The Colors of Hope Exhibit (Tbilisi, Georgia)

Visual artist Pancho Piano - the first Filipino artist to officially present his work in Georgia and the entire Caucasus Region

For the First Filipino Movement's arts and culture advocacy and 2014 grand finale, Hon. Thelmo O. Cunanan, Jr., Honorary Consul of Georgia to the Philippines, brought master visual artist and mural and stained-glass painter and poet Pancho Piano to the Republic of Georgia where he exhibited some 35 of his artworks at the ShalvaAmiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts of the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi, the capital of the country.    

Entitled "The Colors of Hope," Mr. Piano's paintings depicted his own unique interpretation of famous and historical Georgian landmarks, with the themes of love and care for the environment. 

The Colors of Hope Exhibit at Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts

The exhibit, which is in partnership with Prof. David Lordkipanidze (Director General of the Georgian National Museum) and Dr. Lela Tsitsuashvili, ran from November 27 - December 3, 2014.  

A native of Naga City, Pancho has exhibited all over the world, including Vienna, Berlin, Tokyo, New York City, Rome, Paris, Brunei, and Singapore. This multi-awarded artist was recently honored as the Most Outstanding Bicolano Artist in 2009.  

L-R: Mr. David Lordkipanidze, Mr. Barcel La Shinski, Ms. Lela Tsitsuashvili, Mr. Pancho Piano, Consul Buddy Cunanan and Consul-General Teimuraz Chichinadze

He was also awarded the My City My SM Award in 2010 and the Orgullo Kan Award for Visual Arts in 2011.  Pancho is the first Filipino artist to officially present his work in the Republic of Georgia and the entire Caucasus Region. 

On December 3, the exhibit culminated with a successful poetry and mural painting demonstration at the main exhibition hall of the museum. 

Mr. La Shinski delivering a series of poems while Mr. Piano interprets its meaning on canvas

In attendance were government officials, members of the diplomatic and consular corps, and arts and poetry enthusiasts as well as Georgian print and broadcast media who covered the event.  The televised demonstration, which lasted an hour, was a unique arts collaboration between famous Georgian poet Barcel La Shinski and Mr. Piano, with Mr. La Shinski delivering a series of poems and Mr. Piano interpreting the meaning on canvas. The result was a beautiful art masterpiece.

After the performance, Consul Cunanan told the audience,"This is truly a historic event in Philippines - Georgia relations. We Filipinos are a happy and optimistic people. We believe that hope springs eternal and we see sunshine even in the midst of adversity. 

Through the "Colors of Hope" exhibition, we wanted to share these values with our Georgian brothers and sisters." "Through these two arts masters, we have shown that we can unite the world and move society forward, using arts as a means for social change."

The almost finished painting

"I want to congratulate the organizers of this event for the beautiful performance this afternoon. Through this event, we can see that arts know no borders and that it can bring peoples closer together. 

I look forward to more Philippine cultural exchanges at the Georgian National Museum," said Prof. Lordkipanidze. "Congratulations to Barcel and Mr. Piano for an amazing performance," added Dr. Tsitsuashvili.  "This is just the start of our collaboration in Georgia. Mr. Cunanan has done a tremendous job and I look forward to working with him to bring more exhibitions to Georgia," said Philippine Honorary Consul-General Teimuraz Chichinadze.

The finished painting, along with a multimedia presentation of the poetry-mural painting event, will be on display in Manila in May 2015, during the Philippine - Georgian art exhibition that Consul Cunanan will be organizing, in cooperation with several major academic institutions. 

The packed exhibit hall on the final day

Mr. Piano and the Philippine - Georgian exhibit will also go on a road show to Prague (Czech Republic) and Vienna (Austria) in October 2015. 

The "Colors of Hope" exhibition was made possible through the kind assistance of QatarAirways, the delegation's official carrier, which generously provided additional cargo allowance for the transport of the paintings and art materials for the event. 

Pancho's rendition of the statue of Kartlis Deda (“Mother of Georgia”)

Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts: 1 Lado Gudiashvili St., 0105, Tbilisi.  Tel: (+995 032) 2 99 99 09 and 2 99 35 66. E-mail: info@museum.ge. Website: www.museum.ge.