The highlight of our
Baguio trip is fulfilling my 2 year-old dream of seeing the Bencab Museum. This is the Museum set up by
National Artist Ben Cabreras in the mountains along Asin Road, Baguio. We took a
15minute taxi ride (main mode of transpo, all taxi drivers give the exact
change! lol) and weeehew hello Bencab Museum! :D :D
AMAZING IS AN
UNDERSTATEMENT. I felt like I was in a playground hahah. It's a simple
three-story building, all painted in white, and with different rooms each
having a different name: Erotica Gallery, Contemporary Gallery, Philippine Contemporary Art, Print, Patio Salvador, and the Bencab Gallery.
Daylight filled
almost all corners of the place and made me feel like it tries to be one with
the nature that it surrounds itself with. The white walls and simple cubic rooms provided the right backdrop to the different kinds of exhibits that the museum housed. The
structure in itself is refreshing and awe-inspiring at the same time.
My favorite part of
the museum is the Bulol Installation (see above). It's a whole wall filled with wooden
images of people in a sitting position. Those are the Bulol's- gods of our
Ilocano forefathers. Carved out from age old wood, these images are known to
watch over crops and ensure abundant harvest and protection against natural
calamities.
"Handcarved from hardwood abundant in the
region, these primitive sculptures emphasize the male and female genitalia,
representing fertility and abundance…"
I kind of felt
starstruck. This is actually an altar for the
ancient gods, and couldn't stop myself from paying homage.
