![CDATA[Art For A Vision]]

![CDATA[MANILA, Philippines — "Next to life, the greatest gift of God is eyesight.”  With these words, National Artist Arturo Luz perfectly captures the essence of Art for a Vision. A project of the Ophthalmological Foundation of the Philippines (OFPHIL), Art for Vision thoroughly exemplifies the ideology of art for a cause.  Bringing together an impressive roster of world-renowned artists this exhibit is not only a visual treat for admirers of art; it is also an important issue in society today.Approximately 1.4 million children are blind worldwide, and millions visually impaired. There are about 3.4 million Filipinos that suffer from eye problems, 500,000 of whom are blind in both eyes, 90% of these people belong to poor communities. According to the statistics of the Cataract Foundation of the Philippines, one person goes blind every five seconds and one child goes blind every minute. In our country, 60% of the children die within a year of becoming blind, and the remaining 40% will live out the rest of their lives without ever seeing the world that they are trying to survive in. Ninety percent of children who are blind will never get the chance to receive a proper education. It is heartbreaking to think that 75% of such cases are unavoidable. Founded in 1989, OFPHIL is a charitable eye foundation dedicated to “reducing blindness among Filipinos who cannot afford eye care due to poverty.”  Headed by Dr. Felipe Tolentino, founder of the organization and also a faculty of Harvard Medical School in Boston, this venture will benefit the many projects of OFPHIL, specifically, the Ifugao State University-OFPHIL (IFSU-OPHIL) Eye Center at Alfonso Lista in Ifugao Province.The selection of paintings and sculptures were given as a donation for the cause the OFPHIL champions. The exhibiting artists include Gus Albor, Virgillio “Pandy” Aviado, Cesar Caballero, Valeria Cavestany, IganD´Bayan, Ramon Diaz, Arturo Luz, Ramon Orlina, ImpyPilapil, Cid Reyes, Juvenal Sanso, Betsy Westendorp and Jaime Zobel. The resulting show is an inspiring collection of works by the most celebrated artists of our time.Being artists, their eyesight is crucial to their craft, making this cause something that is close to their hearts. Betsy Westendorp, Philippine Presidential Medal of Merit awardee, philanthropist and one of the organizers of the show elaborated on her involvement saying, “I myself suffer from age-related macula degeneration so this advocacy is very meaningful to me.” Arturo Luz, is similarly sympathetic, donating his work, “Objects from the Past.” Other artists cite similar reasoning for their involvement. On his offering, entitled, “Space Talks,” Gus Albor expresses his sincere hope that his contribution will be of help for the people in need, especially as it is a particularly detrimental impairment for artists.Pandy Aviado’s donation, “Edsa Ambulent Vendor,” was a perfect choice for this exhibit. Inspired by a vendor selling glasses along EDSA, his artful representation as a painted xylograph is memorable for its “metaphor for giving the gift of vision.” On Cesar Caballero’s contribution, “En Contrato, “ or “The Contract,” his angels seductively moving, heightened with passionate red strokes is his choice to be a reminder that, “art is a gift, and a gift is something you have to share.”For multi-awarded Juneval Sanso, “ eyesight is a major instrument and a source of pleasure.” His work, “Glow of Spring,” is symbolic of natures healing quality. Bright and optimistic with uplifting colors of bright blue and green complementing the delicate flowers, he considers this to be an image of nature’s breath, and symbol of life and reproduction. These are just few of the fascinating works that will be exhibited in the heartwarming exhibit. For more, catch Art for a Vision in Crucible Art Gallery Megamall, from February 20 to 24.   ]]