Respected art collector and Gallery Genesis founder Araceli “Chichi” Salas, 80, vividly recalls growing up in her home province, Iloilo, and loving the “old-fashioned paintings” displayed on the walls of their house. She says those “commercial” artworks were small in size and had a Filipiniana theme.

Her youngest daughter, Patrice Salas, who’s been president of Gallery Genesis since 2021, likewise grew up admiring the artworks in their Quezon City residence. She was literally surrounded by the precious art her mother had collected over the years.

“I just liked collecting,” Chichi tells Lifestyle at their gallery located at Estancia Mall in Pasig City. She can’t remember when she bought her first artwork and what it was. She’s certain she made her purchases from reputable galleries and from the artists themselves.

Masters like Fernando Amorsolo (1892-1972), H. R. Ocampo (1911-1978), and Vicente Manansala (1910-1981) were still around when Chichi started her art collection. She also bought pieces by young and promising artists.

“Then I started to, well, become close to artists,” she says. “I wanted to help them. Because that time, they were at the mercy of some galleries. They had so many sad stories.”

In 1981, Chichi and her husband, Ernesto Salas, a well-regarded businessman, decided to put up a gallery in a residential area she found on Ortigas Avenue. She insisted on having resident artists, who would present their works to her for approval to be exhibited. The initial roster was responsible for giving the new arts haven its name, Gallery Genesis, as it signaled a new beginning for them.

Chichi then found a bigger space on Shaw Boulevard to better showcase Gallery Genesis. She looks back with pride: “It became the biggest gallery. One whole big warehouse! We would hold shows there.

“That’s when we started to make a name,” she adds. “It was the first gallery to give a certificate of authenticity for every painting sold.”

Watercolor

Chichi says she appreciates all forms and genres of visual arts, but especially “kung pinaghirapan ang trabaho” (if it took a lot of effort). She explains, “Somehow I can feel the soul of the artist in the painting. I cannot explain it. Like small details na alam mong pinag-isipan (that are well-thought-out) and very well-planned.”

She admits, though, she has a soft spot for watercolor painting, which is known to be challenging to pull off. Thus in 1983, she started an annual invitational watercolor show after consulting with top critics Rod. Paras-Perez and Leo Benesa, who suggested the title, “Kulay sa Tubig.”

On its seventh edition, Chichi decided to make “Kulay sa Tubig” not just an invitational show but also a competition to encourage more watercolorists to join. Over the years, it has served as a launching pad for many artists like Rodelio “Toti” Cerda, now considered a master in aquarelle.

In 1993, Gallery Genesis was given prime space at SM Megamall’s Art Walk and stayed there until 2008. That was the time Chichi opted to occupy the space in her husband’s company headquarters at the Tektite Tower in Pasig City.

Passing the baton

For Patrice, who was born in 1995, seeing art and meeting artists was “normal.” One time, she and her college classmates went on a field trip to the National Museum to view the exhibit of Isabelo Tampinco’s classical sculptures of saints and religious images.

She had seen all those artworks because they were loaned to the museum by her parents. So, she thought of seeing Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium” instead. But her humanities professor saw her leaving the room and gave her a lecture on the artistic greatness of Tampinco, a contemporary of Jose Rizal. She couldn’t say that she actually had two of his sculptures in her bedroom. Later on, when the collection’s ownership had been revealed, she gave her professor a book on Tampinco.

Chichi says she’s glad Patrice has taken an interest in running Gallery Genesis as she’s already retired, except for screening duties for “Kulay sa Tubig.” She also gives advice and guidance to her daughter in selecting artworks to be exhibited.

“Before the curation, I show her first,” says Patrice, who also has an active role in Elsal Ventures OPC, the company owned by her father. Her sister Rhoda Salas is the vice president.

“I think it’s also important to note that we have a standard at Gallery Genesis. Here, my mom is known to have such high standards. If an artwork doesn’t pass, she will not be shy to tell the artist to do better.”

At the same time, Chichi also reminds Patrice to be “nice” to artists “because sometimes they are hard to understand” and many of them are painfully shy. “So, just be kind to them.”

Patrice takes to heart that lesson from her mom: “With artists, besides being kind to them, it’s important to be encouraging of their potential and believe in it. Otherwise, they won’t be able to produce their best works.”

She understands that it’s something that can’t be learned overnight, but she knows she’ll get there. INQ