works pay homage to the local culture. Mark Justiniani’s installation of wood, lights, metal and mirrors is derived from the classic interior architecture of Binondo church and Manila Cathedral, replete with domed ceilings, pendentives or curved triangles that meet the dome and the columns and saints in niches.
Mangyan poetry on friendship and travel are inscribed in alibata, ancient Filipino alphabet on laminated bamboo by industrial designer Stanley Ruiz. They recreate the ambahan, the poetic expression of the Mangyans that was originally rendered on bamboo poles. These poems turn the bathrooms into a sanctuary.
The choice of artists ranges from such veterans as potter-artists Jon and Tessie Pettijohn to newbie Nikki Ocean who is adept in various media.
While most hotels hire a designer or decorator to create their Christmas tree, Conrad Manila, on the other hand, unveiled a work of art, “Celeste Yule.”
Sculptor Impy Pilapil’s Christmas tree is crafted from premium stainless steel rods and fine sheets delicately shaped into waves, and dotted with orbs. Pilapil’s signature sinewy lines suggest movement and life. The glowing sculpture also allows the viewer to interact with it as one sees his or her reflection on the tree.
“The inspiration comes from a higher world, one that signifies the spiral of life and the magical living energy of the universe,” Pilapil told Inquirer Lifestyle. She noted that the art scene is experiencing a boom and a growing audience.
Still, she said that we must learn to be discerning about art, and to realize that true art raises people’s consciousness. It’s a reflection of society and where it’s at.
“In the present fast-changing world of technology, where our lives are driven by the machinery of sensory overload and automation, I believe that the fundamental denominator and ultimate counterbalance is art. Art that elevates thought and art that uplifts the human senses,” said Pilapil.
All told, Conrad Manila is cultivating our aesthetics by promoting “art by the bay.”